Football

It is Football not Soccer

A game played with ball at the player’s feet.

My friend Adrian CDTPPW has written and an article where he uses the term “soccer’ referring to what we call over here “football”.

This reminded me of a conversation I had with an American gentleman many years ago when I was writing on the platform Bubblews.

We were having a discussion about football, and he remarked,

“You call it soccer over there.”

Well, I think I should correct this mistaken assumption of what we call our national sport.

Here is a brief explanation.

The word “Soccer” originated in England.

But what is its origin you are asking? (Well, I hope you are. 😁)

In the late eighteenth century, there were two forms of football played in England: rugby football, where players picked up the ball and ran with it, and proper football, where they used their feet to propel the ball.

As both of the games grew in popularity, it was decided that the football game be called Association football.

It appeared the term association football was a bit of a mouthful, so the word association was shortened to soccer.

The only time I have heard the word used is in the media,

I have been a football fan for most of my life, as have most of my friends. Most of our conversation is about football.

I have never heard the word soccer used when we talk about the game.

So, other counties may call football soccer, but we don’t.

It is football, played with the feet.

Other forms of the game should be called pick up and run ball, or Pickup ball. 🤣