History Of Soccer Essay

The Global Game

Without a doubt soccer is the world’s most popular sport. There are thousands of amateur and professional soccer teams playing it for fun or revenue. Millions of people from more than two hundred countries watch soccer on television or in stadiums every year. “Over half of the planet’s population watched the 2010 FIFA world cup final between Spain and Nederland held in South Africa”. Some soccer clubs, coaches and players are among the best known names on the planet which makes it a worldwide phenomenon. It is the popularity and the amount of participants and spectators of soccer games, its importance to each nation and how it connects people from all around the world that justifies “why soccer is called the global game”.

Soccer is one of the oldest sports or even activities mankind has ever performed. There are conflicting theories about which nation invented soccer, some suggest soccer’s origins goes all the way back to 2500 BC but Chinese were the closest to play it in the modern form around 2200 years ago. A game called Tsu-chu (kick ball) was designed by the Chinese which soldiers completed in a

training activity. It involved a leather ball being kicked into a net between two poles. Although Tsu-chu had the bases of modern day soccer it was far from complete but it had a significant influence on the development of soccer in different cultures.

Despite numerous signs of modern soccer in the Ancient World, “the true development of soccer came in Medieval Britain by large”.

After introduction of tsu-chu by Chinese its tradition began to spread around the world especially in Europe. Soccer was played in Britain’s streets, schools and universities in different forms and rules from 9th to 18th century. It was so popular that more than 30 royal and local rules had been set to ban soccer between 1314 and 1667. In 1848 Cambridge University developed the basic guidelines of modern soccer which led to formation of football association (FA) in 1863. Football association unified different rules across Britain and set a standard code for soccer. Britain still remains one of the most important contributors to popularity and expansion of soccer and without it soccer as we know it may have never

existed.

World cup is the most important soccer event which happens every 4 years and is governed by Federation Internationale de football association (FIFA) located in Switzerland. “FIFA was founded in the rear of the headquarters of the Union Française de Sports Athlétiques at the Rue Saint Honoré 229 in Paris on 21 May 1904”. The foundation act was signed by France, Belgium Denmark, Nederland, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland which was followed by hundreds of other nations. Since 1930 FIFA has been leading the world cup games.
World cup generates more than $4 billion for FIFA which makes it the most popular and profitable sporting event. FIFA funds its operations by the profit gained by this single tournament every 4 years.
World cup has many profits for the hosting country as well. It will bring an increase in employment, tourism, and also infrastructure and urban renewal that people could enjoy even after the tournament.

World Cup brings people in a way no other event could.it is the world’s best known cultural event. It does not only bring eleven players from thirty two participating nations together, it brings together the world. It is the sense of national unity and identity that explains its extra ordinary importance to each nation. The World Cup is often hosted by nation with remarkable histories which tourists can explore. More than three million people from around the world attended 2014 World Cup in Brazil which has had a significant effect on both host and guest sides. It is known to be the third most attended sporting event in history. In conclusion the magnificent cultural role of world cup games is not only limited to ninety minutes spent at the stadium but most noteworthy is the connection of the rivals of the pitch.

World cup is a political and economic matter as much as it is cultural. In some cases it has such political importance that a nation’s performance in world cup could decide the destiny of an election.