New York (Lord Media): Soccer, a sport that captures the hearts of millions worldwide, is known as ‘soccer’ in the United States and Canada. Professor Stephen Szymanski notes that this term was also common in England during the 1960s and 1970s.
Historically, football was referred to as ‘association football’ to distinguish it from ‘rugby football’. In the 1880s, university students abbreviated ‘association’ to ‘soccer’.
Evidence of the term ‘soccer’ can be found in English school magazines from 1885. The term spread to Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Canada.
In the United States, ‘football’ typically refers to American football. Since the 1980s, ‘football’ has become more prevalent in the UK, but ‘soccer’ remains part of the English language.
Professor Szymanski mentioned that American students often apologize for using ‘soccer’, despite it being derived from the English language.
