1. Although no one knows when people first began playing football, historians believe that some kind of the game was practiced in ancient societies such as China, Egypt, and Rome. 2. The Football Field has three players. Football has four rules.
Soccer dates back at than 2,000 years to ancient China, according to records. Although Greece, Rome, and areas of Central America claim to have invented the sport, it was England who transformed soccer, or what the British and many other people across the world call "football," into the game we know today. The English game is different from others because it is played on a field divided up by lines in front of each goal where only players can go. The object of the game is to score goals by kicking the ball through the opponent's side of the field; if you touch the ball with your hands, you are out.
Around 1580, laws were made by the English Parliament to standardize the rules of football. These rules included things such as how many players could be on a team, how the pitch should be shaped, and so on. Over time, these laws were changed or added to by other countries who wanted to make the game more competitive or based on gender differences (such as banning certain players due to religious beliefs). However, despite these changes, the basic idea behind soccer: use balls to score goals, remains the same today as it did over 300 years ago.
After Britain's discovery of America, Americans began playing soccer. The first known reference to "soccer" in America comes from 1634 in Boston, Massachusetts. It was called "assoccer" then gradually changed to its present name.
Although the game of soccer as we know it today has been around for more than 2,000 years, it can be traced back to England. The game was previously popular in ancient China, Greece, Rome, and Japan, but with slightly varied rules and variants. In England, soccer as we know it today began in 1857 when a group of gentlemen from different clubs met at a tavern to play a match against each other. This simple game eventually grew into the world's most popular sport.
England's first international tournament, known today as the World Cup, was held in 1930 in Uruguay. The English team did not do very well - they were eliminated after just one game - but the event is now held every four years.
The English league season runs from August through May. Each club plays the others twice during the regular season, which ends with the conclusion of the last game of the season called the Grand Final. The team that wins more games overall is declared the champion.
In Europe, soccer is much more popular than American football. There are more soccer fields per 100 people in Europe than in America. Also, European players are better trained and have more experience because they play more games per year. In fact, many professional American football players in the NFL come from European leagues such as the German Bundesliga or the Spanish La Liga.
Throughout Soccer History The sport has progressed from kicking a crude animal-hide ball around to the World Cup sport it is today. New rules were added to the game as it progressed, and more historical locations were established. The penalty kick, for example, was first used in 1891. In 1930, the own goal was introduced.
Other changes include the formation of associations and the introduction of international competition. The world's first soccer league was formed in England in 1890. The English game was popular throughout Europe and North America, and many different leagues were formed by national teams or local clubs. By the 1920s, most countries had their own national team, which went on tourney-style exhibitions called "World Cups".
The world's oldest soccer club is Manchester United, which was founded in 1878 by the brothers James and George Best. The two brothers agreed that any new business they started would be run equally between them. However, if one brother wanted it more than the other, he could leave his share with the family member who stayed behind. So, even though they started together, they didn't always work together: They changed roles over time. James became president of the club in 1878 and George joined him as secretary in 1889.
There are many other famous clubs including Chelsea, Liverpool, Leeds United, and Tottenham Hotspur. Each of these clubs have won multiple championships across Europe and North America.
"The Soccer Expansion" As merchants, explorers, and colonialists crossed the world, they disseminated the European form of the sport. The local people already played similar games in many of the sites where they halted, and the two forms were blended into one. Soccer has changed very little since its inception.
The first written reference to football was in a Latin book called "Stadium" that described the game as being from between 1580 and 1630. It was also referred to as "soccer." After this initial reference, references to the game appear frequently in literature until 1750 when it disappears from public view for several decades.
During this time, football was being played in Europe but it was not considered important enough to be recorded in writing. It returned in popularity in the early 1800's and remains popular today.