Soccer, or football as it is known every country but the United States, has a long and rich history that began somewhere in England back in the 1900s. While the sport is popular all over the world, the sport traces its’ roots back to England, which is often called the “home of football” because the first soccer leagues were started there, as well as the first official governing organization.

Many experts believe that football was played in some form or other before the 19th century, but the fact remains that there were no official rules until then. In 1863 the Football Association was established in England and they proceeded to hold meetings to come up with what would become the official rules that still hold true today. Games soon commenced using the new guidelines in 1864.

Every sport eventually needs a tournament, and football was no different. Just seven years after games started under the rules established by the Football Association, they started the FA Cup. This was at first a tournament that only featured amateur teams, but within a couple years it was expanded as soccer became more and more popular.

While the football season and tournament was still fairly disorganized, this all changed in 1888 when a football league was finally established. The original Football League had 12 clubs that played one game against each team at home and one at the visitor’s home. Teams got 1 point for a tie and two for a win. This was the first official league in the world, and soon it expanded into more divisions and teams all over England. (more…)