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Soccer developed in London’s famed Newgate Prison in the early 1800s. Prisoners who had their hands cut off for crimes of theft came up with a sport that used only the feet.
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The Oldest organized tournament in the world is the English FA Cup. FA Cup was first held in 1871 and during this competition all the teams from all of English professional leagues competed against each other for the title of that years FA Cup Champion.
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Until 1908, soccer balls were made from the inflated stomach tissue of executed Irish prisoners.
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Queen Elizabeth II was a natural athlete and, dressed in disguise, was a frequent participant in pickup up soccer matches near Buckingham Palace in her teenage years in the late 1930s and early ’40s.
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India withdrew from the World Cup in 1950 because they weren’t allowed to play barefoot.
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The most soccer fans to watch a World Cup soccer games were 119,850 in Brazil in 1950
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Soccer was illegal in Mississippi until 1991
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Also in 1999, Over 35,000 fans competed in the largest soccer tournament ever in Bangkok
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Over 40 million watched on television as the U.S. Women’s Team won the World Cup in 1999.
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In 2002 the XEPL, a soccer league launched by the WWE’s Vince McMahon, played four games in the United Kingdom. The league folded due to lack of attendance and too many injuries from the trap doors placed throughout the field.
