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Q: Is it permissible to play ball on the football field on Shabbat?

A: In addition to work prohibitions which are not permitted on Shabbat, the Torah also states that there are positive commandments that require us to keep the Shabbat as a special day, different from the other days of the week and devoted to Torah and spirituality.
Nahmanides (Ramban) learns this positive commandment from the word "Shabbaton" -- a rest day -- and Maimonides (Rambam) learns it from the words "so that he may rest" which appear in the Ten Commandments. It therefore seems clear to me that to choose teams and to play competitive ball games as one does during the week is forbidden on Shabbat. However, if one wants to relax a bit on Shabbat it would be permissible to play ball as long as one does not choose teams and play a competitive game as is done on a weekday. I think that on Shabbat one should devote as much time to the study of Torah or to some other spiritual activity as one devotes to playing ball.

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