History of Soccer

  • Jan 1, 700

    Britian Soccer

    The first Football games played in Britain were between the locals of east of England, starting after a 'legendary' game that involved kicking around the severed head of a Danish prince that they had defeated in a war.
  • Jan 1, 1424

    Banned

    Banned
    King Edward III of England banned the game. It became illegal for anyone to play, as it often resulted in death and injury.
  • Soccer, once again

    Soccer, or football as it was called in England, was once again legal to play.
  • Rules

    Rules
    Eton College in England established a set of rules for the game. This was the first step in making a standard set of rules.
  • Soccer in the U.S.

    Football was played in the Northeastern colleges of Harvard, Princeton, Amherst, and Brown. This made the sport more popular in areas outside of Europe.
  • Standard Rules

    Standard Rules
    The rules were standardized and a new version was adopted by all the schools, college and universities. These are known as the Cambridge Rules. These made the game more structured and ensured that all games would be fair.
  • Penalty Kick

    Penalty Kick
    Introduction of the penalty kick. This ensured the game would be less violent since there were now in-game repercussions.
  • Olympics

    Olympics
    Soccer is played at the Olympics for the first time. This allowed soccer to be enjoyed by a much larger audience and allowed for competition between countries.
  • World Cup

    World Cup
    The first World Cup tournament, held by FIFA, was hosted in Montevideo, Uraguay with 13 teams participating. This allowed for competition between countries outside of the Olympics.
  • Women's Soccer Olympics

    Women's Soccer Olympics
    U.S. Women's soccer team won the first ever Women's soccer event. Women's soccer gained popularity and credibility as a competitive sport.