Soccer’s Beginnings
           The origin of soccer can be found in every 
            corner of geography and history. 
           The Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Ancient 
            Greek, Persian, Viking, and many more 
            played a ball game long before our era. 
           The Chinese played "football"  games 
            date as far back as 3000 years ago. 
           The Ancient Greeks and the Roman used 
            football  games to sharpen warriors for 
            battle. In South and Central America a 
            game called "Tlatchi" once flourished. 
           Ancient Civilizations and 
                         Soccer
           Mesoamerican civilizations also 
            devised a game played with rubber 
            balls, which resembled a combination 
            between soccer, basketball and 
            volleyball. 
           The game involved two teams, playing 
            in a sort of basin dug below ground 
            level, with baskets strapped in several 
            locations on the side walls. 
           The teams would then have to kick the 
            ball towards these baskets, and score a 
            goal. 
          Soccer in Europe
           As we go forward on the history of 
            soccer timeline, we notice that the 
            game has gradually entered European 
            territory, Europe being the place where 
            modern day soccer will start in several 
            centuries. 
           Middle age soccer is covered in a 
            combination of myth and historical 
            facts. 
           One popular form of the game (Mob 
            soccer) involved entire villages or 
            towns and was rather chaotic. 
           Soccer in Europe (cont.)
            The teams could have unlimited players, 
             as long as they were from the same 
             village or town. Both teams had to kick 
             the ball towards specific landmarks, and 
             defend their own.
            To add more chaos, the ball was made out 
             of inflated pigs' bladders, or leather skins 
             stuffed with all sorts of materials. 
            Picture two masses of people running 
             towards a poor pig bladder ball, kicking, 
             stomping, punching and pushing each 
             other in the attempt to kick the object to 
             some area.
           Soccer in Europe (cont.)
           In medieval France, a game called "La 
             Choule" was usually played in town 
             gatherings, such as just after Sunday 
             church, or on special occasions or 
             holidays. 
           The game itself looked like a combination 
             of soccer, handball, hockey, baseball and 
             kickboxing, since the players of each team 
             had to strike the ball into the opponent's 
             goal, using whatever means necessary and 
             whatever accessories necessary. 
           For example, one record shows that 
             players were allowed to use sticks or clubs 
             to hit the ball around, although it wasn't 
             always the ball that got hit.