The modern form of soccer originated in England in the early 1830's. The sport grew among working-class communities and was seen as a way of keeping young and energetic kids out of trouble at home and in the school; they could let off steam and learn the values of teamwork (rampant individualism was considered a problem at the time).

The first football clubs were established in Sheffield in 1857, and soon they had enough to establish their own Football Association in 1867.

Sheffield FA played London FA in 1861, one of the first regional matches. and eventually the need for a unified set of rules became obvious. This group attempted to establish a series of rules which would please everyone, but they couldn't resolve issues such as use of hands, allowing hacking of opponents, etc. Many supporters of these elements (considered more "manly") eventually withdrew and formed the Rugby Football Union, and the FA established rules more similar to the modern game.

When soccer first started in the United States, it was played primarily by schoolboy and college teams, and was largely an upper-class game. The Oneida soccer club, formed in Boston in 1862 is often cited as the first soccer club to consist of a regular roster of players, as opposed to the pick-up games commonly played at the time. It consisted of a group of Boston secondary school students from fairly elite public schools in the area (Boston Latin, Boston English, etc.). This club would play matches against pickup teams throughout the Boston collegiate community and went undefeated, and unscored upon during their entire four year existence.