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World Football > Soccer History > The Beginning

The roots of soccer can be traced back to the Han Dynasty in second century China. The game tsu chu, or "kicking a ball," was included in military physical training. An elaborate game of tsu chu was played on the emperor´s birthday. Teams would attempt to kick a feather-filled ball through a small goal that consisted of a net attached to bamboo poles. The stakes were high. Legends say the winners were treated to a feast while the losers were sometimes beheaded.

Kemari was played in Japan dating back to the seventh century. In this circular game, players had to pass the ball to each other without letting it touch the ground, similar in some ways to what we call hacky sack or footbag.

In 16th century Italy, a game called calico was played on holidays. Teams would gather in the city squares of Florence and Venice and compete in this game that involved kicking as well as handling the ball. Each team had 27 players who wore ornate costumes.

The game of soccer officially emerged during the late 19th century in England, where a variety of ball games had already developed, all of which involved both handling and kicking. At a meeting of the London Football Association (FA) in 1863, the game of football was split into rugby football (the parent sport of American football), in which handling and carrying the ball was allowed, and association football, which banned the use of the hands. The FA established the first set of rules for soccer, which at that time, was played competitively (or officially) only in private schools and universities.

Soon after, amateur competition grew widely popular amongst British blue-collard workers. The FA Cup, an annual tournament first organized in 1871, sparked massive interest in soccer throughout Britain. The tournament, which is still played today, starts off with a large pool of teams and climaxes with the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium in London. Working-class people followed, participated and bet on matches from the FA Cup. In 1885, the FA reluctantly (after four years of debate) recognized the legitimacy of professional players. Early professional footballers were paid little more than the average workers who would pay to watch them. In 1888, 12 clubs from England founded the Football League, the first professional league competition.

The first international football match was played in Glasgow, Scotland, on 30th of November, 1872 when an English all-star team met its Scottish counterpart. England played in an individualistic manner using the 1-1-8 formation, whereas the Scots focused on combination play. According to football historian Ged O'Brien "Scotland was a more communitarian and egalitarian place than England" and this was reflected in their game. Regardless that the match ended in a scoreless draw, it was significant, because it introduced the cooperative mentality to English football. It also stimulated the signing of many Scottish footballers by English clubs.

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