Six-pointer
Six pointer is a sporting cliché, particularly used in association football, used to describe a game between two teams with similar league positions, in leagues that employ a three points for a win system.
The term is normally reserved for the latter part of the season, when the league standings approach the ranking they will have at the end of the season. Therefore the result of the game is likely to have a significant bearing on which of the two teams will eventually finish in the higher position. The term may be applied, for example, to teams chasing the championship or promotion, but is most often used to describe a match between two teams near the bottom of the table - "a relegation six pointer".
The reason for using the term "six pointer" is debatable. Some suggest that the reason is because the effect of a win for one team would be so big (i.e. it would practically guarantee a final position above the other team), it would be effectively like winning six points in one game.
A more logical explanation is because there is potentially a six point swing dependent on the result. A win and three points for one team is effectively six points better than losing the game, as a loss will mean the other team has moved three in front, doubling the negative effect of not winning the three points themselves.
For example, the standings going into the match could be as follows:
| Team | Points | Relative Points |
|---|---|---|
| Team A | 40 | 0 |
| Team B | 40 | 0 |
If Team A win the match, then they are 3 points better off compared to Team B, but Team B is also 3 points worse off compared to Team A. A win puts a team three up, a lose puts a team three down compared to the other team - there is a six points difference between these two extremes.
| Team | Points | Relative Points |
|---|---|---|
| Team A | 43 | +3 |
| Team B | 40 | -3 |
In Australia the term six pointer can also be used in football (soccer) to describe a poor shot at goal where the ball goes between the posts but very high over the bar. It refers to Australian rules football, where a goal (worth 6 points) is scored at any height between goalposts which have no crossbar.