Football or Soccer?
The FIFA World Cup is back, and billions of eyes are on the beautiful game. But do you say football or soccer?
Many people think soccer is an American word. It isn’t. In fact, it’s as English as a cup of tea!
The modern game was born in England. In 1863, the Football Association drew up the first official rules. At the time, there were different kinds of football. One allowed players to carry the ball (which later became rugby), while the other was known as Association Football.
Students at Oxford University had a habit of shortening words. They turned Association into Assoc, added -er, and soccer was born.
Today, though, almost everyone in Britain simply says football. Soccer is mainly used in countries such as the United States and Canada to distinguish it from American football.
Football has also scored plenty of goals in the English language. Here are some common expressions:
- to move the goalposts – change the rules unfairly
- to be on the ball – alert and efficient
- to score an own goal – make things worse for yourself
- it’s a game of two halves – situations can change completely
- a level playing field – equal opportunities
A Personal Football Memory
When my English brother-in-law visited Germany for the 2006 World Cup, we watched as many matches as we could. After living in Germany for so long, he couldn’t stop laughing every time I said, “They shot a goal!”
Of course, he had to correct me. “You don’t shoot a goal,” he said. “You score a goal.”
A player can shoot at goal, but if the ball ends up in the net, they’ve scored. And in the end, whether you call it football or soccer, whether you shoot or score, there’s only one thing that really matters…
Get the ball in the net! ⚽