Various forms of soccer-style games have been around since Roman times, and the
United States was the first British colony to start playing soccer-style games. Some form
of football was played in the Colonies as far back as the establishment of the original
Jamestown settlement in 1609. The rules are unclear, but they most likely resembled
the sprawling Shrovetide games then popular in England. It was soon banned by
ordinance as a reputed bad influence, and for the next two centuries appeared only in
the least restricted of colonial communities. The first written accounts of football in the
US centered on contests in the major colleges and universities of the Northeast. The
freshman and sophomore classes at Harvard had instituted an annual intramural
football contest in 1827, played on the first Monday of the new school year. These
games were evidently quite rowdy, as the event was known as "Bloody Monday".
Princeton played something known as "ballown" in which the ball was hit with the fist as
well as the foot. By the 1840's, they had organized their games into intramural
tournaments. Other forms of the game were played at Amherst and Brown. The game
probably bore little resemblance to the modern game, and in fact the round (originally
rubber) ball was not introduced until the 1850's, and games were either pick-up or
special annual events. The modern form of soccer originated in England in the early
1830's. The sport grew among working-class communities and was seen as a way of
keeping young and energetic kids out of trouble at home and in the school; they could
let off steam and learn the values of teamwork (rampant individualism was considered a
problem at the time).
The first football clubs were established in Sheffield in 1857, and soon they had enough
to establish their own Football Association in 1867. Sheffield FA played London FA in
1861, one of the first regional matches. And eventually the need for a unified set of
rules became obvious. This, prompted by many letters to the editors of the newspapers
in the midlands, the near-north, and London regions of England, and led to a series of
meetings, which culminated in the formation of the Football Association (FA) in 1863.
This worked together to establish the first standardized set of Football rules which soon
became the standard in England.
The next major development was the establishment of a knockout cup in 1871, based
on the house competitions at Harrow School. These knockouts, in which most teams
names are placed in a hat, and drawn out in pairs, then leading to a one-game
knockout competition similar to the NCAA Championships, which culminates in a Cup
trophy.
When soccer first started in the United States, it was played primarily by schoolboy and
college teams, and was largely an upper-class game. The Oneida club, formed in Boston
in 1862 may have been the first soccer club to consist of a regular roster of players, as
opposed to the pick-up games commonly played at the time, although it is not clear
whether they were playing soccer, rugby, or a hybrid game. It consisted of a group of
Boston secondary school students from fairly elite public schools in the area (Boston
Latin, Boston English, etc.). This club would play matches against pickup teams
throughout the Boston collegiate community and went undefeated, and unscored upon
during their entire four-year existence. Apparently, teamwork, and familiarity with
teammates was a significant factor in winning, and this was not lost on the public. If the
Oneidas were in fact playing soccer, then they would be the first soccer club anywhere
outside of England, even predating the formation of Scottish teams.
 |  |  |  |  |
| Darrell Stuart . com Development for Soccer Players and Coaches |
| Copyright © 2008 Darrell Stuart All rights reserved. Privacy Statement |
| History of soccer in America Origins, 1609-1862 |
Support DarrellStuart.com
..........................................................................................
Donate
Best of DarrellStuart.com
.........................................................................................
Soccer History
Soccer Field Dimensions
Soccer Rules
Coaches Corner
Soccer Equipments
Soccer Camps
Recommended Products
..........................................................................................
Books
Gears
Recommended Links
..........................................................................................
Total Soccer Fitness
Soccer Tutor
Soccer Practice Plans
Fundamental Soccer