elevenplayer

Elevenplayer is a term occasionally used to refer to the standard on-field eleven-player format in team sports, most notably association football (soccer). Each side fields eleven players at all times, typically consisting of a goalkeeper and ten outfield players. The phrase is commonly rendered as eleven-a-side or 11-a-side in formal writing; elevenplayer is less common but appears in informal discussions or branding contexts.

In football, the eleven players form the core of the team on the pitch, with formations such as 4-4-2, 4-3-3, or 3-5-2 outlining the arrangement of defenders, midfielders, and attackers. Substitutions, governed by competition rules, allow teams to replace players during a match, subject to limits. The requirement to field eleven players is a defining feature of standard-match play, distinguishing it from smaller-sided formats.

Other sports also commonly use eleven-per-side formats. Field hockey, for example, fields eleven players per side including a goalkeeper in international play, though rules and roles differ from football. The term elevenplayer, when used, is generally descriptive rather than official and is superseded by sport-specific terminology in formal contexts.

Overall, elevenplayer denotes the traditional full-strength lineup used in many long-form, official matches, particularly in football, and serves as a reference point for comparing different formats and game styles.