History of soccer

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Soccer, also known as Football, is more than just a sport. It is loved by many all around the world, no matter the age, gender or nationality. This phenomenon exists not only for a few decades, Soccer has been played for thousands of years. But do you know who came up with the idea to include running, shooting and teamwork in one game?

Its roots can be traced back over 2,000 years to ancient civilizations, where early forms of the game were played in various forms across China, Greece, and Mesoamerica. The rules have been adopting over the decades, which led to the establishment of organized competitions in the 19th century. The following articles will explore the rich and diverse history of soccer, explaining its evolution from a rudimentary game to the world’s most popular sport, impacting our society and culture today.

The game we today define as Soccer has not always existed in the same way as we know it now.

In China around 5000 B.C. the game Cuju, which like modern soccer prohibited the usage of hands and can be translated as “to kick the ball without your hands”, was invented. The FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) declares Cuju to be the earliest form of a kicking game for which there is documentary evidence.

In the game, both teams were trying to kick a ball stuffed with fur into a central hoop, having to pay attention to not letting the ball touching the ground and also without using their hands.

There was even a so called Cuju League that took place in large Chinese cities. Participants were either local players or even professional players. The game was later on adapted in other countries such as Japan, where it was modified and played as Kamari. The main goal of Kamari was to keep one ball in the air with the help of all players, meanwhile it was not the goal to win but rather to work together. The players, again, were not allowed to use their hands or arms. Around 50 B.C, the Cuju players from China and the Kamari players from Japan were the first known ones to hold an international competition against each other.

Another ancient ball game, called Epsikyros can be traced back to Ancient Greece to the 5th century BC. Each team had 12 to 14 players, who were allowed to use their whole body in order to throw the ball over the heads of the other team. The goal was to force the other team behind their own white line, called skŷros, while changing the possession of the ball multiple times.

Furthermore, not only in Asia and Europe, but also In Mesoamerican cultures, Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area including the south of North America to the Pacific coast of Central America, the first known examples of a team game involving a ball, was being played. This possibly originated around 800 – 400 BCE. A part of the Mesoamerican civilization, called the Aztecs, invented the game Tchatali, a mix of volleyball, basketball and football. Players used all of their body parts to throw a solid rubber ball into the opponent’s end of the court. The ball was a symbol for the sun and the rings for the sunrise and sunset. Violence was a main part of Tchatali and human sacrifices were being made in order to satisfy the Aztecs gods.

Another ancient ball game, called Epsikyros can be traced back to Ancient Greece to the 5th century BC. Each team had 12 to 14 players, who were allowed to use their whole body in order to throw the ball over the heads of the other team. The goal was to force the other team behind their own white line, called skŷros, while changing the possession of the ball multiple times.

So, you can see, Soccer has been existing even in ancient times, in different varieties. If you want to learn more about the history of soccer and how it arrived in England, where clubs, leagues and rules were being formed, you should stay tuned for my next article!

Sources:

https://www.nationalgeographic.de/geschichte-und-kultur/2021/06/wer-hat-fussball-erfunden, https://www.bundesliga.com/en/faq/all-you-need-to-know-about-soccer/the-history-of-soccer-10560, https://greekreporter.com/2023/08/17/football-ancient-greece