The term "soccer" has an interesting origin. Here's how it came to be:
Roots in England: In 19th-century England, there were various forms of football games being played. At universities and schools, different rules and styles of play emerged. The most prominent two were "rugby football" (which allowed carrying the ball and more physical contact) and "association football" (where players mainly used their feet to control the ball and had more restricted rules regarding handling).
Terminology Development: To distinguish between these different types of football, people started using more specific terms. The word "association" was a key part of the official name of the football code that we now know as modern soccer. To simplify the reference, the word "association" was abbreviated in a particular way. In British English at the time, it was common to create slang or abbreviated forms of words by adding an "-er" suffix to the end of a truncated word. From "association", the term "assoc" was first formed, and then with the addition of the "-er" suffix, it became "soccer".
Spread to Other Countries: "Soccer" was commonly used in England until around the mid-20th century. However, as "football" became the dominant term for the sport in the UK, the use of "soccer" declined there. But in the United States, Canada, and some other countries where other forms of football (like American football or Canadian football) were popular, the term "soccer" was adopted to clearly distinguish the sport of association football from these other football variants.
So, in summary, "soccer" originated as an abbreviation of "association football" in England and then became more commonly used in certain countries outside of the UK to refer to the sport we know today.
