Football history

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The history of football (soccer)

Football (or soccer as the game is called in some parts of the world) has a long history.
Football in its current form arose in England in the middle of the 19th century. But
alternative versions of the game existed much earlier and are a part of the football history.

Early history and the precursors of football

The first known examples of a team game involving a ball, which was made out of a rock,
occurred in old Mesoamerican cultures for over 3,000 years ago. According to the sources, the
ball would symbolize the sun and the captain of the losing team would be sacrificed to the gods.

The first known ball game which also involved kicking took place In China in the 3rd and 2nd
century BC under the name Cuju. Cuju was played with a round ball on an area of a square. It
later spread to Japan and was practiced under ceremonial forms.

Other earlier variety of ball games had been known from Ancient Greece. The ball was made by
shreds of leather filled with hair (the first documents of balls filled with air are from the 7th
century). In the Ancient Rome, games with balls were not included in the entertainment on the
big arenas, but could occur in exercises in the military. It was the Roman culture that would
bring football to the British island (Britannica). It is, however, uncertain in which degree the
British people were influenced by this variety and in which degree they had developed their own
variants.
The game of football takes its form
The most admitted story tells that the game was developed in England in the 12th century. In
this century, games that resembled football were played on meadows and roads in England.
Besides from kicks, the game involved also punches of the ball with the fist. This early form of
football was also much more rough and violent than the modern way of playing. An important
feature of the forerunners to football was that the games involved plenty of people and took
place over large areas in towns (an equivalent was played in Florence from the 16th century
where it was called Calcio). The rampage of these games would cause damage on the town
and sometimes death. These would be among the reasons for the proclamations against the
game that finally was forbidden for several centuries. But the football-like games would return to
the streets of London in the 17th century. It would be forbidden again in 1835, but at this stage
the game had been established in the public schools.

It took, however, long time until the features of today’s football had been taken into practice. For
a long time there was no clear distinction between football and rugby. There were also many
variations concerning the size of the ball, the number of players and the length of a match.

The game was often played in schools and two of the predominant schools were Rugby and
Eton. At Rugby the rules included the possibility to take up the ball with the hands and the game
we today know as rugby has its origin from here. At Eton on the other hand the ball was played
exclusively with the feet and this game can be seen as a close predecessor to the modern
football. The game in Rugby was called “the running game” while the game in Eton was called
“the dribbling game”.

An attempt to create proper rules for the game was done at a meeting in Cambridge in 1848,
but a final solution to all questions of rules was not achieved. Another important event in the
history of football came about in 1863 in London when the first Football association was formed
in England. It was decided that carrying the ball with the hands wasn't allowed. The meeting
also resulted in a standardization of the size and weight of the ball. A consequence of the
London meeting was that the game was divided into two codes: association football and rugby.

The game would, however, continue to develop for a long time and there was still much
flexibility concerning the rules. For one thing, the number of players on the pitch could vary.
Neither were uniforms used to distinguish the appearance of the teams. It was also common
with players wearing caps – the header was yet to be a part of the game yet. Further
reading: The development of football rules.

Another important difference at this stage could be noticed between English and Scottish teams.
Whereas the English teams preferred to run forward with the ball in a more rugby fashion, the
Scottish chose to pass the ball between their players. It would be the Scottish approach that
soon became predominant.

The sport was at first an entertainment for the British working class. Unprecedented amounts of
spectators, up to 30,000, would see the big matches in the late 19th century. The game would
soon expand by British peoples that traveled to other parts of the world. Especially in South
America and India would the interest in football become big.
The first football clubs
Football clubs have existed since the 15th century, but unorganized and without official
status. It is therefore hard to decide which the first football club was. Some historians
suggest that it was the Foot-Ball Club formed 1824 in Edinburgh. Early clubs were often
formed by former school students and the first of this kind was formed in Sheffield in
1855. The oldest among professional football clubs is the English club Notts County that
was formed in 1862 and still exists today.

An important step for the emergence of teams was the industrialization that led to larger
groups of people meeting at places such as factories, pubs and churches. Football
teams were established in the larger cities and the new railroads could bring them to
other cities.

In the beginning, football was dominated by public school teams, but later, teams
consisting by workers would make up the majority. Another change was successively
taking place when some clubs became willing to pay the best players to join their team.
This would be the start of a long period of transition, not without friction, in which the
game would develop to a professional level.

The motivation behind paying players was not only to win more matches. In the 1880s
the interest in the game has moved ahead to a level that tickets were sold to the
matches. And finally, in 1885 professional football was legalized and three years later
the Football League was established. During the first season, 12 clubs joined the
league, but soon more clubs became interested and the competition would
consequently expand into more divisions.

For a long time, the British teams would be dominant. After some decades, clubs from
Prague, Budapest and Sienna would be the primarily contenders to the British
dominance.

As with many things in history, women were for a long time excluded from participating
in games. It was not before the late 19th century that women started to play football.

The name of the game: football or soccer?

In most parts of the world, football is used as the name for the “chess of the green
pitch”, the biggest sport in the world. In the United States and Canada,
however, soccer is used instead as a distinction from American football. A more formal
name sometimes used is association football, but in popular speech, it is either football
or soccer.
The first competitions

Other milestones were now to

follow. Football Association Challenge Cup (FA Cup) became the first important
competition when it was run in 1871. The following year a match between two national
teams was played for the first time. The match that involved England and Scotland
ended 0-0 and was followed by 4,000 people at Hamilton Crescent (the picture shows
illustrations from this occasion).

Twelve years later, in 1883, the first international tournament took place and included
four national teams: England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Football was for a long time a British phenomenon, but it gradually spread to other
European countries. The first game that took place outside Europe occurred in
Argentina in 1867, but it was foreign British workers who were involved and not
Argentinean citizens.

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) was founded in 1904 and
a foundation act was signed by representatives from France, Belgium, Denmark, the
Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. England and the other British
countries did not join FIFA from the start, they had invented the game and saw no
reason to subordinate to an association. Still, they joined in the following year, but would
not partake in the World Cup until 1950.
Domestic leagues occurred in many countries. The first was, as already mentioned, the
English Football League which was established in 1888. The leagues would by time
expand by more divisions, which were based on team performance.

In 1908 would football for the first time be included as an official sport in the Olympic
Games. Until the first FIFA World Cup was played in 1930, the Olympic Games football
tournament would rank as the most prestigious on a national level. Women's football
was not added until 1996.

Black players
As in many other sports the white male was predominant for a long time. In football
black players started being present relatively early and in comparison with, for example,
tennis, football has traditionally been known as a sport with a mix of black and white
players.

In Britain, Andrew Watson is known to be the first black player, and he played in the
Scottish club Queen’s Park in the 1880s.

A game of passion

Few other sports show

examples of passion to that extent as football. The arenas are flocked by shearing
people; and in front of television even more are watching carefully and sometimes with
great enthusiasm.

Already in the late 19th century, Goodison Park was built in England in purpose of
hosting football games. In 1894, the FA Cup final between Notts County and Bolton
Wanderers was attended by 37,000 people. A milestone in the development of football
stadiums is the construction of Maracanã Stadium. In the year of 1950 the imposing
stadium in Rio de Janeiro was ready for almost 200,000 people. No other sport has
seen stadiums of that capacity built to host its games.
There have been two different traditions of fan culture on the arenas: the British and the
South American. The British fans adopted the tradition of singing, the repertoire was
inspired from pub and working songs among other areas. The South Americans on the
other hand would adopt the carnival style which included firecrackers and fireworks, and
also the modern phenomena of Bengali fires. Fans in other countries have later adopted
a mixture of these traditions.

The great modern competitions

No other sport event besides the Summer Olympic Games can today measure itself
with the FIFA World Cup. The first edition of the FIFA World Cup was played in 1930 in
Uruguay and has since then returned every fourth year (with two exceptions due to the
Second World War). In 1991 the first World Cup for women was held in China and has
since then also returned every fourth year.

Today the biggest global tournament for clubs is the Champions League (played since
1992), the former European Cup (1955–1991).

Globalization of the biggest sport in the world

In the late 19th century, only a few national football teams existed; England and
Scotland had the first active teams that played games against each other in the 1870s.
Today there are 211 national associations included in the Fédération Internationale de
Football Association (FIFA), the world governing body of the sport. Another proof of the
globalization could be seen in the increase of nations participating in the World Cup
qualifiers: from 32 in 1934 to over 200 in 2014.

The world regions have been divided into six confederations: Confédération Africaine de
Football (CAF), Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Union des Associations
Européennes de Football (UEFA), The Confederation of North, Central America and
Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), Oceania Football Confederation (OFC),
and Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol (CONMEBOL).
 The 17 Rules for Soccer from the
Laws of the Game
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Soccer Player

The official soccer rules are called the "Laws of the Game" and are revised
annually and published by FIFA, which is the world soccer governing body.
Youth organizations usually adjust the rules to fit children. For instance field
sizes, ball sizes, length of games & rules vary by age group. The FIFA rules
do not require separate teams for girls and boys, but many soccer clubs and
associations have separate leagues for boys and girls. For current rules check
the "Laws of the Game" at www.fifa.com.

Currently there are 17 specific key items that determine the rules of
soccer: Field of play, the Ball, Number of Players, Player's Equipment,
Referee, Assistant Referee, Duration of Match, Start and Restart of Play, Ball
In and Out of Play, Scoring, Offsides, Fouls and Misconduct, Free Kicks,
Penalty Kicks, Throw In, Goal Kick and Corner Kick.

1. The Field of Play

The field of play is simply the surface where the soccer game is
played. Regulations determine the surface, size and markings of the field as
well as goal position, size and construction.

For instance matches must be played on natural or artificial green

surfaces. The field of play must be rectangular shape and marked with lines
to determine the boundaries. The two longer boundary lines are called touch
lines. The two shorter lines are called goal lines. The field of play is divided
into two halves by a halfway line, which joins the midpoints of the two touch
lines. The centre mark is indicated at the midpoint of the halfway line. A circle
with a radius of 9.15 m (10 yds) is marked around it.

The official field size can range from 50 to 100 yards wide by 100 to 130 yards
long. However, the rules allow field sizes to be reduced for women, players
with disabilities and for players under 16 and over 35 years of age. Field sizes
used by youth leagues vary greatly. Approximate dimensions for youth
recreational teams might be as below:

Age (% Adult Size) Field Size (in yards

U-14 (100%) 60 x 100
U-12 (80%) 50 x 80
U-10 (70%) 40 x 70
U-8 (50%) 25 x 50
U-6 (25%) 15 x 30

2. The Ball

It is required that each player have a spherical, stitched ball made of leather
or other suitable material and it is of proper size. The ball circumference can
not be more than 70 cm (28 ins) and not less than 68 cm (27 ins). The weight,
at the start of a match, can not be more than 450 g (16 oz) and not less than
410 g (14 oz).

Rules again allow for younger players. Soccer balls come in 3 different sizes:
3, 4, & 5. The ball size is shown on the ball. U-6 & U-8 use a size 3; U-10 & U-
12 use a size 4; and U-13 & older use a size 5 ball. It is important that the ball
have a stamp stating "official size & weight" or "FIFA Approved".

3. The Number of Players

The official soccer rules state that a match is played by two teams, each
consisting of not more than eleven players and not fewer than seven players
including the goalkeeper. Most youth leagues play with fewer than 11 players
until the age 12 or 14. A team may have substitutes on the bench but the
number and frequency of substitutions allowed vary with the type of game
being played. For instance, in official matches only 3 substitutions are
allowed, with 5, 7 or 9 players on the bench. The referee must be informed
before any proposed substitution is made by the coach.

4. Players Equipment

The rules of soccer say that the basic equipment of a player comprises the
following items: a jersey or shirt with sleeves, shorts, stocks, shin guards, and
footwear. Socks must entirely cover the shin guards. Each team must have
different colors so that they can easily be distinguished from each other on the
field during play. Goalkeepers must wear colours that distinguish him from
the other players. Jersey's usually they have the club's name and badge
imprinted on the front, as well as the player's number and in some cases on
the back.

5. The Referee

The referee is the person who controls the match and

enforces the Laws of the Game. They make sure
player's respect the official rules for soccer and to penalize
for the breaking of a rule. The decisions of the referee
regarding facts connected with play, including whether or
not a goal is scored and the result of the match, are
final. The center referee is the one doing most of the
running on the field and therefore calling the decisions but
he is helped from each sideline by an assistant
referee. Most 3v3 leagues do not use a referee.

6. Assistant Referees

The assistant referees also assist the referee to control the match in
accordance with the Laws of the Game. The assistant referees are placed one
on each side of the field. The assistant referee's main job is to signal offsides
but they can also intervene when an offense takes place near their side of the
field and the main referee needs their opinion. The assistant referee does not
have any decision power. He/she has the ability to to signal a game issue
such as offsides, foul, handball etc.. but it is the center referee who must
make the decision.

7. Duration of the Match

Adult games are limited by the official soccer rules to two halves of 45 minutes
each, with a 15 minutes break. Youth leagues can range anywhere from two
20 min. halves up to 45 minute halves depending on the age level. All youth
leagues require a half time break.

In situation, like some tournaments, where they must have a winner if a tie
occurs then two extra periods of 15 minutes each, with no break between
them are added. If the match is still tied at the end of overtime, the players go
on for a penalty-shootout that will eventually decide the winner.

8. The Start and Restart of Play

Each period starts with a kick off which is taken at the center spot and is
determined by a coin toss and the game is also restarted with a kick off if a
team scores a goal. The ball has to move forward to start the half. Each player
must be in his or her half of the field and at least ten yard away from the ball.

Play stops if the ball goes out of bounds. If it goes out on the sidelines, a
throw in is required to restart the game. The team that caused the ball to go
out loses the ball and the throw in goes to the opposite team.

The goal kick is awarded to the defending team, if the attacking team sends
the ball over the defending team's goal line. The game is restarted with the
goalkeeper placing the ball in the goal box, and he/she or another player on
the team kicks the ball upfield.

If the defending team kicks the ball and it goes over their own goal line,
outside of the goal itself, then the attacking team earns a corner kick and they
will be required to restart the game from the corner nearest to where the ball
went out. The attacking player hopes to kick the ball high and set up a
teammate for a possible goal.

Other common penalties include charging from behind, hand ball (touching it
with hands or arms), holding, kicking, tripping, pushing, hitting, or charging an
opponent, and kicking the ball while it's held by the goalkeeper. Breaking
these rules means your opponent is awarded a free kick. A free kick can be
indirect or direct. A indirect kick is a kick that cannot be taken towards the
goal it must go to another player in the hope of setting up a goal. If a player
scores directly from an indirect free kick, without another player touching the
ball, the goal won't stand. A direct kick is where the kicker can score without
first passing to another player. A free kick is taken where the penalty took
place.
A penalty kick is a direct free kick from the penalty spot and is awarded for a
major foul or handball committed by a defensive player in his own penalty
area. The game is restarted with one of the attacking team's players shooting
for goal from the penalty spot (11 meters, perpendicularly from goal), with just
the goalkeeper defending the goal.

The last way to restart the game is will a drop ball. The dropped ball occurs
when the referee stops the game for a special reason like an injured player, or
the ball becoming defective. If a referee has to do a drop ball, he/she will drop
the ball from shoulder height in front of two players, the play resumes when
the ball hits the ground and the players battle for possession.

9. Ball In and Out of Play

The official soccer rules state that a ball is in play during the entire match
except when the has entirely crossed the goal line or touch line whether on
the ground or in the air or the play has been stopped by the referee.

10. Methods of Scoring

A goal is scored from action, direct free kicks or penalty kicks. It is

considered to be a goal the ball goes completely across the line into the goal
provided that no infringement of the Laws of the Game had been committed
previously by the team scoring the goal.

11. The Offsides Rule

The offsides rule is one of the trickiest rules of soccer and it is difficult for most
bystanders to understand. The basic concept is that a player must have at
least one defender (not including the goalie) between him/her and the goal
when the ball is played to him when he is on the opponents side gaining
advantage. Click here for Offside rule for soccer MOMS.

In the diagram below, the red player closest to the goal is offsides because
there weren’t two defenders between him and the goal when the ball was
passed to him.
 .

12. Fouls and Misconduct

Misconduct is where a player deliberately targets a player and then pushes,

holds, kicks him/her away. Fouls occur when the action is accidental when
the player is trying to get the ball from his/her opponent.

Fouls occur only when the ball is in play and misconduct can occur any
time. At the youth level most fouls are due to pushing, tripping, holding
which result in a free kick. In addition, handballs or charging are called at this
level as well. If the foul is really serious or a player has been warned several
times for offenses the referee can penalize with a yellow or red card in
addition to a free or penalty kick.

13. Free Kicks

There are two types of free kicks: direct and indirect. . A free kick can be
indirect or direct. A indirect kick is a kick that cannot be taken towards the
goal it must go to another player in the hope of setting up a goal. If a player
scores directly from an indirect free kick, without another player touching the
ball, the goal won't stand. A direct kick is where the kicker can score without
first passing to another player. A free kick is taken where the penalty took
place. At the youth level most free kicks are classified as indirect.

14. Penalty Kicks

A penalty kick is a direct free kick from the penalty spot and is awarded for a
major foul or handball committed by a defensive player in his own penalty
area. The game is restarted with one of the attacking team's players shooting
for goal from the penalty spot, which is 12 yards out from goal, with just the
goalkeeper defending the goal. Everyone else must sit outside the box and
can only move towards the ball once it is kicked. So if the penalty is saved by
the goalkeeper or strikes the bar, a player could run from the edge of the box
and gain possession

15. The Throw In

A throw in occurs when the balls goes out of play over the
side lines. The opponent of the player who last touched
the ball will get the throw in to restart the game. It is
important that the player keep both feet on the ground, two
hands on the ball and the throw must come from behind
the player's head. Failing to follow these rules could result
in the opposing team getting the ball. Some leagues don't
enforce this rules or give the player two chances.

16. The Goal Kick

The goal kick is awarded to the defending team, if the attacking team sends
the ball over the defending team's goal line. The game is restarted with the
goalkeeper placing the ball in the goal box, and he/she or another player on
the team kicks the ball upfield. The goal kick must be powerful enough to
pass the penalty area and the kicker may not touch the ball again until it has
left the penalty area and has been touched my another player on either
team. The goal kick acts as a direct free kick, so if a player would kick the ball
so hard that it would reach the opposing team's goal and
score, the goal would count.

17. The Corner Kick

A corner kick is awarded when the defending team kicks the

ball over their own goal line. A goal may be scored directly from a corner
kick. If the ball passes the line on the left of the goal, the corner is taken from
the left corner and if it passes on the right, the corner is taken from the right
corner. The ball be placed in the corner arc before kicking. The player taking
the corner kick may score directly from the kick and the kicker can't play the
ball a second time until it's touched by another player.