Soccer - Then and Now

By Darcy Yarnell

http://ynsoccer.com

The sport that North Americans today call soccer had its origins among the children of working class communities in Britain during the 1830s. The sport was a popular way to keep children gainfully occupied around the home and at school. Children could work off excess energy and learn important social skills such as teamwork at the same time.

Sheffield saw the first formal clubs in 1857. Soon, the clubs had sufficient membership to form an association. In 1867, the first British Football Association was officially formed. It is worth noting at this point that there is a variation in the sport's name, depending on where you live. What people in the United States call "football", most of the rest of the world refers to as "American football." And what people in the US call "soccer," most of the world knows as "football."

Soon after the initial matches between associations such as the London Football Association and the Sheffield Football Association, it became clear that a standard set of rules were needed so that clubs in different associations could play one another. Representatives and members met to establish an official game plan, but there were so many variations already in existence that some issues couldn't be easily resolved. When one group separated from the football associations to form the Rugby Football Union, the remaining parties were eventually able to agree upon a uniform set of football rules.

Whereas football began among the working classes in England, it entered the United States through the upper class, being played by privileged college and school boys. The first formal soccer club in the US formed in 1862 with the Boston Oneida Soccer Club. This club carried a regular roster and played games against pick-up teams, a likely reason for this elite club's perfect record: in its four year history, the Oneida's never lost a game.

Beginning in the 1920's, soccer really began to gain a place in America. The American Soccer League was founded in 1921, guaranteeing that the game was here to stay; it was almost as popular as the National Football League for a time. Eventually, the game and the clubs began to be available to children and adults from the lower socio- economic classes with the formation of a new league, termed the ASL. Since this formation, soccer has become an increasingly popular sport throughout the United States.

Nowadays, football (soccer) is a worldwide phenomenon. People from all around the world make a complete halt to their ordinary lives to watch the World Cup games. You can learn more about the sport by searching online, or visiting your local library and visiting with people from your local league.

Articles by Darcy Yarnell on soccer appear regularly in Soccer News the favorite on- line letter for information about soccer. You'll find more articles at http://www.ynsoccer.com/