Sunday, May 5, 2019

Football (Soccer)

In a country as small as the UK, there have always been local rivalries to determine which city is better than another, and out of this competitive spirit, sports have become widely popularized. The most popular of these sports is noticeably football, known to the US as soccer.




Football has been played in the UK has early as the 13th century and has had its history forever intertwined with the Kingdom's.

The world's oldest football clubs began in England in 1843 with uniforms consisting of jerseys, shorts, and more primitive versions of shin guards. In 1870 the game was slightly modified in London to become the sport as we know it today, and the next year the first official tournament began in England, being called the FA Cup.

96 teams from around the country played single game elimination until there were only 32 teams left. From there, the top 32 would face each other in a tournament setting to see how they placed. To win, a team would have to win about fourteen games in total.


Due to the popularity of the tournament, the first Football League was started in Manchester in 1888 consisting of only 12 teams. Each team played each other twice, once at home and once away, a sports structure to which we have become accustomed. 

With the sport having a history so rooted in England, it's only natural that it should continue to be popular here today. I live on a campus with the local football stadium where the Brighton and Hove Albions play. 

Every Saturday, I see hundreds of fans pour out of the train station to watch spirited games take place, and you can tell from the fans that the sport remains popular today. The rowdy spirit and energy released from the fans can be heard hours before the game even begins.



While most of my friends here don't share as much passion for the sport as many of the country's fans, the majority of them have a team that they'll support in any circumstance. 

How many of you guys follow football? What other sports do you guys like?

Also, in a couple weeks I'm going to be interviewing my friend's younger brother to get some insight to the schooling system here and how it differs from that of the US, so start thinking of questions you may want me to ask him.

47 comments:

  1. Personally, I do not follow football. I sometimes watch basketball, and I play volleyball

    -Chloe

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    1. To be honest, I don't follow it much either. I usually prefer to play sports rather than watching them. What position do you play in volleyball? I usually play middle blocker or opposite hitter.

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  2. I don't play any sports but I like to watch Ice hockey

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    1. I haven't actually seen an ice hockey game since I was 8 or 9 when I went to see the Stockton Thunders near my hometown in California. I'll have to give it another shot Tyler!

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  3. i don´t play sports anymore, but i used to play baseball and soccer.

    -Khloe

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    1. I actually used to play both of those Khloe! What position did you play in soccer? I was usually a forward because I was fast.

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    2. Honestly, i don even remember

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  4. My favourite soccer team is paris because i always used to watch them when they had Ibrahimovic cause of fifa 15 and 16.

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    1. That's cool Makai. Who do you usually want to win in the World Cup?

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  5. Hi isaiah! My family definitely watches 'soccer' my brother played on a club team for most of his life, and is now on the high school varsity soccer team, and we watch all of the premier league soccer games. I myself enjoy watching soccer and played on thelo for 4 years but hurt my ankle really badly and stopped playing, and with any competitive sports once your out you fall behind. My best sports are, dance, volleyball (libero), star, and im on the pre olympics acrobats team.

    -Evan :)

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    1. I'm sorry to hear about your ankle Evan, but I'm glad you're still able to play sports with it. I used to play club as well. Personally, I prefer indoor soccer to outdoor but that's just me. What kind of dance do you do?

      Also that's really impressive that you're on the pre olympics team! The only other people I've met who have made it to the pre-Olympics went for sailing and track.

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    2. Hi isaiah! I do lots of dancing,

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    3. sorry, accidentally posted. But I do contemporary, lyrical, hip hop, advanced acro/tumbling and im on the pre olympics youth toeam for acro. :)

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    4. That's really impressive Evan! How long have you been dancing?

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    1. I did too! I used to play forward; what did you play Mauro?

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  7. Well I used to play soccer but i really don´t know much about but i have some intrests. Payne

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    1. Are there any other sports you like to play?

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  8. I would like to know what subject options they have and what their schedules look like.
    Leah

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    1. Thank you for the feedback, Leah! I'll be sure to ask.

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  9. I do not follow football but I do play it. It is the only sport I am super good at, all other sports I'm mediocre at. Although I do not follow football I do have a favorite player, Neymar number 10 and Messi number 10 as well.

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    1. I think many fans who don't follow still have a lot of respect for players' abilities like Messi's. What position do you play, James? I used to play right forward.

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    2. My coach does not have positions set up for a player to only play one position. I play all over the field but I love center and left wing. I am not a lefty but I can cross the ball with my left foot pretty good.

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    3. That's good that you guys get to try out all positions. And that's the only way people learn to use their non-dominant foot: with practice.

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    4. Agreed lots of practice.

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  10. I used to follow football but now i'm more into basketball and american football but I dont play on any teams.

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    1. Fair enough, Gabriel, our interests change through life. I personally don't follow football until the World Cup. Who are your favorite basketball and American football teams?

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  11. I like playing Softball but watching sports is boring to me

    -Cherish

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    1. I totally understand, Cherish! I much prefer playing sports to watching them.

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  12. I don't really like football,but I do like to play volleyball and basketball.

    -Pricila

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    1. That's understandable, Pricilla. What positions do you play in those sports?

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    1. Wow Clara, I'm surprised by how much of this class plays volleyball! What position do you play? I used to play middle blocker and opposite hitter.

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  14. i don't like any sports and cant play anyways due to the fact i wear a chest binder and cant breathe correctly when i run or do sports in general.
    -Daniel

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    1. In that case, it sounds like a good idea not to play sports. What else do you like to do?

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  15. Hi Isiah!
    as you already know I play volleyball but the season has come to an end are last tournament was a total success because we came first in a 16's tournament. But now I'm playing beach ball with my friend Adele.
    My family doesn't watch any sports unless it's live.The TV just ain't doing it. we usually go and see the blazers, my family works at wells Fargo which means we get a lot of opportunity's to see them. We also used to go and watch hockey games (the winter hawks). My mother hates soccer (football) she says that in soccer there can be a tie and she has a belief that there can only be one winner!

    -Cheyenne

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    1. Congratulations on the tournament Cheyenne! I used to play beach volleyball with my friends in my hometown (it's a lot easier to find sand in California). Last year, I lived in an apartment building next to Providence Park so we'd see Timber games from the roof every once in a while, nut I still have yet to see a Blazers game.

      Haha your mother sounds quite similar to mine in that way. My mom is not a fan of ties.

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  16. hi i'm karlye i really cant fallow the professional games but i like to pay baseball w/ friends 😋

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    1. I totally agree, Karlye! I much prefer playing sports to watching them, and friends just make it more fun.

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  17. I know a lot about football and I want to go pro someday.

    -Isaac'

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  18. That's really cool Isaac! What position do you play? And if you could play for any team, who would it be?

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    1. I play midfield and if I were to play for any team I'd want to start off at Arsenal and continue from there

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    2. I have a few friends who are big fans of Arsenal. I'm sure they'd be glad to hear that you are too, Isaac.

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    1. What do you like to do, Justice?

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