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SoccerAmy Moore Period 6

+The American Football Assoiciation (AFA)

At the start of the 20th century there was no organization governing soccer in the U.S The AFA was the only organization but it ceased to exist in 1899. It revived in 1906, and began to be concerned with the affairs of

the professional side of the game which started to flourish in a few places. (New Jersey and southeastern New England.)

The AFA’s interests were represented by Sir Frederick J. Wall, the secretary of the Football Association in England

+The American Amateur Football Association (AAFA) The situation resolved itself with the formation of an

organization called the AAFA. AAFA was an outgrowth of the Southern New York State

Association, which was not involved with the AFA. This was the first step toward the founding of the

organization that has governed the sport in the U.S to this day, which is now known as the United States Soccer Federation.

New York physician, Dr. G Randolph Manning, was the president of the AAFA.

One of the first acts of the AAFA was to seek recognition from FIFA. Thomas W. Cahill, (secretary of the AAFA) was sent to the

FIFA Congress meeting in 1912. Wall (AFA) wanted to counsel FIFA against granting

membership to hastily to the AAFA.

+Wall vs. Cahill vs. FIFA Wall’s position was not to see membership for the AFA,

but to counsel FIFA against the AAFA. He pointed out that the AAFA had no voice in the

professional portion of the sport in the U.S He urged that FIFA instruct Cahill to return to the U.S and

seek an accommodation between the AAFA and the AFA that might yield a comprehensive U.S federation (one that FIFA could accept) FIFA agreed.

United States Football Association (USFA)• On April 5, 1913, the organizations now on the side of the AAFA to found the USFA.• the organization that was established that day is the same

one that governs American soccer today (present name = United States Soccer Federation)

• 11 states became parts of the USFA• New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Hampshire,

Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, and Utah

• Dr. Manning was elected the 1st president of the USFA

+1912 At this point America could now approach FIFA.

The USFA rushed to apply for membership at FIFA’s 1913 Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark. It wasn’t on time, so the application was turned over to an

Emergency Committee of FIFA, which accepted it. The AFA didn’t want to accept membership of the USFA, but

once they heard news from FIFA, they joined the USFA. The next year the provisional membership was changed by

FIFA Congress into full membership in FIFA for the USFA as the rep of the U.S

+American Cup Prior to the USFA, the American Cup was the closest

thing the U.S had to a national championship. It was restricted primarily to the teams from the

northeastern U.S. )northern New Jersey and southeastern New England areas.)

Next came the question of a national cup competition to replace the AFA's American Cup, and this competition was underway by 1914. National Challenge Cup

• The start of the National Challenge Cup in the 1913-14 season by the new USFA signaled the end of the American Cup as the premier American competition.• Become known as the National Open Cup or the U.S. Open Cup

+History Intervened.. After the USFA’s provisional admission to FIFA, WWI begun.

Prior to WWI, American soccer had been visited by touring European teams. One in particular was the Pilgrims, a team of British amateur stars, who made American tours in 1905 and 1909)

Because of the war, sending soccer teams to most of Europe was out of the question

However because the U.S remained a neutral in WWI until 1917, in the summer of 1916, an American team made a six-game tour of Sweden and Norway, which were also neutral. This 1916 tour created good relations between soccer authorities in the

U.S and the Scandinavian countries that spawned further tours by American teams in 1919 and 1920, after the war was over

The team that made the 1916 tour was called the All-American Soccer Football Club, Some consider it to have been the first true national team the U.S has

fielded.

+Pilgrims (British amateur stars)

The Pilgrims England’s crack soccer team is now on a visit to this country. They will visit this city next month for a series of games. The Pilgrims have

a standing offer of the expenses of a trip to England to any team which defeat it while on its present trip, but judging from the way it’s going in matches already played, there is not much danger of its being defeated.

+What has changed?

Soccer was in a better position in the U.S than it had been in the more recent decades. As a result of the waves of immigration from Europe of the 19 th century, it was

still a major sport in the U.S

Soccer was not the secondary sport that it is today in the U.S

The distribution of interest in soccer in the U.S has changed quite a bit since the first two decades of the 20th century.

Today, the sport is seen by most Americans as a suburban activity, fueled largely by the children of middle-class families.

The 1920s are often referred to as the "Golden Age" of American sports, but soccer did not come through them as well many other sports.

There was a substantial attempt in the 1920s to establish a professional soccer league, the original American Soccer League

Other sports grew at a much more rapid rate, particularly baseball, American football, and boxing. Soccer was swept aside to some degree.

As my grandpa stated, “soccer doesn’t get half of the recognition it once did. More people were educated on the sport and its popularity was much higher back then. More people knew how to play soccer even if it was just a hobby. That doesn’t happen anymore, you don’t see a group of kids kicking around a ball as often as they used to.”

+Style has changed Old ball – 1910 compared to

now…

Cleats (known as boots) - In the early 1900’s, two companies were formed who are still known today, Gola established in 1905, and Valsport, established in 1920.

Ankle high, made of thick, hard leather and has 6 studs. Weighed 500 grams.

5.8 ounces, Synthetic Sprintskin  - provides comfort and ball control.

+Works cited

http://www.chelseamegastore.com/stores/chelsea/products/product_details.aspx?pid=72548

http://www.footy-boots.com/football-boots-history/

http://cleats.wikispaces.com/

http://www.phillysoccerpage.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/pilgrims1909.jpg

http://homepages.sover.net/~spectrum/century.html

http://tinyurl.com/4g7uv5f

http://www.soccerballworld.com/History.htm