Sheffield Football Club
Sheffield Football Club, in Sheffield, England (in the middle of England, about 63 miles east of Liverpool) is the oldest documented non-university club, founded in 1857. It initially played a code of its own devising. The club was one of the first to join the new English Football Association (FA) in 1863 and is recognized by both the FA and FIFA as the world’s oldest club now playing association football.
(more…)Origins of the Word “Soccer”
In the late 1800s it was the practice of the well-to-do students at Oxford University in England to shorten the length of some common words. At the same time they would add -er to the end of the word. For example, breakfast became known as “brekkers”. There were two forms of “football” being played on campus at the time. One used the Rugby Rules and the other form used the rules governed by the
(more…)SOCCER FOR PARENTS – USSF VERSION
(Courtesy of Miles Ball)For a printable version of this document Click HERE!
Following is a summary of soccer for the parent who wants to learn more. This is by no means all the rules listed in the three 100 plus page books a referee must study, but it will help.
HISTORY OF FOOTBALL
(Soccer to us Americans)
(more…)Most of us think of a “club” from their childhood, of something to join with their friends. A soccer club is much the same, a group of people, typically parents, come together to help in their children’s soccer development and have some fun. They realize more can be accomplished in a group than as an individual so they establish a formal organization with Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws to have a frame work to operate their club.
(more…)The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (French for International Federation of Association Football), commonly known as FIFA is the international governing body of association football (soccer). Founded in 1904, its headquarters are in Zürich, Switzerland. FIFA is responsible for the organization and governance of football along with its major international tournaments, most notably the FIFA World Cup, held since 1930.
FIFA has 208 member associations, which is 16 more than the United Nations and 3 more than the International Olympic Committee.
FIFA frequently takes active roles in the running of the sport and developing the game around the world. One of its unique policies is to suspend teams and associated members from international competition when a government interferes in the running of FIFA’s associate member organizations or if the associate is not functioning properly. Two recent high-profile suspension was of the Greek Football Federation for political interference and suspension of the Kenya Football Federation because it was not running the game in Kenya properly. Plus, in May 2008 the Iraq national team was suspended due to government interference with independent national sports authorities. FIFA overturned the decision on May 29, 2008, after the Iraqi government reversed its earlier decision in dissolving the Iraq Football Association.
Contributed by Miles Ball