Football is not just a sport, it is a whole culture, lifestyle. This is a world in which there are stars, traditions and laws. Football has long been recognized as the most popular sport in the world, the number of fans of this game is huge. Today, it has become a part of pop culture - titled athletes are turning into real idols for millions of fans, and holding a major match in the city is always a bright and significant event.
Football Day is a holiday celebrated not only by professional football players, ball lovers, but also by people who just like to watch what is happening on the field. How did this game appear, and is there a date on the calendar dedicated to it?
When is World Football Day celebrated?
This game is popular in all countries. Officially, World Football Day is not celebrated; there is no such date on the calendars. True, a version is circulated on the Internet that the United Nations once proposed to declare December 10 as the International Day for the celebration of this sports game.
Such information is not available on the official UN website. But the fact remains - for several years now on this day around the world there have been friendly matches of various levels. World Football Day is secretly celebrated on December 10th. Boys in the yards organize competitions of local teams, and professional football players conduct demonstrations and open training, allowing everyone to enjoy the sight of this exciting game.
Football Day in Russia also does not go unnoticed. It is unlikely that there is a man in the world who in his childhood did not like to kick the ball in the yard or at school breaks with friends. Everyone plays football, regardless of their physical abilities, interests, or character. This is an incredibly democratic game - unlike many other sports, it does not require a specially equipped hall and expensive equipment or equipment. Just take the ball and go outside. Perhaps this is why this game is so popular and Football Day is celebrated around the world?
Invention of the ball
Since we are talking about balls, we suggest recalling the story of the creation of this seemingly straightforward toy.
It is not known exactly where the first balls appeared. But objects similar in function and appearance were used in war games in Ancient Greece, Egypt, Mexico and Ancient China, and a little later they appeared in Russia. As the material then used the skin of animals, which were stuffed with fig grains, sand or feathers. In the Middle Ages, a pork bubble was used to make balls, however, it was difficult to give it a perfectly round shape.
Finally, in 1836. Englishman Charles Goodyear patented volcanic rubber, and in 1855 constructed the first ball from new material. This year can be considered the year of birth of modern sports balls.
By the way, the oldest of the surviving balls is about 450 years old! It was found in 1999. in one of the castles of Scotland.
The emergence of a soccer game
This collective game is popular all over the world today, not only among men, but also among women.
Football Day is celebrated not so long ago, and the history of the game has more than one millennium. For a long time it was believed that the British were the first to play football. England today retains the status of one of the football capitals of the world, and it was in this country that the first football association was created. But the Spaniards brought football to England, presumably in the 14th century. And how football originated in Spain is not known for certain.
As mentioned above, ball games were common in different parts of the world. But the oldest written record of the game is the annals of the Han Dynasty, the ruling dynasty in Ancient China. In the chronicle, which is more than 2 thousand years old, references are made to the game, the literal translation of the name of which literally means “push with a foot”. Thanks to these records, China was recognized as the birthplace of football. In 2004 FIFA issued such a statement, and now we can say that we owe China not only the invention of paper or china, but also the game beloved by millions.
About football in numbers
Here are some interesting numbers regarding the popular game.
- The International Football Association cites data that about 250 million people in the world play football, of which 120 million are professional football players.
- There are 300,000 registered clubs and 1.5 million teams.
- The longest match in history lasted 65 hours and 1 minute.
- The score 149: 0 was recorded between the teams of Madagascar and became the most devastating score in history.
After this match, one of the teams after entering the field began to score continuously in their own goal in protest against the dishonest, in their opinion, refereeing at the previous match.
Conclusion
Well, the history of football is really interesting and entertaining. And the place he occupies in the world sports culture is hard to overestimate. Therefore, the approval of the official status of such a holiday as International Football Day, of course, would be an invaluable gift for thousands and thousands of fans from around the world.