Many
scholars believe that the underlying principles of soccer play were
developed by ancient peoples in approximately 2,500 B.C. Both the
Greeks and Romans are known to have played a game that involved
retaining possession of a ball and keeping it from the opposing side
for as long as possible. The Greeks knew this game as Episkyros,
while Romans referred to it as Harpastum.
The
Chinese also had a significant effect on the evolution of the sport of soccer. Tsu Chu can be loosely translated as kick-ball and was a
popular game and sport from 255 B.C. forward.
Games
resembling soccer soon became staples of European schoolyards. By the
early part of the 16th century, rules were being established for
proper play of soccer. European soccer clubs soon formed, but it was
not until the early 1800s that soccer made its first real inroads
into American culture.
Sports
Pioneers
Games
similar to soccer were probably played by the first European settlers
to the United States. These early colonists may also have come into
contact with Algonquian tribes who had independently evolved a game
called Pasuckuakohowog. The name translates to “they gather to play
ball with the foot,” an apt description of the game of soccer in
all its iterations. It is possible that the native peoples interacted
with European settlers and explorers prior to their creation of this
game. As a codified sport with consistent rules, however, most
experts agree that the early 1800s marked the real arrival of soccer
in the United States.
The
Boston Game
The
Oneida Football Club was established by Gerrit Smith Miller in
Boston, Massachusetts, in 1862. The announced purpose of the club was
to create consistent rules for various games known as football.
Miller gathered some of the top football players from secondary
schools around the state of Massachusetts and engaged in competitions
with other teams in the area. Despite exceptional success on the
field, the Oneida Football Club dissolved just three years after its
inception. During its brief existence, however, the Oneida Football
Club is credited with codifying some elements of the Boston Game, a
precursor to modern soccer and a game played by kicking a round ball
on the ground.
Football
or Soccer?
In
its earliest American incarnations, the sport of soccer was generally
called football. The first governing body for U.S. soccer was the
American Football Association (AFA). Established in 1884, this
organization primarily provided oversight and rules guidance for
teams in New Jersey and New York. Over time, the scope of the AFA
broadened and it began working with teams in Massachusetts and
Pennsylvania. Other organizations were created to ensure consistent
rules and to promote the sport. Of these, the most successful was the
United States Football Association, first founded in 1913. Now known
as the United States Soccer Federation, this organization has
continued to provide support for the sport for over 100 years.
Today,
soccer is enjoyed as both a spectator sport and as a fast-paced team
activity for adults and children. Participating in soccer practices
and competitions can help children to develop teamwork and leadership
skills while increasing their physical stamina and improving their
health.
