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History of Soccer

Soccer, more popularly known around the world as football, finds its origins as far back as the Greeks and Romans who played a game with a round ball and two teams trying to bring it over the end-line. Japan also offers evidence of a similar game dating back to the sixth century.

The modern game however saw its origins in England where a sport, often involving violent conduct and equipment such as a pig's bladder, was kicked through the town's square. The game was even played in America when the Pilgrims played a form of it in Plymouth in the early 1600s.

The popularity of the sport increased despite various royal decrees banning it throughout the Renaissance, and in the mid-19th century, the first serious attempt to establish rules was made. In 1846, after a meeting at Cambridge University in England, 10 simple rules, which included the ball having to be kicked or headed into the goal, were laid down. The English Football Association was founded in 1863 incorporating all the amateur football clubs in the country, and by 1876, the English FA Cup, a national knock-out tournament involving all the clubs, had begun.

Association football, as opposed to rugby football, was sometimes called "soccer" as a nickname for "association", hence the derivation of the word used in the United States.

By the 1880s, professionalism swept through the game in England despite vocal opposition. The game also began to be exported to other European countries such as Spain, Italy, France and Germany by British merchants and students.

In 1884, the American Football Association was formed to organize the clubs in the Eastern United States and popularize the sport in the U.S., and in 1914, the U.S. Open Cup was unveiled to determine an American champion.

In the late 19th century, British citizens in Argentina and Brazil showed the first signs of the game in South America, and European colonies in Africa brought the game to that continent as well.

Football made its debut at the 1896 Olympics in Athens as an unofficial tournament, and again in 1900 in Paris and 1904 in St. Louis as a demonstration sport where Galt FC of Canada were given gold medals for their win. In 1908, England won the first official Olympic Gold Medal with a 2-0 win over Denmark.

In 1904, delegates from Belgium, Denmark, France, Holland, Spain, and Sweden founded the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the international governing body for the sport worldwide.

South America began the first continental championship in 1910 when Argentina defeated Uruguay 4-1 in the first ever Copa America in Buenos Aires.

After World War I, football was well along its way to becoming the world¿s most popular sport, and FIFA President Jules Rimet instituted the first World Cup to determine a World Champion in 1930 in Uruguay, where the hosts defeated Argentina 4-2 in the final.

After the end of World War II, continental championships were held in Asia and Africa, and international tournaments involving professional clubs began to revolutionize the sport in the late 1950s. Television helped bring soccer heroes like Brazil's Pele around the World in the 1960s.

FIFA President Joao Havelange began in the 1970s to create new initiatives that would lead to championships at every age level as well as develop women's soccer on a global level.

In the 21st century, soccer is played in every country in the World, and the World Cup is seen by nearly a billion people, an amazing feat considering the game's humble origins.