Soccer Really Gets Around! A Glimpse into this Sport’s History
Soccer is one of the oldest sports in the history of mankind. People have always loved to kick things around and soon it evolved into a sport. Although in the olden days, this type of sport was not yet known as football, people in the past have played with sports and games that involve kicking some objects around.
However, modern soccer or football has roots linked to the games played at public schools in England. The enthusiasm of the public school students in the game of soccer led to the formation of different soccer clubs all over England. Most of these clubs were composed of old school friends and those who are living in the neighborhood. By the middle of the 19th century, there were already a number of amateur soccer or football clubs around England and each group played according to the rules established during their school days. The difference in rules and regulations of soccer clubs led to disputes. So, whenever the clubs play against each other, Ebenezer Cobb Morley saw it fit to unify all the rules. Morley then crafted the first unified rules of soccer. At the same when Morley crafted the unified rules of soccer, the different soccer clubs in England decided to come together and form the Football Association (FA) is 1863. The FA then adopted the rules crafted by Morley on December 1863.
Although the game of soccer has become quite popular in England, the FA was not really much recognized at first. The game of soccer and the clubs which were formed were still considered to be very much amateur. However, as the working class of England started to take interest in the sport and contemplated on making money out of it, the first profession soccer clubs were then organized. The FA then started to gain national recognition and people began to enthusiastically support the game of soccer.
The first FA CUP was first played in 1872 and marked the elevation of the status of the game of soccer from being just an amateur activity to a professional sport. The first teams to meet during the finals were the Wanderers and the Royal Engineers. Around 2,000 spectators gathered to witness the first FA finals. The Engineers were the crowds favorites although they loss the game when a player sustained a broken collarbone during the game and was forced to leave the playing field. During that time, substitution of players was not allowed so the Engineers played with one man down during the rest of the game. This incident led to the modification of the rules to allow for substitution of players during the game.
The success of the first FA Cup encouraged other clubs from all over England to take part on the next FA Cup. However, different football clubs needed to adopt the laws and regulations formulated by the FA on soccer before they could take part in any activities sponsored by the FA. As more and more clubs sought to take part in the FA tournaments, the rules and regulations of soccer approved by the FA soon became the universal rules and regulations of the game. These rules and regulations are the basis of the present laws of the game of soccer or football all over the world today.
The British Expatriates facilitated the spread of the popularity of the game of soccer. Soon, people all over Europe become so engrossed with the game of soccer that Charles Alcock, the secretary of the FA to introduce the idea of an international soccer competition. His idea of an international competition was realized when a group of Scots living in England responded to his call for a team composed of people from foreign countries. This event became the first England-Scotland soccer tournament. From then on, other international tournaments took place and the first soccer match between non-European countries took place in November of 1995. It was between the United States and Canada at Newark, New Jersey. The Canadians won the match 1-0.
As the game of soccer gained popularity in different parts of the world, the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was founded on May 21, 1904. FIFA is the international governing body for the game of soccer or football. This organization is one of the largest and the oldest Non-Government organization all over the world. Currently, it has about 208 member associates all over the world.
Tags: history of soccer, rules of soccer