Soccer, arguably the most popular sport in the world, has been around for hundreds of years. Soccer has been played in many forms in many different cultures dating back to around 1100 B.C. In Japan, players kicked a ball on a small field dating back to as early as 1004 B.C. The Munich Ethnological Museum in Germany even has an ancient Chinese text dating back to 50 B.C. during the Han Dynasty that mentions games played between Japan and China in which a leather hair-filled ball was used. During the Roman Olympics a 27-men sided game resembling soccer was played which resulted in the hospitalization of nearly 2/3 after the game.
In England, it is said that the first game of soccer or football (as it is called there), was played with the head of a Danish Prince who had been defeated in battle. Soccer was also used as a form of violent competition between villages, and underhanded tactics such as kicking, biting, and even gouging were used against opponents.
This violence became such a problem that during the reign of King Edward (1307-1327), proclamations were created that said, "For as much as there is a great noise in the city caused by hustling over large balls, from which many evils may arise, which God forbid, we command and forbid on behalf of the King, on pain of imprisonment, such game to be used in the city future." Edward was not the only monarch to pass laws against the sport; Elizabeth I created a law that "had soccer players jailed for a week, with follow-up church penance."
The sport overcame these laws, and in 1681 gained official sanction. Violence remained a part of the game, with some annual matches in northern and central England resulting in "broken skins, broken heads, torn coats and lost hats."
In America, some historians say that after landing at Plymouth Rock, the Pilgrims found Indians along the Massachusetts coast playing a form of soccer. The Indians called it "Pasuckquakkohwog," which means "they gather to play football." The British version of the game came to the United States in 1820, and many colleges played a non-regulated form of the game. After the Civil War, Rutgers and Princeton Universities in New Jersey competed in the first official intercollegiate soccer competition.
Since its introduction in America, soccer has grown rapidly and, by the 1970s, became a standard sport played at both public and private schools. In 2010, over 3 million children participated in youth soccer across America. Soccer is a growing industry within America because of the increased participation. In fact, due to increased success among retailers, prices for equipment such as balls, socks, and goals has decreased to affordable levels.
There are various types of goals, in particular, that can be purchased online and become useful in youth soccer training. One type of goal is the standard 8x24 ft. goal used in match play. Another is a smaller 6x18 ft. goal which is used for smaller children during match play. Competition and innovation in the soccer goal market has also yielded a few types of smaller, portable goals which are very helpful to coaches who want to set up practices where there are not match-style goals available. Portable goals are also great for pick-up games or practicing in a small space such as a backyard where a match-style goal would be impractical.
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