What Do Brits Call Soccer? The Real Story Behind the Name

When people in the UK talk about the sport played with feet, a ball, and two goals, they don’t say football, the global term for the sport governed by FIFA and played by over 4 billion people. Also known as soccer, it’s the same game—but the name changed depending on where you are. In Britain, "football" has been the word for over 150 years. "Soccer"? That’s an Americanism, born in England but abandoned there long ago.

The split started in the 1800s when English schools began formalizing different versions of football. Rugby School created a version where you could pick up the ball—that became rugby, a distinct code of football with its own rules, physical style, and cultural identity. The other version, where you could only kick or head the ball, was called "association football" to separate it from rugby. Soon, students shortened "association" to "assoc." and then to "soccer." It was slang. British university kids used it. So did the press. But by the 1980s, "soccer" had become so tied to American usage that Brits stopped using it—mostly to avoid sounding like they were copying the U.S.

Today, if you ask someone in Nottinghamshire what they watch on Saturday, they’ll say "football." They’ll talk about Premier League teams, local clubs like Notts County, or senior leagues where players over 35 still give it everything. They won’t say "soccer." But if you say "soccer," they’ll know exactly what you mean. It’s not wrong—it’s just not local. The game hasn’t changed. Only the label did.

And that’s why you’ll find posts here about rugby, the sport that helped split the naming convention in the first place, and why we’ve got articles on why rugby got its name, how boxing matches differ from exhibitions, and even how running shoes help older athletes stay in the game. It’s all connected—how we name things, how we play them, and who keeps playing them long after most have hung up their boots. Below, you’ll find real answers to questions people actually ask—no fluff, no jargon, just the facts behind the words we use.