A short history of soccer

Soccer first originated in England in the 19th century and began its life as a simple game with few rules.Teams were formed by members of the same organizations or villages and were played on ad-hoc pitches. Because of the lack of rules and because teams did not have referees to enforce rules, soccer fights became a normal part of the game- causing soccer to be known as a violent sport.

Soccer clubs began to emerge all around England, and by 1860 in London, the soccer clubs were becoming semi-professional and the level of competition between each team began to rise.

On 26th October 1863, the London soccer clubs met up in the Freemason’s Tavern and formed the Football Association (FA) which to this day governs the soccer organizations in England.During this first meeting, the members decided that they would need rules for the game if they were to play in competitions and so, at the second meeting on 8th December, the members of the newly formed FA drew up plans for ‘the laws’ of the game. The rules for soccer are still the same today as they were in the 19th century, with only a few modifications. Soccer has become a popular sport played all over the world.