A few call it “soccer” and the rest of the world calls it “football.” Regardless of the name it goes by, it is undoubtedly the most popular sport in the world with close to half of the world’s population calling themselves fans of this game. This is a fact. The stats do not lie when they say that soccer is the world’s most popular sport.

When I was younger, I most definitely did not think that this was the case. I wasn’t one of the billions that made up the population of soccer lovers. My parents offered to put me on a team just so I could try it out when I was younger, and I was convinced that I didn’t like it. In retrospect, being so blatantly against soccer was silly of me because now I’m a soccer fan. I’m on a team again, and I wish that I had been more open-minded back then. I also really wish that I had taken more time to learn the game and become a better player, but whether I’m now a star player or the worst player on the team, I want to highlight that soccer really is a beautiful game, and I can speak for a lot of soccer fans when I say that the sport’s increasing levels of popularity in Georgia over the years is thrilling to see.

As I go to games and practices throughout the week, I see many people playing scrimmages, getting some touches in with friends for fun or I’ll see club teams getting together outside of their practice times just to knock the ball around. 

My dad is a good measuring stick since he’s been playing for his entire life, including playing competitively here in Peachtree City. He is also now coaching our recreation team and often (jokingly) mentions how soccer in Georgia used to be “bootball” (meaning that often players knew nothing more than to knock the ball up the field).

I joined a recreation team because I’m new to the sport and I thought that it wouldn’t be as competitive, but I don’t remember recreation teams for any sport being as competitive as they are now. I mean, even my younger brothers who have recently converted to soccer fans have games that get pretty heated, but hey, a little team spirit never hurt anyone, right? At the end of the day, the competitive nature is just fostering players’ development and improvement so they can play at a more competitive level in the future.

A public service announcement for all soccer fans: On April 8, the ground was broken for a brand new national soccer complex in Fayette County. According to a press release from last year, Governor Brian Kemp announced that the new soccer complex will serve as home for our national teams. It will open up over 400 job positions and the goal is for construction to be complete around 2026, which is just in time for the 2026 World Cup. Regardless of whether construction is completed in time, the World Cup will still be coming to our peach state. It was announced in 2022 that Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz stadium will host eight 2026 World Cup games. I can imagine that tickets will sell out quickly. 

With the onslaught of soccer goodness coming our way, I can only tell non-soccer-fan-Georgians to watch out because soccer is like a magnet. More people will likely begin flocking here, and especially around World Cup time, it’s going to get pretty loud and crazy. I mean, all sports fans are crazy, but one distinct thing I’ve noticed with soccer in particular is the background noise of a soccer match.

It’s lively, it’s captivating and it’s fun. 

Look, even if you don’t like the game, maybe there’s still room for change. I would encourage anyone to just try watching one soccer game. If that doesn’t get you, try playing in a game with some friends, or try to find that sweet spot on your foot when you make contact with the ball. When you push any preconceived notions out of your head and really just zero in on it, I feel fairly certain that you’ll begin to enjoy what the world calls “The Beautiful Game.”