The spring soccer season is here and what better way to learn a little more about the most popular sport worldwide? It’s the latest Fast Facts on soccer sponsored by BMO Harris Bank.
-The world’s most popular sport with 250 million players in over 200 countries.
-Original soccer balls were made of inflated pig bladders.
-A professional soccer player runs 3.9 miles, in an average soccer game.
-The original World Cup trophy was stolen in 1982 and was never recovered.
-A soccer field can be sloped as much as 5° upwards from one end to the other, which is why teams will switch sides at the half.
-Greenland has never had a FIFA recognized team due to lack of grass for fields.
-There are 32 panels on a traditional soccer ball, one for each country in Europe.
-The first IHSA state championships: Boys: 1972 Girls: 1988
-Teams that have won boys soccer state championships: Benet Academy (2000, 2001, 2019), Naperville North (1998, 2016, 2017, 2018) and Neuqua Valley (2003).
-Teams that have won girls soccer state championships: Benet Academy (2019), Naperville North (1988, 2012, 2013, 2019), Neuqua Valley (2005), and Waubonsie Valley (2007, 2008, 2010).
For more prep soccer highlights and Fast Facts, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
