Can defenders go past to the other side of the field?

Question

Like, is defenders just suppose to stay around and try to tackle other people to prevent them from shooting in goal? Or is it that they can go to the other half as well?

Please answer me, I'm a bit mix up. Oh, and how many people play at once, on one team?

Answer 1

There's no law preventing any player from going anywhere on the pitch.
But, each player has a responsibility to play in his position and not wander off willy-nilly.
So, while a defender could run up the other end of the pitch and help the attack, they would have to be sure they could get back in time to do their main job of defending.
Usually it's the manager or the state of the game that'd dictate how much the defenders would attack. (e.g. if you're 1-nil up, you might play safety first and stay back, but at 1-nil down, you might want to risk getting caught out at the back in trying to get an equaliser.)

To complicate things further, there are teams who play a form of 'total football', whereby a defender goes forward to help the attack and a midfielder would fall back into his defensive role to cover, as if swapping positions.

Answer 2

for your last part of the question, there are 11 players for each team in any given football game, including the goalkeepers. so there are 22 players on the field.

if you've been watching football long enough, you would have known by now that each player on the field is allowed to attack in as much as they are also allowed to defend.

Answer 3

11 players per team... And of course the defenders can be on the other half. They can score... There are even goalkeepers who go to the other half and score. But they can't use their hands....