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Soccer Games
Welcome to the online gaming site that has a comprehensive and dedicated list of soccer games for your enjoyment. Before we are off shooting a string of goals, wouldn’t you like to know the origins of Soccer and what made it the most popular sport in the world today?
Ready for the Kick off? Here we go then!
Firstly lets find out the difference between Football and Soccer? Simple. Football refers to the most popular form of foot and ball game in a particular region. For instance, American Football, Rugby Football and Gaelic Football, employ different rules, and use footballs of different shapes and sizes, based on where they are played. Soccer, on the other hand is the sport that has no regional differences and is played with the same rules the world over. The term ‘Soccer’ is derived from an abbreviated form of association in “Association Football”.
The ancient Greeks and Romans were known to play many games involving the use of feet. The Greek games of Episkyros and Phaininda closely resembled Rugby football and lead to Roman adaptions of the game. Looking east, Football was played as early as the 1st century BC in China with Cuju (kickball) which involved aiming and kicking a leather ball through a small hole in a tautly stretched silk cloth. Variations of Cuju were later made in Japan and Korea where the players were to stand in a circle and pass the ball to each other, making sure it doesn’t touch the ground. The Aborigines of Australia and The Maori tribe of New Zealand had their own variations of football too, which they called Woggabaliri and Ki-oh-rahi respectively. Heading back West, the Inuits of Greenland had their own version of football Aqsaqtuk, and the Native Americans, developed the Pahsaheman. In a nutshell, games with the ball and feet were a global phenomenon, with each region adopting and developing their own form of football.
And so, it thrived until football faced severe opposition from several rulers. During the 100 years’ war between England and France, the rulers of these countries made playing football punishable by law because it prevented people from taking up more ‘useful’ sport like archery. In the 17th century, with the wildfire spread of Puritanism, the sport was banned on Sundays. Whatever be the ban, the sport continued to be played, sometimes far away from city centers and, sometimes in narrow streets. Football was here to stay.
Modern football was born almost 150 years ago. With the formation of Football Association in England In the year 1863, contemporary football was born with a specific set of guidelines and a ‘code’ that was essential to minimize disorder and violent behavior that was rampant with the game. At the turn of the 19th century, the introduction of football in famous English public schools, led to a spurt in its popularity. This led to further refinement of rules, finally leading to a segregation of soccer and rugby into two distinct sports. After this separation, there was no looking back. Football clubs bloomed overnight and the first international game was played in 1872 between England and Scotland. With more international teams added to the fray, FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) was set up in Paris in 1904. FIFA now has 208 member associations and hosts the World Cup every four years, an event which is considered the largest single-event sporting competition in the world.
Get on the cyber turf now and game on to become a part of Soccer sporting history!