A brief introduction to the world of soccer
Association football, commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players in which a leather ball is kicked during 90 minutes in a playing field, and is widely considered to be the most popular sport in the world. It can be played by bare-footed kids in a dirt-street as well as by Eskimos in snowshoes on a melting ice shelf!
Today, soccer is played at a professional level all over the world. According to a survey conducted by FIFA published in 2006, over 270 million people from more than 200 countries regularly play soccer. This translates into 4% of the world population that is involved in soccer. Its simple rules, minimal equipment requirements which lead to low start-up costs (sometimes even an old, paper-stuffed sock will suffice) certainly have contributed to its widespread growth and popularity.
In many parts of the world soccer evokes great passions and plays an important role in the life of individual supporters, local communities, and even nations; it is therefore often claimed to be the most popular sport in the world. ESPN television network has spread the claim that the National soccerl team of Ivory Coast helped secure a truce to the nation's civil war in 2005. By contrast, soccer is widely considered to be the final proximate cause in the Soccer War in June 1969 between El Salvador and Honduras. The sport also intensified tensions at the beginning of the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s, when a match between Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade escalated into rioting in March 1990.
The basic equipment required by players includes a shirt, shorts, socks and footwear, besides of course, a leather soccer ball. On natural or synthetic soccer pitches, a good pair of cleats and adequate shin guards to protect the lower leg against kicks, can be used for added performance and protection.
Soccer can be appreciated in many ways. It can be watched and lived in a crowded stadium where the energy of the supporters is unleashed right after the kick off through chants, where aspiring Pavarotti’s and Beer Bellies alike share the common passion of insulting the referee and the opposition using loose language. It can also be appreciated through TV transmissions in pubs, cafés and in the comfort of home.
For youngsters, it is a sport in which team playing skills are essential for developing a healthy group sentiment especially when scoring a victory. It is also an excellent instrument to get socially vulnerable youngsters back on the right track, and even aspire after a stellar career. You never know from where the next Pele, Johann Cruyff or Diego Maradona might come from.
If you like to play soccer or just want to support your favorite team, check our store for offers of balls, jerseys, uniforms, soccer drills and equipment.
