After the remarkable success of the country of Australia, it was transferred to the Asian Football Confederation. This was done so that the Australian football team could compete with the best of the international teams. Some of the other Major Football Nations in Oceania which are part of the Ocenia Football Federation include: New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, etc. All these countries are continuously striving to improve their performance in the world of soccer.

The North American Soccer League plays the a pivotal role in diffusing the game to the grassroots level in the country, especially among teenagers. For instance, the New York Cosmos, one of the top football clubs in America, hired players like Pele from Brazil and Franz Beckenbauer from Germany to introduce a cultural as well as |athletic setting for the game to grow.

Since soccer in the US has remained mostly a recreational sport for many years, the professional approach to soccer was lacking until the introduction of the Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1996. The attendance by local soccer fans has been rising significantly over the past few years especially after international superstars such as David Beckham and Juan Pablo Angel have signed to play for American soccer clubs. Television broadcasting of soccer in the US, which wasn’t popular due to the lack of ability to show commercials during the matches, has also increased notably as new advertising technologies are being introduced.

It’s been debated that the Oneida Football Club of Boston was the very first soccer club outside the United Kingdom to play the game. It is believed that the club promoted soccer in the US as it was founded before the English Football Association (FA) decided on the rules of soccer. The definitive historic account says that the first game was played between Rutgers University and Princeton University in 1869.

Modern American soccer clearly took off after the country hosted the 2004 World Cup in 1994. The US national team qualified for the World Cup games ever since and fared well considering its inexperience relative to its rivals.

The Asian Football Federation had a prime role in taking the sport of football to the Asian masses. The Asian countries had a major influence in the way the present game of soccer is being played. The Asians players are not as tall as their European and African counterparts. But they manage to utilize their own style of playing which is very distinct from the European style. That is what adds the spice to the sport of soccer; the competition between 2 teams with different styles of playing the game.

Some of the more prominent soccer nations in Asia include: South Korea, Japan, Iran, Saudi Arabia. Those teams have taken part in World Cup matches as well as Asiatic soccer tournaments and many of them are covered by the world media. Below is a description of some major soccer nations from Asia:

Soccer in Japan is formally governed by the J. League and the Japan Football Association. The history of soccer in Japan, dates back to the Meiji period. The Far Eastern Championship Games ushered Japan’s emergence as one of the major football powers in Asia after a 3-3 draw with China to win their first ever official championship title. Japan also gained their first Olympic victory in the 1936 Berlin Olympic where they won against Sweden by 3-2. Their next success in the Olympics came in the 1968 games where the national team secured third place and won a bronze medal.

With the introduction of the J. League the craze for soccer in Japan had increased dramatically. The quick transformation allowed Japan to co-host the 2002 World Cup along with Korea after making it to the finals for the first time in 1998. The Japanese national team put up an inspiring performance by progressing to the Round of 16.

Soccer in Japan has also made its way into popular fiction. The character of Captain Tsubasa became extremely popular especially among youngsters.

Soccer in Saudi Arabia is worth mentioning when it comes to tracing the story of progress in Asian football. The Asian Cup, the most sought after of football tournaments in Asia, was won by Saudi Arabia three times.

Football is by far the most popular sport in Saudi Arabia. Football in Saudi Arabia is officially under the charge of the Saudi Arabia Football Federation. The sport received a tremendous boost after thenational team qualified for the World Cup in the 1994. New stadiums were built and sponsors rushed in with lucrative contracts.

Football in Saudi Arabia has a unique record in its repertoire. The team’s goalkeeper, Mohamed Al-Deayea, is the world record holder for most international appearances by a male footballer.

The soccer footwear used for the indoor games are made of a hard rubber sole. It is a non-marking sole that protects the shoes from wearing down even on the hardest surface like gym floor. These flat soccer shoes are commonly used on the dry outdoor surface.

The upper part of the shoe is most important in the game of soccer. It is the section of the footwear that comes in contact with the ball. It is made either with the leather or the synthetic mixing of the leather.

The Leather

The kangaroo leather is considered to be the best and most comfortable leather for the soccer shoes. Though, it is expensive as compared to the other varieties of the leather. However, the kangaroo leather is water sensitive and it is not considered to be long lasting. But with all the exceptions kangaroo leather is most lightweight, softest and most suitable for the soccer players. It is indeed a great experiences to wear the leather shoes made with kangaroo leather.

Another most important type of leather is pittard leather. These shoes are made with calf skin using a special treatment to the leather. The calf skin leather is specially treated to provide it softness and water resistance. It is, however, heavier than the kangaroo leather and does not provides the type of comfort that kangaroo
leather provides.

The fitting of the shoe is as important as the leather itself. In some instances it is more important than the leather itself as even the best quality leather can not provide the type of benefit if it does not fit according to the size of the foot. The leather shoes are likely to stretch a bit. It is advised for the users to wear these shoes for some time before entering a match.

There have been some great soccer players who originated from the African part of the world. Some of the current best African soccer players includee the likes of Austin Okocha of Nigeria, Roger Milla and Samuel Eto’o Fils of Cameroon, Obafemi Martins and of course, Didier Drogba who plays for the country of Ivory Coast.

In Africa, it the men who have traditionally followed and played the game of soccer. But the sport is steadily becoming popular with the women as well. Some of the notable African soccer nations include:

Cameroon is one African nation which is blessed with natural soccer talents. Cameroon enjoys the unique distinction of being the first African nation to qualify for the finals of the World Cup in 1990. To date Cameroon had won 4 African Nations Cups and the gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games in 2000.

Soccer in Cameroon is regulated and well organized by the Fédération Camerounaise de soccer. The Cameroon soccer team began their maiden world cup campaign 1982. The 1990 World Cup saw Cameroon attain a spectacular stature. They team was in the same group as formidable teams, including the defending champion Argentina, the Soviet Union and Romania.

In the opening match of the tournament Cameroon stunned Argentina with a 1-0 win. Romania also suffered defeat at the hands of the ‘Indomitable Lions’, as Cameroon players are adoringly known. However their dream run ended when England managed to pull up a close victory in the quarter finals.

Soccer in South Africa is placed under the governance of the South African Football Association. The domestic set-up of South African football is based on the Premier Soccer League (PSL). The PSL is split up into two independent leagues – the Castle Premiership and the Mvela Golden League. The former league is the major league sponsored by Castle Lager while the latter is sponsored by the Mvelaphanda Group, owned by eminent business tycoon Tokyo Sexwale.

Football in South Africa was banned from any FIFA competition from 1961 to 1992 due to the country’s Apartheid policies. This created a vacuum in the overall infrastructure and general involvement as well as awareness about this game. But spending 31 years in such hibernation could not curb down the strong spirit of the Africans as exemplified by their won the African Cup of Nations in 1996. Another success was the national team’s participation in the finals of the World Cup in 2002. In this tournament they beat the European superpower Spain by 3-2 but but didn’t advance to the second round. As a host nation South Africa is all set to play in the 2010 World Cup.

Prior to the 2010 World Cup, the country is ready to undergo major renovations. Thirteen venues have been shortlisted so far, including Cape Town, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Pretoria Bloemfontein, Nelspruit, Kimberley, Orkney, Polokwane, and Rustenburg. Johannesburg will be upgraded to the Soccer City.

History of the game:

The modern form of football started in late 1800’s when Scottish shopkeeper William McGregor first started the international games and FA cup competition. The initial form of soccer is quite different from the modern game. The game of soccer faced lots of changes in the span of three centuries to be evolved in the form of modern soccer game. There are many evidences of playing soccer like game in Europe as well as other countries of the world before 18th century. Many stories of twelfth centuries tell that most primitive form of soccer was played in England with the skulls of the enemies in the battlefield.

William McGregor was the first person to form the world soccer league in 1888. The league organized weekly competition of the sports that became the foundation stone of the professional form of the game. This league later started the use of cards in the game. First international game of soccer was played between England and Scotland.

A number of rules made to increase the level of competition. The constant change in these rules made the game more interesting.

The first set of rules for the game was published in 1580. The set of rules was designed by Giovanni Bardi.

The first set of rule for Cambridge was published in 1848.

The formation of association of Great Britain took place in 1877 to provide a unity to the rules.

The first official meeting of the international football association board was held on 2nd June 1886.

The penalty kick was introduced in 1891.

FIFA was formed with the membership of seven countries in 1904. The initial members of FIFA are Belgium, France, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Spain, and Switzerland.

In 1913 the international football association board joined hand with FIFA.

1925 was the year when the offside rule was amended.

The previously active laws were reinforced in 1937-38 with a new and accurate
codification.

The last revisions of the law were made in 1997.

* It is accepted that soccer started in the Britain.

* Sheffield FC is recognized as the oldest club in all over world that was established
in the year 1857.

* It is projected that this game is the most watched and most played in various parts of the world.

* Practically, soccer is known as football in most of countries excluding America, who describe it as soccer or ‘Grid Iron Football’.

* Well-known soccer competitions are the Manchester derby, Milan derby, Scotland, Real vs Barcelona, London derbies and many more.

* Maradonna, Eusebio, Dalglish, Beckham, Pele, Mattheus, Ronaldo, Charlton and Cruyff are well known players of soccer.

* It is indeed true that there were 199,854 spectators present for match – Uruguay vs. Brazil in 1950 at the Maracana Municipal Stadium.

* There were 5,098 soccer teams in the biggest soccer tournament in 1999 for Seven-a-Side Competition.

* It is fact that 16 goals scored by participant in a single soccer match- Stephan Stanis from France playing in the year 1942 for Racing Club de Lens.

* FIFA (Federation International Football Association) is recognized as the international leading organization of soccer and is located in Switzerland.

* At sixteen-year-old Diego Maradona accomplished his appearance in Soccer for Argentina.

* WUSA (Women’s United Soccer Association) made and won its first presentation in the year 2001.

* Goalies of Soccer did not have to put on colored clothes from their teammates until 1913