Starting lineup

In sports, a starting lineup is an official list of the set of players who will participate in the event when the game begins.

When listing a team's lineup, it is common in some sports to include each player's uniform number and their position, along with their name.

Position are often designated by abbreviations that are specific to the sport (for example, in American football; "SS" for strong safety).

In American football since the 1950s, most upper level teams use a three-platoon system, each with its own starting lineup.

The starting lineups are defined as the eleven players who take the first offensive or defensive play from scrimmage of a given game.

The third platoon, special teams, in modern times is composed mostly of backup and reserve players from the offensive or defensive platoons, with the exception of the placekicker or punter; the players who, for instance, take part in the opening kickoff are typically not considered starters.

A uniform numbering system restricts players' ability to change positions in the middle of the game.

Others can be used or unused at the discretion of a team's coach, provided that no more than 11 players are on the field at any given time and at least seven (usually exactly seven) are positions along the line of scrimmage.

Unlike offenses, defenses have no restrictions on positions (as long as no more than 11 players take the field), and the standard lineups have developed largely through tradition, experimentation, trial and error.

In the National Basketball Association (NBA), two starting players are traditionally announced as guards, two as forwards, and one as a center.

In the FIBA 3x3 World Cup the game is played 3 on 3, and the positions can be a mix of guards, forwards, and centers.

Players sometimes swap positions during a match and there are sometimes tactical variations in formation, such as dropping one of the six forwards back to provide a third midfielder.

The starting lineup in field lacrosse comprises ten players: 3 Attackmen, 3 Defensemen, 3 Midfielders, and 1 Goalkeeper.

Though the libero is typically announced with the starting lineup, he or she is not considered to be part of it, as the libero will replace one of the above players (typically a middle blocker, as teams will want to split their middle blockers, with one beginning in the front row) before the first rally.