“Soccer” Is An English Term, Not An American One

There have been many beloved forms of football in Great Britain, since the days of Henry VIII. The Football Association (FA), English football’s governing body, was formed in 1863, in an attempt to formalise the rules for club play. “Organised football”, “Association football”, or simply “football” as it is known across the world today, dates from that time.

Clubs and fans of the game, from Cambridge and Oxford Universities, affectionately referred to association football as “assocer” and later as “soccer”. These Universities referred to Rugby football, as “rugger”, and if they had played Gridiron Football (the true full name of American Football) they would likely have referred to it as “gridder”.

Since “soccer” was an English term, it spread to other parts of the United Kingdom; Wales, Cornwall, Scotland and Ireland. It also spread to other English speaking countries; Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States of America.

The term “soccer” has fallen out of favour in England these days, however according to the British Newspaper Archive, it has been used one million, five hundred seventy six thousand and fifty four times, in UK newspapers, since the 19th century. Its usage remains, both officially, and unofficially, within the extended Anglosphere.