SOCCER

Games like Soccer are said to been played in China more than 2,000 years ago. Field games with two teams and a ball have been played in many countries through history. These games had different rules, and in many cases very few rules. However, the modern game began in England when some people got together to agree rules for what was named Association Football or Soccer.  In 1863, the Football Association (FA) in England was formed where they created the first standard set of rules for the game. In the late 1880’s, Professional soccer leagues began where soccer players would be paid to compete. These leagues formed first in England and then in other countries. By 1900, people were playing soccer throughout the world.

Football is the world’s most popular sport because it has fans (3.5 billion) and players in almost every country in the world. There are over 250 million players in 200 countries. Around 80% of people living in the United Arab Emirates show a keen interest in football, followed by Thailand (78%), Chile (75%), Portugal (75%), Turkey (75%), Mexico (73%), Spain (70%) and South Africa (70%).

Rules of soccer are not too complex. Each team has 11 players on the field at once. Players in different positions have different jobs, with those at the back being mainly responsible for defence and those in the front mainly responsible for attack or offence. A goalkeeper in each goal is the last line of defence. All players move the ball around with their feet until someone kicks the ball into the goal. The only player that can use their hands and arms to touch the ball is the goalie. Scoring the other team’s goal means one point for the team that scores.

Activities

Soccer Fields

Half Time

Stadiums & Goal Scores

The biggest soccer stadium in the world is North Korea’s Rungrado 1st of May Stadium, which has a capacity of 114,000. The United States has the most stadiums in the world with 300 stadiums.
The highest goal scorer in football history is Cristiano Ronaldo. In 2023, he currently has 850 goals scored. Lionel Messi is ranked second with 819 goals scored.

Soccer ball:

The classic black and white checkered soccer balls are made from shapes. The shapes must have an equivalent length of sides.
The different shape configuration on a soccer ball known as panels provides slightly different aerodynamic qualities. The panel configuration of a ball influences its speed and flight through the air.
Buckyballs(C60) are made up of 60 carbon atoms, fused together in a soccer-ball shape. It forms a shape that resembles the geodesic domes designed by architect R. Buckminster Fuller. Scientists decided to name the molecule after the architect. Buckyballs were discovered in 1985 by a team led by Harold Kroto, Robert Curl and Smalley. In 1996, the three chemists won the Nobel Prize for chemistry for their work on the buckyballs. For years, scientists assumed they could only be made in the lab, until 2010. In 2010, The NASA Spitzer Space Telescope caught a glimpse of the buckyballs for the first time in space. Two years later, scientists discovered particles of buckyballs in the gas orbiting around a star. Buckyballs naturally exist in space!