Channel Button

There are 12 articles on this title. You are reading the article ranked and rated #1 by Helium's members.

Sports & Recreation   >

Soccer (Other)

Get a Widget for this title

Facts about soccer

The game of soccer (known as football in every country, excluding America) is by far the most popular sport in the world. Although the act of kicking a ball was probably common ever since the inception of human beings, soccer started in England in 1863.

During that time, rugby style football and soccer were interconnected in some fashion, but disputes and disparities of how the game should be played and regulated brought a separation. As a result, die-hard supporters of rugby style football parted ways, because they disagreed with the forbiddance of tackling and carrying the ball. With rugby supporters out of the way, the remaining body took swift action and formulated the first football association named The Football Association in England (FA).

Eight years thereafter, The Football Association managed to grow tremendously with 50 clubs. The FA was now comfortable to start the FA Cup, a gradual elimination of a losing team after each game until a winner was awarded.

In 1872, England and Scotland played the first organized match. The competition brought a huge crowd, which was not expected by The Football Association. As many matches continued throughout the years, the amount of spectators grew even more. However, there was a major problem concerning the players: professionalism. Although they were players, they were not considered professionals, meaning the players did not get paid for their prowess on the field. Many clubs (including their players) thought it was problematic and some kind of payment should be given, and rightfully so.

In fact, some players did get paid for their talents. According to historians, two Darwin players were the first to receive some payment for their football skills, payments not associated with The Football Association. To keep the association active and the clubs satisfied, the FA felt obligated to legalize professionalism in 1885.

After England formed its football association many other countries followed: Netherlands, Denmark, New Zealand, Finland, Argentina, Chile, Hungary, Germany, and many more. Soccer grew quickly and became popular worldwide.

With so many football associations worldwide, a governing body needed to oversee (and set a universal standard) them all and one was created at the start of the 20th Century. On May 21, 1904, the Federation Internationale de Football Association (International Federation of Association Football) was founded in Paris - universally known as FIFA.

Today, FIFA embodies 208 national associations,


Below are the top articles rated and ranked by Helium members on:

Facts about soccer

  • 1 of 12

    by Hamlet Pericles

    The game of soccer (known as football in every country, excluding America) is by far the most popular sport in the world.

    read more

  • 2 of 12

    by Simon Wright

    Soccer's formal name is Association Football but it is more commonly known throughout the world simply as football. It is

    read more

  • 3 of 12

    by John Welford

    One fact about soccer is that every man understands the offside rule, but no woman does!

    A gross oversimplification, of course,

    read more

  • 4 of 12

    by Matthew Adams

    The game of soccer has a number of interesting facts. There are so many facts about the game that it would take a lifetime

    read more

  • 5 of 12

    by Richard Leigh

    Soccer is an excellent sport that is played in countries all around the world. To clarify this; every four years there is

    read more

View All Articles on:
Facts about soccer

Add your voice

Know something about Facts about soccer?
We want to hear your view. Write_penWrite now!

Helium Debate

Cast your vote!

Is soccer an art form?

Click for your side.

98330

Featured Partner

Americans for Prosperity

Americans for Prosperity (AFP) is committed to educating citizens about economic policy and mobilizing those citizens...more

What is Helium? | Buy Web Content | Contact Us | Privacy | User agreement | DMCA | User Tools | Help | Community | Helium’s Official Blog | Link to Helium

Helium, Inc.
200 Brickstone Square Andover, MA 01810 USA