
If you have watched some soccer from around the world, you have probably noticed that in some countries, it’s so much simpler to play soccer. The teams are better, the championships are much more satisfying to watch, and when you look up odds 1×2, that country’s main leagues are always covered. That naturally begs the question – how come that is the norm? Well, as it turns out, soccer is a game that has been developing over the centuries, and some regions have just become better at cultivating it on a national level.
Euro 2020 had demonstrated that while the United Kingdom may have invented the game, it needed years before it became competitive once again. And, you may wonder why England is back at the top, but the answer is simple – the country has one of the strongest leagues in the world, the English Premier League, which draws on international talent and unapologetically creates the most spectacular soccer games you can watch on TV. Today, you can have a look at the reasons why soccer is more popular in certain countries.
Table of Contents
Soccer as National Politics
One of the main reasons why some sports develop better in certain countries is that there is a working government politics towards said sport. Soccer would not be so successful in the UK had it not been for the mass adopting of measures that made it simple for local cities to start their own soccer clubs and unite in leagues. While not much funding may have gone necessarily into British soccer from the state, politicians knew to stand out of the game’s way, and this has resulted in a strong grassroots movement and private interest, resulting in the world’s most successful soccer league.
Strong Grassroots Movements
As mentioned just now, grassroots movements in certain countries are very strong. There are good reasons for this to be the case. Inter-city rivalry is usually a huge boost for football, and when you have places like Germany, France, and the United Kingdom where cities are close to each other, you have people who are happy to participate in a good-spirited sports rivalry. The United States is a little more spaced out when it comes to similar rivalries, and soccer players have to travel a lot to play in a game. Regardless, the main point still stands – local rivalries serve as a boost to the competitions and an extra incentive to outperform your neighbors.
Hub for Soccer
Countries have simply shaped up as hubs for soccer – one way or another. To put it this way, some countries are known powerhouses for sports, and over the years, they have defended this reputation. If a player is given a choice, he would never play in some second-division league if they can join the English Premier League and make a career out of the game they love.
The Bundesliga and Ligue A are also quite important, but they will usually attract fewer of the best players because the English Premier League simply has a reputation for where the most talented people go. So, when it comes to the popularity of soccer in a given country or region, its reputation has to play a huge role. Building up a reputation takes time, a lot of effort, and commitment, and it’s never too easy to accomplish.
Investing in Young Talent
One thing that the better countries and regions do well is investing in young talent. That is not to say that there is a lot of public investment going into professional soccer, but there is a framework to allow private initiative. To put it this way, there are many young children who want to play soccer, and there are many private schools where you can go and train to get a shot at making the cut.
Such schools give youngsters a chance to see if they can make it to professional football, starting as young as five and gradually working their way up. The training sessions take twice or three times a week, and they are a sure way of continually developing the soccer generations of tomorrow.
Working Federations
One of the ways to really harm soccer in any country is to have a federation that has grown complacent. That is why the best soccer federations around the world are run diplomatically and openly so that the sport won’t hurt. Federations that control soccer and create a level playing field are usually those that post the biggest dividends and offer the country’s sport to progress following its own natural pace of development.
Lack of Good Practices
One thing that often comes up as a bit of a soccer myth is that certain countries are just bad at the game. It becomes a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy because there is hardly any empirical evidence to suggest that some nations are just less apt at playing soccer. All it boils down to is bad policies or lack of local infrastructure. It can all be achieved fairly simply and without any issues whatsoever. However, there must be an orchestrated effort towards establishing these “good practices” that will allow up-and-coming soccer nations to really make it to the very top.
Infrastructure Is Key
One of the biggest reasons why some countries excel is because they have the infrastructure. We are talking about stadiums but also ancillary training facilities. You could argue that this is for the private sector to handle, but the truth is that the government of a country should always work towards the development of a structure that can then be embellished by private investment. True, the government won’t build soccer stadiums in the UK, for example, but the country is way past that.
For developing soccer nations, it’s important that the government assists in creating the necessary infrastructure to derive the best results. Private investment will, of course, come and help, but the government has to get things off the ground.
