History of
Soccer
Soccer, also referred to as
football in some parts of the world, is a high-energy athletic team sport. It is
by far the most popular game in the world. Its popularity is constantly on the
rise as new generations continue to be fascinated by the sport. In this new age,
people continue to embrace this sport thanks to websites like soccerdrill.com
that help in promoting the game. It would be a joy ride to trace the birth and
growth of this popular sport.
The game, as we know it today, has
been followed in a feverish fashion in Europe, especially England, for
centuries. In fact, the game has been followed by men and women throughout the
modern world’s existence. The first recorded game took place as early as A.D.
217 in the town of Derby in England. This particular game was part of a grand
festival that was celebrated by the local folk after a particularly satisfying
victory over the invading Romans. This should explain the war like cries one
sometimes hears from the stadium audience. The tradition bound English have been
having annual soccer events ever since – One of them being the Shrove Tuesday
soccer game being played since 1175.
As is often the case for soccer
beginners, the players sometimes found the impulse to collect the ball in their
hands and make a run for it instead of just kicking it. This new and irritating
‘tactic’ led on to the birth of the game now known as rugby. The true followers
of the sport of soccer decided to put down some rules to let soccer remain
soccer. The London football association was formed in 1863 with the very intent
of distinguishing soccer from its various variants. The broad emphasis here was
that, apart from the goal keeper, the other players were to keep their hands off
the football. This led to its getting the rather official sounding name of
“association football”. Association football or assoc. football soon made way
for a more abbreviated and easy on the ears name of soccer.
The old London football
association has paved way for an international association in recent years. The
FIFA founded at the turn of the 20th century in 1904 governs all the
international games. The FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football
Association) sponsors the soccer World Cup which is contested once in every four
years since 1930. The four years between two World Cups are spent in drawing up
fixtures between different international teams to decide who will eventually
contest in the next World Cup. This gap in between two World cups is
necessitated by the large number of countries competing for a place in the
final. It is said that the number of countries that are FIFA members even
outnumber the members of the United Nations – another undeniable proof of the
game’s popularity. Since 1900, soccer has also been an integral part of the
greatest sports extravaganza in the world, the Olympics. The women’s competition
was added to the Olympics in 1996.
There have been many soccer
related events that have captured the public’s imagination over the years. The
game instigates mass hysteria among the fans. The soccer fans are an integral
part of any match and so are the commentators. The cry of “Goal” at once thrills
the senses and pumps up the adrenaline. Successful players are revered as
national heroes and role models – Notable among them being Brazil’s Edson
Arantes do Nasiemento better known as Pele. Commentators wax eloquence on the
person gifted as being the greatest player to have played the world’s most
beautiful game. Pele was a goal scoring machine, scoring an incredible 1,280
goals in his playing years. He was a global icon who even starred in the
Hollywood movie ‘Escape to Victory’, which is often touted to be the best soccer
film of all time. His achievements on and off the field have inspired many to
take up the game and become good athletes in their own right. What Pele did for
men’s soccer was emulated by Mia Hamm for Women’s soccer. Mia Hamm was the star
of the USA team that won the Olympic gold in 1996 and 2004 apart from winning
the 1999 World Cup championship. Her poster is part and parcel of every soccer
playing girl’s room. In recent years, players like David Beckham, Ronaldo and
Zidane enjoy the status of a super star around the globe.
On the downside, there has been an
actual war between two contesting countries. El Salvador and Honduras were at
war with each other in 1969 even as their qualifying matches for the 1970 world
cup played the role of a catalyst. National sentiments came in the way of the
game which even otherwise is a very emotional affair. The war between the two
countries is often referred to as the “Soccer War”.
In America, the game of football
which is more of a derivative of rugby rather than soccer dominates the mindset
of the sport fanatics. It is interesting to note that the name football in
America was coined due to the length of the football (one foot) rather than it
being a game played with a ball kicked by the foot as is soccer. The infectious
nature of soccer hasn’t gone past the notice of the Americans either. There has
been several start-stop attempts to popularize the game. The game still lacks
the media thrust enjoyed by Football, Baseball and Basketball. It finds more
interest and fan following in the grass roots level of schools and neighborhood
associations. Major league soccer in the USA currently entertains twelve
different teams since its inception in 1996. Judging by the rapid strides Team
USA has made in the Soccer World Cup, the talent is definitely there. An
interesting side note is that the USA’s women’s soccer team has found faster
success than the men’s team. The first women’s world cup in 1991 was won by the
USA. The public interest in the game needs to be sustained with the help of the
media.
