The whole point of soccer is it's simplicity, you don't need lots of equipment, you don't need a lot of space, you don't need hours of training, don't need to be 6'9" and weigh 300 pounds and you don't have to wear lots of armour to protect you from other players and fast moving balls. You don't need ice, nets or sticks. You don't need a whole day to play it and you don't need to be super fit.
All you need is two people, a ball, it doesn't even have to be a real ball, a tolerably clear piece of ground, it can be sandy or stony or concrete. That's the beauty of soccer, anybody can play it anywhere. It's easy to play but difficult to play well. That's why it's huge around the world even now in America.
I'm not even a particular fan of soccer but I can see it's virtues. When it's played well it's an art form. My nephew has just turned eighteen and has played for Ireland at junior level and has some big English clubs sniffing around. The skills he demonstrates are amazing. My own seven year son has just started playing soccer. I encouraged it just to get him playing sport and working in a team. He loves it and it turns out he's not bad at it. He's also quite an aggressive player which surprised me.
Soccer is the people's game even though at the higher end it's all about silly money. Which hopefully my nephew will see some of!
