The Origin of Football

Most of us follow the English premier league or the UEFA champions league and yet, we do not know the origin of football.

No! football did not originate from England.

However, it is noted that most of the transformation to modern football today is actually attributed to England.

As early as 2,500 BC, games similar to football were already being played in ancient China, Egypt and Greece.

These games ranged from the use of sticks, hands or feet to control a ball against an opponent.

Another notable game in Ancient Greece was Episkyros but this game must have been closer to Rugby than soccer.

Although there are conflicting ideas about the absolute origin of football, most historians agree that China should be given credit for the invention of football.

During the Han Dynasty in China (around 206 B.C to 220 A.D), the Chinese were known to play the game of Tsu’Chu which literarily translates: “kicking the ball”.

One notable feature of this Chinese game is that the use of hands was not permitted but the player could use any other part of his body, a rule which is similar to soccer today.

Kudos to the Chinese for presenting the world with such priceless gift.

Today, billions of persons across the planet actually have a keen interest in soccer.

In fact, football has grown to become a billion-dollar industry.