Soccer has a detailed history that spans centuries. Here are some of the most important moments of the game since it first appeared:
The hallmarks of soccer in China in the third century B.C.
History books say that the Han dynasty played Tsu-chu, a game strikingly similar to soccer. It consisted of kicking a feather-padded leather ball through a small hole made of reeds and netting.
“Harpastum” – the Greek view of soccer
Greek texts describe a game in which two teams had to try to throw a ball over the other team’s boundary. The game was played on a rectangular field with a marked center line, very similar to modern soccer fields.
Soccer chaos in Britain in 1314 and later
The Lord Mayor of London banned soccer, or a similar game as it was known at the time, in 1314. You could even be sent to jail if you were caught playing soccer in the city.
Soccer as a pastime.
For 100 years, when France and Great Britain were at war, soccer was considered illegal because soldiers could not concentrate.
Modern attitudes toward soccer
After centuries of negativity surrounding the game, soccer flourished in the 19th century and beyond. Villages would come together to play against each other, which is still the case today.
Independence in soccer in 1863
Association soccer and rugby used to be under the same roof, but they were separated in 1863 when the Football Association was born.
Standardization of the ball.
In 1871, the Football Association established the technical specifications of the ball used in soccer, and they have changed little since then.
FIFA takes over.
The association was founded in Paris in 1904 and now dictates the sport with more than 73 members. Since FIFA’s inception, leagues have been standardized and soccer has become a global phenomenon. It has grown ever since; the Association now has 208 international members.
Of course, there are many other significant things about soccer, but it is the above that, for the most part, brings us to where we are today.
There are over 600 soccer clubs in England alone, which means there could be hundreds of thousands of clubs around the world.