It is impossible to say when soccer was first played. People have been kicking objects around for fun since time immemorial. The modern version of the game, however, clearly began in 1863, in England. That was when the London Football Association published the first set of soccer rules. Besides setting the rules, the association gave the game its formal name: association football. The popular term “soccer” is thought to be derived from “association.”

很難說人們第一次玩足球始于何時(shí)。自古以來人們?yōu)榱巳肪蛯⑸磉叺臇|西踢來踢去。然而球賽的現(xiàn)代版本確實(shí)是在1863年始于英國。當(dāng)時(shí)正是倫敦足球協(xié)會(huì)出版了第一套足球規(guī)則。除了制定規(guī)則，這個(gè)協(xié)會(huì)還為球賽取了一個(gè)正式的名稱：英式足球。眾人皆知的名稱“足球”被認(rèn)為是由“協(xié)會(huì)”這個(gè)詞衍生而來。

(短文節(jié)選,本篇始于：世足熱蔓延全亞洲)