It’s sometimes easy to laugh at Yanks. I remember watching a pulsating FA Cup tie at Stamford Bridge in 1995 when Manchester United roared into a miraculous 5-0 lead against Chelsea only to concede three goals in the last twenty minutes, leaving them desperate to hang on for the 5-3 win. As the huge crowd drew breath at the end a lone American voice was heard saying, ‘Wow, that was some game! But hey guys, what colour were Manchester?’
However, my purpose here is not to tease our friends in the United States but to explore a strange notion that seems to have taken hold on both sides of the Atlantic, perhaps another example of how we are ‘divided by a common language’.
It has always puzzled me why it is that whenever British football teams play in the USA people get all funny about the word ‘Soccer’, as though it’s some sort of alien American imposition on our language, overthrowing our own linguistic traditions nurtured over decades. You’ll see people here rolling their eyes and making that little gesture in the air with their fingers to indicate ‘quote marks’ when using the word, as if to show how they are hip to the perfidious foreign importation .
Perhaps it’s believed that shows such as Sky TV’s Gillette Soccer Saturday are all part of the corrupting influence of Rupert Murdoch’s Evil Empire, a deliberate and unstoppable corporate Americanisation of our culture. This strange confusion has cropped up in a mild way again, now that Manchester United are currently in the middle of a highly successful US tour, taking in Boston, Seattle, Chicago and New Jersey, where they face a team of Major League Soccer (sic) Stars.
I’m not singling out anyone for criticism here, but even in a reasonably well-informed recent RoM thread there seemed hesitancy about using the dread word, with some safely placing it in the quarantine of inverted commas, ‘soccer’. The odd thing is that the uncertainty occurs in both the UK and the US, becoming a self-fulfilling belief that we Brits reject the term Soccer, a misconception accepted even by those who know that the word was coined in Victorian England. For instance, there is an American website, Soccer-Fans-Info.com, which more-or-less accurately gives the ‘Origin of the Word Soccer’,explaining that it derives from an abbreviation for Association Football, ‘Assoc’, only to spoil things by promoting the hoary old myth about the word with the bizarre statement that:
‘The English will never agree to use the term “soccer” around what they call “football” for centuries’.
As someone who has talked about soccer, played soccer, watched soccer being played since at least the 1950s, I find all this very strange, which has prompted me to investigate further.When did United start playing Soccer, and did they ever stop?
Socca, socker, soccer
Most scholarly authorities say the word was probably created within slangy upperclass English public schools and universities sometime after the establishment of the FA in 1863 and the subsequent codification of association football (in distinction from Rugby football, or ‘rugger’). The earliest reference-book citations come from the late 1880s and early 1890s, with variant spellings well into the early 20th century, including ‘socca’, ‘socker’ and only somewhat later, ‘soccer’.
I went to a minor rugby-playing public school (i.e. a private school) in the 1950s and certainly people there talked all the time of soccer and rugger. You can get a little of the flavour of how public school folk spoke in those days from a short story I found in an old annual, Raymond Glendenning’s Book of Sports for Boys , published in 1949. The tale was set in an archetypal public school and was written by the prolific ‘Frank Richards’ , the creator of Billy Bunter, the much-loved ‘Fat Owl of the Remove’ whose carryings-on I lapped up as a schoolboy myself. Born Charles Hamilton in 1876 ‘Richards’ began writing in the 1900s at a time when the word Soccer was taking hold, not just in public schools but increasingly within working class culture too, in a classic example of under-dog appropriation of upper-class practices which then feeds back into elite circles.
In this later but timeless tale by Richards about ‘footer’, ‘Perkinson’s Last Match’, the hero tells his antagonist what he thinks of him in words that capture with surprising accuracy the way public schoolboys really did speak, in a not-too-exaggerated form:
‘I’ve thought over the rot you talked in your study, and I’ve made up my mind never to play Soccer for Felgate again so long as you’re captain. I wish you joy of your footling foozlers. You don’t know as much about Soccer as a kid in the second.’
To read this story in full, purchase Red Matters from Amazon.
Man Utd News 24/7
Christ, can only read this article after work. Nice pic though, hope Best kicks Hughs good and proper!
fascinating
that was a really good read, thanks Giles
Great Post Giles.
A classic read by a Legend,Sir Giles Oakley..
Wasn’t 1995… it was january 1998 the 5 – 3 at the Bridge…
Sorry… couldn’t let that go!
I do find the world ‘soccer’ funny… But those who rage about it are way funnier indeed.
Anyway, the thing is that pretty much all over the world people say “football” or something similar. Even in countries such as France and Germany, who are both obsessed with not allowing a lot of English words into their languages, they use the same word. It’s not just about British vs American English; it’s about an awful lot of other languages. So it sort of makes sense that people get pissed off when they are expected to use a different word.
English to Albanian translation
futboll
English to Basque translation — Alpha
futbola
English to Belarusian translation
футбол
English to Bulgarian translation
футбол
English to Catalan translation
futbol
English to Czech translation
fotbal
English to Danish translation
fodbold
English to Dutch translation
voetbal
English to Filipino translation
putbol
English to French translation
le football
English to Galician translation
fútbol
English to German translation
Fußball
English to Haitian Creole translation
foutbòl
English to Hungarian translation
futball
English to Icelandic translation
fótbolti
English to Latvian translation
futbols
English to Lithuanian translation
futbolas
English to Macedonian translation
фудбал
English to Maltese translation
futbol
English to Norwegian translation
fotball
English to Portuguese translation
futebol
English to Romanian translation
fotbal
English to Russian translation
футбол
English to Serbian translation
фудбал
English to Slovak translation
futbal
English to Spanish translation
fútbol
English to Swedish translation
fotboll
English to Turkish translation
futbol
English to Ukrainian translation
футбол
love my ‘Footy’, me!!
Interesting article. The fact remains, we stopped using the term. One country didn’t.
It’s the rest of the world V America then!
World>one nation.
Hard luck America, Football it is.
Hats off to Sir Giles, yet another master piece. I just read the first half and will finish it later today….
All the best my good friend
I remember Charlie Buchan’s Football Monthly and soccer was extensively used in it !
In 1948, my family moved from England to Ireland for 10 years and, as with the US, they have a local football variation, theirs being Gaelic Football.
Not surprisingly, the term soccer was the norm, in order to differentiate.
If my memory doesn’t fail me, the term soccer is also to be seen in the United Museum at OT. It seems so natural to me that I would read it and totally accept it.
always an inspiration Sir Giles. Woke up today feeling groggy and lethargic. Some how that article perked me right up.
Thanks Giles, good knowledge there, sometime 50 years later, someone will be quoting this article as proof that soccer is not just a term invented by those who chose to remain there after crossing the pond, or born by those.
Good article Giles. I will say again dude, write a book.
or books.
soccer nah, I’d rather say Feetball or KickTheBall
Go ahead goal…
Hahahaha stupid macaroni eating yanks
Sucker lol
i honestly could not be bothered if someone else calls it soccer. the only thing that annoys me is when someone tries to force me to use the word soccer when i am only used to football.
Always thought Yanks said SOCCER so they didn’t have to call gridiron HANDBALL
I’ve learned something new today.
Socc it to us, Giles!
If you listen closely, Sir Bobby now seems to call it “fud-ball”.
Great read, really opened my eyes to a lot of things. I was one of those who would maybe look down on any fans who used the term soccer, but maybe now I can try and take a wider view.
I do think the problem remains now in that soccer is often used in a way that is meant to make football inferior. Living in Ireland, we have Gaelic Football and in recent years the popularity of rugby has taken off, and so Football is seen as less cultured, and so when a person calls it soccer they’re more likely to be those who look down on loutish football fans and those mutli millionaire footballers who can barely string a sentence together as opposed to their heroes of Rugby and GAA.
The same can probably be said for American Football vs. Soccer in the US, with Soccer characterised as boring and slow, I’ve read too much of this from fans who say its not a patch on REAL football (American Football) and then that just makes me angry because Soccer is seen as a bad thing.
Soccer AM that show too uses the nomenclature in question. Although its been dead for years.
great read, thanks
Great article as usual. I always enjoy your post Mr. Oakley.
BTW, I would still choose “Football” over soccer bcause its sound better than “sucker” LOL…
The final proof that ROM is a sionist conspiracy against western values. Spread of word soccer is down to computer games made in america that had to be given another title cause of american football.
Sell your soul then you Glazer-loving moron but I will not. The americans play soccer and we play football and that is why they lose and we win.
I haven’t read it all yet, half way through Giles.
I know, by your body of work, it’s gonna be class as usual.
I know these articles are long, but everyone should take the time to read them.
WRD
@invertedquestionmark
English to Chinese translation
足球
just don’t like the word
Excellant article…nice to see that our wall posts can inspire a peice like this, well done
GTull, you’re absolutely correct, I got the date wrong for that Chelsea 3 United 5 match. Even as I put down 1995 I knew it was wrong and meant to go back and check it, but forgot. I’m kicking myself as I hate making stoopid mistakes like that. Thanks for the correction.
Wow great article. Love the insight into United’s earlier history too. Scott certainly knows his stuff. The pre-war stuff in particular was fascinating – it’s interesting to read how football was considered in the social context of the day. Good job, STR and thanks.
My sincere apologies to Giles – the article is attributed to Giles Oakley not Scott. Whatever, its a great read and thanks to Scott for hosting the piece.
Top article, its football or footy to me, if someone wants to call It soccer then hairymuff, at the end of the day its the same thing.
Great read. As an American myself, there’s always a lot of insecurity that comes with calling the game either “football” or “soccer.” I grew up playing soccer and it calling it that, but as I came into contact with people from other places in the world who used “football” or “futbol” I began to think of “soccer” as a little bit silly. It seemed like another American bastardization that I didn’t want to be a part of.
On the other hand, it can seem incredibly pretentious to use the word “football” in conversation in American. I picture the guys (and girls) who come around every four years, starting about two weeks before the World Cup, and proclaim the “beauty of football” and attempt to discuss the ins and outs of the game to ignorant conversation partners. It wrings false and it’s embarrassing to us Americans who actually follow the game. We hesitate to use the term “football” because we don’t want to be associated with those bluffers or posers. So where you over the Atlantic roll your eyes when we say “soccer” we oftentimes roll our eyes when we hear one of our own say “football.” It’s a strange place to be in for us.
On the interwebs I throw around “football” with ease, but in the real world, I tend to use “soccer” so a) my compatriots know which sport I’m speaking of and b) so I’m not thought of as an elitist, Anglo-phile douche.
XOL “It’s the rest of the world V America then!” Not so. Soccer is also used in other English-speaking countries.
It’s funny, as a Brit living in America for almost 20 years I always correct Americans if they say ‘Soccer’. It’s always .. “Soccer? You mean football right? We play the ‘real’ football not the fake stuff you have here.”
This article is a bit of an eye opener and was excellently written. References and all! Obviously took you a while to do the research and I for one really appreciate it. Always interesting learning new things about the great game and how it relates to the best club in the world
Cheers again Mr.Oakley. I think it’s faIr to say we all appreciate ya! Lol. Keep up the good work!
Lol RedSeattle .. I see your point.
Giles, fantastic work as usual. I can only imagine how much time you spent researching this, truly impressive job! Please keep the articles coming!
Neil – Hello mate. Good to see you back. I sent you a reply on the balotelli thread.
Excellent read Giles. And so appropriated.
It is a bit sad, and not so totally British, the need to use words to distinguish class. Since at least the 70′s I recall people saying the proper name was football when hearing the Americans and Australians calling it soccer. Probably predates that. But Georgie Best used to use soccer all the time in interviews as did Sir Matt. The codification of the term Football in england only settled after the emergence of the european game which had no other competition with the likes of ruggers, aussie rules, Irish rules, etc.
Giles … fascinating article — well written, terrific research. And a great closing.
People do like to get on their high horse, don’t they?
It’s interesting how myths form, evolve and somehow coalesce into ‘historical fact’ over time. I grew up in rugby country. We were always told how rugby was “invented” when a certain William Webb Ellis “rebelled” against the strict no-hands rules of soccer — one day, he simply picked up the ball and ran with it. What a devil!
Of course, the story is utter bullshit. At the time Ellis was playing (early 1800s) association football had not yet been universally codified. Far from being illegal, handling the ball was an important part of the game. Players were encouraged to catch the ball and drop-kick it downfield. Indeed, passing it along the ground with the feet was considered unmanly. If a player caught the ball, he received a free kick. His opponents could advance to the point of the catch but no further, while the catcher would step back, then run forward and drop-kick the ball downfield. Anyone who has seen rugby or especially Australian Rules will recognize this as a “mark” (in fact, the description of play in the early 1800s sounds much more like Aussie Rules than soccer — excuse me, football). Ellis’s “crime” wasn’t that he handled the ball, it was that he decided not to “take the mark” but to run straight forward with it. He didn’t invent rugby, nor did he rebel against “association football” or the “handball rule” because at the time, neither of those concepts existed.
Yet the myth persists — and today, the rugby union World Cup is named after the man who “invented” rugby by “liberating” football from the handball rule: the William Webb Ellis Trophy.
Fletch … that’s a good point. Maybe one of the reasons “soccer” hasn’t survived so well is that it makes little sense to speakers of other languages. “Football” is easy enough to translate: “foot” + “ball”, and all languages have those words. But how do you translate “soccer” into German or French?
Fusbol was a bar game when I grew up.
If she talks while the football is on I sock her.
smartalex … but it’s ok if she handles the balls, right? I guess that then you might be tempted to attack her ‘box’ with the intention of sticking it in and scoring a goal, though be careful she doesn’t a ‘red card’, cause then you might yourself suspended from playing for a few days.
oops, … be careful she doesn’t *flash* a ‘red card’…
StatesideAussie … with my first touch I must get her goal tender, or I’ve to speak to the hand.
I laughed loudly at your 18:17 comment, thanks!
In the Irish language (Gaelic) the word ‘sacair’ is used to describe association football. The word for football is ‘peil’ but that is only used in reference to Gaelic Football.
In other news the Oslo bomber mentions Manchester City in his manifest in relation to them being owned by muslims and that Barclays have huge investments with the City owners.
smartalex … “or I’ve to speak to the hand”. Yep, that’s called going to the subs’ bench — Mr Palmer and his five mates. At least in rugby, there’s always a hooker around.
Why is it spelt “socker” which means sugar in swedish in the headline?
Love then marriage. Go to get her like a hand, some carriage.
Ask for local entry, and they’ll say it’s non-consentry,
If you can’t have one, choose the other.
There were already a ton of posts, so apologies if this was already mentioned…
I’ve been on the frontlines of this argument for years now, being a Yank that plays footie (I use that word to avoid confusion) whilst most of my colleagues seem to only enjoy sports that involve stopping the play after every 10-20 seconds or so. My favorite shirt is one that depicts a cartoon of the “pigskin” with the word “Throwball” underneath… in fact, I recall a few years ago having a long conversation where we concluded that the most accurate term for a given sport would be one that is comprised of words that are related to the sport itself: e.g., if you use only your feet to move around a ball-shaped object, you should call that game “foot-ball;” or, if the game requires putting such a ball-shaped object into a basket-like target, you might call that sport “basket-ball;” you hit a ball and then run around a set of bases…”base-ball” etc., etc., etc. On this rationale, we devised a term that was more appropriate for the American sport:
“Hand-Egg.”
Alas, it hasn’t quite caught on yet.
What most of my compatriots don’t realize is that the reason they call their sport “football” is because it originated from the same sport… back when football first became popular in the UK there was a split between those that wanted to use their hands and those that didn’t. The former group eventually compromised and re-named their sport “rugby,” but before that happened their version was introduced to some Ivy League schoolboys…and the name football stuck.
Well, let’s just say that American football players don’t like being told that their favo(u)rite past-time isn’t actually as “American” as they think it is ^_~
I remember the Soccer 80s sticker mags from when i was a kid. The word was new to me then and was probably the only time i came across it up until USA took an interest in the sport.
If it’s slang, surely it shouldn’t be used formally. As in you don’t get a rugger world cup, no matter what country it’s in. It’s fine to call football footy, soccer, togger, or any other nickname when used casually. I think americans spoil the word by using it as a direct replacement for the word they actually mean.
Dont recall seeing many english clubs with the words “Soccer Club” after their name…..they generally all have “Football Club”
I can relate 100% to RedSeattle (I’m from Vancouver BC myself). When it comes down to it the North American use of the term “football” is stupid; but the sport is so popular so it’s nothing but a losing battle and a waste of time to try and reclaim “football” for “soccer”. As the article points out, “soccer” has a history about as long as the sport itself so it’s a perfectly acceptable and honourable alternative. Long story short: people on either side of the Atlantic just need to live with it.
*For the record, “American” Football is a great sport – just a poor name.
Excellent article Giles.
I was already aware of the word’s earlier usage but your well-researched article has given me a more profound sense of its place within the sport’s nascency. Your work is much appreciated.
I still prefer ‘football’, though
.
Hats off to Giles for the extensive research and interesting post!
In Ireland, usage of “soccer” is also pretty common, so as not to get confused with (Gaelic) football.
On a side note, love reading quotes from old newspaper articles, how the English language has changed since!
Giles failed to realise american influence on UK during the wars. I do not trust his research and I question it and see it as a flirt with american fans during our tour there and a way to help the club make more money on e fairly new market.
Just because a magazine used the word soccer does not mean it was widespread or used daily and maybe it was americans who were behind it as many stayed on after wars and married british women.
The whole thing about soccer versus football has been a big england versus usa thing and just banter mainly. There always turns up this touchy moron that has to nail things home as if rest of people were idiots not knowing things.
The word that is used and has been used is football at least in Europe and the irish with their american links has to be excused here because their culture did change a lot with the potato famine and the american settlers from ireland. It must be stated that football is the most political sport in the world and that in the past few years politics is what runs the game and makes it vibrant on and off the park.
I guess Giles will write a big thing about the holocaust as well now as he must believe that those denying it ever happening really believe so in their heart when it is all a way to put two fingers up against the establishment. University victims never made the world brighter and they just told us the obvious.
One small correction. The quote relating to the 1908 Charity Shield (to be precise the Replay) comes from page 100, not page 20 of Thomas Maw’s book. Sorry.
Another small correction:
The George Best’s Soccer Annual series ran from 1968 t0 1972, not 1971, ending with Annual No.5.
Sorry again.