The Origin of Soccer
Information About How Soccer Came To Be
Did you know the Italians and the British were in a heavy argument? They were in an argument about who actually founded soccer. The British have claimed themselves the founders of soccer. Of course, the Italians don’t believe that because of some of the evidence that they found in 2011. It is very intriguing on who played soccer, some facts that I bet you don’t know about soccer, and how soccer used to be played. I bet you didn't know that soccer was more that 2,000 years old. Did you know that soccer had an extra point conversion after they scored a goal? If you didn't, I invite you to read this article that has more information on soccer’s origin than you will ever learn in a lifetime.
People Who Played Soccer
There are many people who have been thought to have made the game of soccer. We have not yet came up with the evidence of who it was, but we know a couple of people who it could have possibly been the founders and we are very close to figuring it out. First of all, we at least know that soccer was first played by the Chinese, Japanese, Italians, Persians, and even the Vikings. Next, in the more modern days of the 1800’s and 1900’s, Britain played soccer a lot! Because they played soccer a lot and we have evidence of it, they have claimed themselves that they made up the game of soccer. On the other hand, the Italians would like to disagree. Finally, we know that a count of more than 240 million people today play soccer, making it the most played and popular sport in the world!
Specific Facts
Since we know a lot about the past and about soccer and how it mainly started, I have some facts to present. Number one, in the 2nd century, Chinese military played soccer by using a tether ball as the soccer ball and 2 cloths side by side on either side of a field as the goals. Number 2, people who wanted to play soccer as their jobs that they did every day was called professional soccer and that started in 1885. Number 3 and finally, to find out more about the origin of soccer, historians tried looking for clues. In 2011, they finally found one. They found a book that was named Vocabula that was written by a man from Scotland. It tells about all the rules and how it was played. Both the book and modern day soccer were very alike, but very different. This finding may have changed our whole thinking on who would have made soccer.
Rules of Soccer
Believe it or not, soccer wasn't even close to how it is played today. One rule was in the Medieval times, it was played between towns and the towns used violent activities to score the goals like punching and kicking people. Thankfully, in 1963, 11 representatives from all 11 soccer clubs from around the world came together and discussed rules like no punching or kicking people, no shin kicking, no carrying the ball, and more. Finally, Phil Woosnam, a Welsh football player and manager says while laughing “The rules of soccer are very simple, basically it is this: if it moves, kick it. If it doesn't move, kick it until it does.”
So, if you didn't know that soccer used to be played with a tether ball and 2 pieces of cloth, or that soccer was played first by the Chinese, Japanese, Italians, Persians, British, and Vikings, or that people used violent activities when first playing soccer, I encourage you to pick up a book about soccer and learn more about it. Hey! Maybe you will even like it so much you will start playing soccer competitively. One thing I know for sure about soccer is that it is super fun and a great sport to play! Oh! I forgot to mention that Scotland is now claimed to have been the founders of football because of the book Vocabula.
Britain is one of the countries who plays soccer the most!
Wayne Rooney of Manchester United in England tries to complete a bicycle kick
The Barclay's Premier League Ball
Works Cited
- http://www.esoccer.eu/
- http://www.athleticscholarships.net/history-of-soccer-football.htm
- http://web.a.ebscohost.com/srck5/detail?vid=5&sid=67452ff7-9af4-4785-bb97-0e4ba2b77bf2%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4209&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWNvb2tpZSxpcCxjcGlkJmN1c3RpZD1zNjI2NDI2OCZzaXRlPXNyY2s1LWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=khh&AN=91516178