If you are an English speaker you are probably wondering how football came to be known as “soccer”. You may not be a soccer fan but you will likely recognize the word from the popular sport.
While you are more likely to hear it from Americans, the word is actually British. Soccer is a sport played with a ball that is kicked or thrown and the goal is to score points. Usually, there are eleven players on the field. Each team scores one point. The game lasts for 45 minutes.
Originally, there were several versions of the game. It is now played around the world. In the United States, the most popular form is called American football. Some nations, such as Australia and Canada, also have their own forms of football.
Soccer was first used as an abbreviation of the sport Association Football. This was established in England in 1863. When the Association was formed, the rules of the game were codified. These laws created the foundation for the modern game of football.
Before the formation of the Association, the sport was referred to as rugby. However, the name rugby didn’t catch on with the lower classes. As a result, the sport was renamed in the early 1900s.
In the late 19th century, some universities in Britain categorized sports under different organizations. Students at Oxford University created a slang term for football, which they referred to as “rugger”.
Eventually, the word “rugger” became shortened to “soccer.” By the mid-20th century, it had become a recognized name for the sport.