An Exhibition Game or a Friendly is a match that is held between two teams or two sections of the same team where the results and player performances have no real consequence to team or player standings. In football, it is played on many levels including Club football and international football.
The Purpose of an Exhibition Game
The main purpose for most exhibition games is practice. It is to give players and teams to practice before or in-between seasons. If it is an exhibition game within the same team, the purpose is to get the team members used to play with each other. Coaches also use exhibition games to try out new strategies.In addition to these, Friendlies may also be conducted for charity with the proceeds of the ticket sales going to a charitable cause.
In Football
Before the establishment of clubs and professional football leagues, Exhibition Games were the most common type of match played between football teams. Most of today’s friendlies are usually one-off events. But sponsored short tournaments also exist. These include the Teresa Herrera Trophy, the Emirates Cup, the Amsterdam Tournament, and the International Champions Cup.Friendlies are also widely played prior to large international matches. This is done in order to get the players to warm up since for most events, teams have a shorter time to prepare and practice as one team.
International friendlies are usually held during club seasons. This usually leads to disagreements as most clubs are unwilling to lend players to friendlies as they could get injured or fatigued.
Matches that are generally considered as international friendlies include the Kirin Cup, the China Cup, and the King’s Cup.
Other Names and Uses in Other Sports
Friendlies are also known as scrimmages, demonstrations, preseason games, warm-up matches, or preparation matches. Post-season matches are also one of these.In addition to football, other sports also practice Exhibition Games or Friendlies. These include boxing, ice hockey, basketball, American football, Canadian football, rugby, Australian rules football, auto racing, and more.