HISTORY OF SOCCER
In History, the first kind of soccer in the history of (football) games that included kicking a ball originated in China during the second and third centuries B.C.
Medieval Europe also had a range of soccer (football) games that they played.
Most modern versions of Soccer or football are believed to have originated from England in the twelfth century.
The game became so popular in England that the kings of that time (Henry II and Henry IV) actually banned it ! These kings believed that soccer was taking away interest from the traditional sports of England, such as fencing and archery.
Soccer really didn’t have any consistency of rules and boundaries until it was picked up as a sport by the seven major public schools of England in the early 1800’s.
Six of the seven schools were largely playing the same game (including Eton, Harrow and Winchester) - while the seventh, Rugby School (founded in 1567) was playing a very different version of the game of soccer, which became rugby.
The other schools moved ahead refining their rules and eventually their game became known as "association football" – or soccer, which was played back in those days pretty much as it is today.
In 1848, Cambridge University created the "Cambridge Rules" to regulate the game, but not all clubs adopted them.
The Football Association (FA) was created in 1863. Not everybody welcomed this, and many individual associations were created throughout Europe.
The International Football Association Board (IFAB) was created in 1886 to set the official rules of the game.
FIFA (Federation International Football Association) was established in 1904 and adopted the IFAB laws.
Soccer is now played around the globe and is said to be the most popular sport in the world.
