On Fri, 13 Sep 2024 05:37:33 +0000,
mariabus@blueyonder.co.uk (Roger)
wrote:
Of course on the world stage football (or sahhker if you must :) puts
both baseball and American football in the shade with not just millions
but BILLIONS of fans worldwide to EASILY occupy the position of #1 most >followed and most watched sport in the world
No contest!!
While 32 countries took part in football's / soccer's World Cup
qualifying in 1934, that number has risen to over 200, reflecting
footballÆs standing as a truly global phenomenon.
A milestone in the development of football stadiums is the construction
of Maracanπ Stadium; in 1950 this 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.
Soccer, known as football in most parts of the world, has a rich history
that dates back over 2,000 years. The earliest known form of the game
was played in China during the Han Dynasty (206 BCû220 AD) and was
called *Tsu'Chu / Cuju*. This game involved kicking a leather ball into
a 30' high net strung between two bamboo poles *without using hands*.
Modern soccer, as we know it today, began to take shape in England in
the mid-19th century. The *English Football Association (FA)* was
founded in 1863, establishing the first standardized rules for the game.
This helped differentiate soccer from other football-based games like
rugby. In soccer, carrying the ball was banned, as was the previous
practice of shin-kicking and tripping. By the way, "soccer" is a word
invented around 1863 by English students at private high schools and
elite universities - derived from "association" and the trendy suffix
"er".
Soccer spread globally due to its simplicity and accessibility; it
continued to undergo rapid development into the 1900s, accelerated by industrialisation, with the emergence of factory and other work-based
clubs. The best players received monetary incentives, and tickets were
sold to the public - mainly members of the working-class - for matches.
The formation of *FIFA* in 1904 and the introduction of international tournaments like the *World Cup* played significant roles in
popularizing the sport worldwide. Immigrants and travelers also helped
spread the game to different continents, making it a truly global sport,
played today by upwards of 240 million people worldwide.
*In the U.S.A.*
Early soccer leagues in the US mostly adopted the name 'football' for
their activities, but confusion between American football and
association football resulted in the term 'soccer' being used to
describe the latter in the 1910s and early 1920s. Two professional
soccer leagues were started in 1967, the United Soccer Association and
the National Professional Soccer League, which merged to form the
North American Soccer League in 1968. Interest in soccer within the
United States continued to grow and, as part of the United States' bid
to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup, US Soccer pledged to create a
professional outdoor league. Major League Soccer duly launched in 1996.
DianeE, do you have a favorite soccer team or player? :-)
LINKS
(1) The history of football (soccer).
https://www.footballhistory.org/.
(2) Soccer History: Timeline & How it started - SportsFoundation.
https://sportsfoundation.org/soccer-history/.
(3) The history of soccer | World Football FAQ - Bundesliga.
https://www.bundesliga.com/en/faq/all-you-need-to-know-about-soccer/the-history-of-soccer-10560.
In Germany, two schoolteachers, August Hermann and Konrad Koch,
introduced the game around 1874. In Germany, the game was played at an
amateur level until 1949, when semi-professional leagues were
introduced. The country's first professional division, the Bundesliga,
started in 1963/64.
(4) The Origin, History, and Invention of Soccer - LiveAbout.
https://www.liveabout.com/who-invented-soccer-3556873.
(5) History of soccer: Let's trace the evolution of soccer - Red Bull.
https://www.redbull.com/us-en/history-of-soccer.
(6) The History of Soccer: How the Game Has Changed Over Time.
https://yoursoccerhome.com/the-history-of-soccer-from-origin-to-modern-day/. (7) Football (soccer) | History, Game, Rules, & Significant Players.
https://www.britannica.com/sports/football-soccer.
(8) soccer - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help.
https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/soccer/353786.
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