The question of what soccer was originally called opens a door to the sport’s ancient past, revealing a journey from chaotic village games to a globally standardized phenomenon. Long before the term soccer entered everyday vocabulary, the game was defined by its location, its rules, and the passionate disputes that surrounded it. Understanding this evolution helps us appreciate the complex cultural forces that shaped the modern game.
The Origins of "Foot-Ball"
To trace the original name for soccer, one must look back to medieval Europe, where games resembling football were played in England, France, and Germany. These early iterations were rarely called by a single, unified name and were often described by their simple mechanics. In England, a game where players kicked a ball with their feet was generically referred to as "foot-ball" to distinguish it from "hand-ball" or "fist-ball." This descriptive term highlighted the primary rule that set the sport apart: the prohibition on handling the ball, a distinction that would eventually define the sport's identity.
Mob Football and Village Games
Before the standardization of rules, the game existed in a chaotic form known as mob football. Played during festivals and holidays, matches could involve hundreds of players on a sprawling, unmarked field that stretched between neighboring towns. There were no formal teams, referees, or standardized goals; the game was a near-battle where brute force often outweighed strategy. Due to this unstructured nature, it was rarely called "soccer" or a specific historical name, but rather was a local tradition simply referred to as "the football game" or by the name of the event, such as Shrovetide football.
The Codification of the Modern Game
The transformation from mob football to organized sport began in the 19th century with the establishment of formal rules. In 1863, the Football Association was founded in England, creating the first comprehensive rulebook. This body explicitly banned the carrying and handling of the ball, cementing the distinction between association football and rugby football. It was at this pivotal moment that the sport needed a specific name to differentiate itself, leading to the adoption of "association football," a term derived from the Football Association itself.
The Birth of the Term "Soccer"
Interestingly, the term "soccer" did not originate in America but in England. In the late 19th century, students at Oxford University created slang by taking the "er" suffix from "association" (as seen in "rugger" for rugby) and applying it to "soccer." This linguistic trend produced the term "soccer" as a colloquial shorthand for association football. For decades, the term was used interchangeably in Britain, but it began to fall out of favor in the early 20th century as "football" became the standard.
The American Divergence
The reason soccer retained its place in American English lies in the evolution of the sport within the United States. When American football developed from rugby and soccer, the need to distinguish the two sports became critical. Because the American game derived from rugby was already called "football," the pre-existing slang "soccer" was adopted to refer to the kicking game. Consequently, what was once a British slang term became the standard identifier in the United States, while "football" in Europe came to mean the sport originally called soccer.
