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Did you know that the first soccer league was formed in 1888? William McGregor gathered a number of teams and suggested forming a league. The first soccer league was born. It included Accrington, Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton, Burnley, Derby County, Everton, Notts County, Preston North End, Stoke City, West Bromwich Albion, and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Did you know that the first attempt to agree on a set of rules for soccer was done in 1848? Representatives from the major public schools that played met at Cambridge University. They agreed that the ball could be handled as long as it was immediately placed on the ground and kicked. They also agreed that kicking an opponent was illegal and an offside rule was drafted. Known as the Cambridge Rules, these rules became the basis of what we know today!

Did you know that a derby match is a match between two local rival teams usually within the same region? For example, Manchester City vs Manchester United is a huge local derby. The atmosphere is intense both for the players and the fans since they are big rivals!

Did you know that Sheffield FC is the oldest soccer club in the world? The Sheffield Football Club team was first founded in 1855.

Did you know that Mia Hamm is the youngest player to have played for the United States? She was only 15 years old when she started. In 2004, Mia retired from soccer, but left a legacy behind her. With 158 goals, she is the top scorer in Women’s soccer.

FIFA and IFAB (International Football Associations Board) have scheduled a meeting to discuss a new ruling that would downgrade a red card to a yellow for fouls that deny an obvious goal-scoring opportunity in the box, among other issues up for review. Continue reading »

There’s only minutes left to play, but you have a 1 goal lead. Besides playing good defense, is there anything else you can do to keep that lead? For many coaches and players, the strategy of “wasting time” becomes an integral part of the game at this point. But how do you waste time the right way? Continue reading »

Our sister site Search For Soccer recently added a new website called SoccerTrix. I must say, this is probably one of the coolest websites I’ve seen! Continue reading »

Sideline Soccer has grown in 2009 and we thank you the visitors and fans for that! We hope to continue to provide helpful articles and information for years to come! Here are the most popular articles for 2009 based on statistics gathered over the past year. Continue reading »

To get in the spirit of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, I thought it would be nice to share some free flag icons representing the 32 countries participating in next year’s World Cup. Download them now for free and use them on websites, blogs, forums, etc and show your country pride! Continue reading »