| Soccer is a worldwide phenomenon. Soccer teams | | | | more civilized versions of soccer became popular in |
| are national celebrities in Europe and millions of people | | | | English schools in the 1820s. Each school came up with |
| tuned in for the most recent Soccer World Cup. Just | | | | its own rules and met with other schools for |
| where did this sport come from, and why has it taken | | | | competitions. |
| the world by storm? | | | | The Football Association was created in 1863 and |
| The earliest recorded soccer game took place in the | | | | provided rules and regulations for the popular game. |
| 2nd and 3rd years BC in China. A military manual | | | | The laws of the game were drawn up by Cobb |
| details a training game which involved kicking a leather | | | | Morley and have been the standard ever since, |
| ball into a net. Players had to withstand their opponents | | | | modified only slightly to meet modern needs. The laws |
| and were forbidden from using their hands. | | | | are preserved and modified by the International |
| The Romans played Harpastum, where players strived | | | | Football Association Board (IFAB). |
| to kick a ball past the opposing team. It was quite | | | | Since then, the popularity of soccer has spread around |
| different from modern soccer, but spectators loved it | | | | the globe and it is now loved and watched by several |
| and relished cheering on their team and keeping score. | | | | billion people. National soccer leagues appeared at the |
| Soccer-or football-has been popular in Great Britain | | | | turn of the 20th century and became members of the |
| since the 8th century AD. Regional contests were | | | | Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA). |
| intense and played between different villages and | | | | The World Cup premiered in the 1930s, a competition |
| towns. Players kicked their opponents as often as | | | | between the best soccer teams in the world that's |
| they kicked the ball in these competitions! The games | | | | held by FIFA every four years. |
| had unlimited numbers of players and were played in | | | | Soccer is a great form of exercise, competition, and |
| the streets and town squares. The ball was made of | | | | national pride. Nearly every country has a soccer team |
| anything available, from a pig's bladder to a leather ball | | | | and enjoys a healthy rivalry with other parts of the |
| stuffed with straw. Games could be so violent that | | | | world. So far, 17 world cup trophies have been |
| they were at one time banned by the King of England! | | | | awarded in men's competitions, and 4 in women's |
| England was the birthplace of modern soccer when | | | | competitions. |