How Soccer Changed Over Time

Words: 443
Pages: 2

Soccer is one of the most popular sports in Europe and America but where it came from is shocking. The sport dates back 2,000 years ago in ancient China. It started out being played with an animal-hide ball with little to no rules. The evolution of the sport has allowed for more than 240 million people to play the sport today. Soccer over time has evolved so much from what it was like before; rules, gear, and the way the game is played.

Rules for soccer have drastically changed over time. The offsides rule was made in 1863 in order to develop more of a passing game, and it also made the game fairer. Penalties were made to settle disputes between two teams. Also, corner kicks, goal kicks, and penalty kicks were introduced to determine what would be the punishment for a penalty. With these new rules they needed someone to say when they are to be put in place, “a single person with powers to send players off as well as give penalties… or ‘assistant referees’” (“From 1863 to the Present Day”). Rules for the game have evolved for the better since the sport was introduced
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The soccer ball used to be a skull or anything round that came from an animal, but now they are made of rubber or plastic. Shin guards were introduced to make the game safer, and socks were used to hold them up. Cleats were an amazing addition to the game, “players were constantly looking for ways to get better traction on the field” (“Evolution of the Cleat”). Over the years soccer gear has changed a great deal to make the sport much safer than it originally