You may have heard that horse racing is the Sport of Kings, but football, or soccer, is the King of Sports. The name soccer originated from from the term 'association football', and at least serves to differentiate the global sport, from the totally different ballgame played in the USA. People have gathered together to kick a ball, or other object around, for many hundreds of years. Regulations for the game, as we now understand it, were decided in England, in the mid nineteenth century. Before this the sport had a somewhat tarnished and brutal reputation, to the extent that it was forebidden periodically, by the monarch.



You could easily underrate the game of football, and the role of footballers, but the sport necessitates skill and athleticism. Because of this successful footballers are stars, and those who make the top grade can earn wages running up to millions of dollars per year. Rivalry to reach the highest standards is severe, but there are lots of examples of gifted youngsters from poor environments, progressing to become top class players. However, it must be said, that those that do reach the top, to take home the millions, are something like one in a million, and the vast majority will have to be satisfied with simply enjoying the game.

Football grounds are incredible, purpose built structures, that can contain tens of thousands of fans. If the entry price for important matches was around twenty pounds, gate receipts would be ?2 million. Even that sum is insignificant, compared to what television and other companies are ready to pay for special deals. It means that football is a vast sports industry, with senior managers, players, and owners, generating salaries comparable with film stars, and movie magnates.

Football's global appeal is epitomized by the competion known as the Jules Rimet Trophy. The contest changes location to various countries and continents, and there are preliminaries to succeed in, before thirty two international squads compete for the cup, at four yearly intervals, over a 4-week period. It is reported, that the World Cup draws viewers and spectators estimated to be around twice the total, of those that view the Olympic Games.

Not that long ago, boxing was one of the few sports, offering any hope of escape, from poverty. You may consider that football has assumed that mantle, and even though only a few candidates make the grade as wealthy football players, they exceed those who earn a substantial living as pugilists. All over the world kids from deprived countries meet up for football training. The odd one or two will become recognized as being extraordinarily gifted, and will be catapulted into wealthy living standards, to become icons, as well known as movie stars and the like.