> football ( the original, not US version) For what it's worth, both association football (from whence, 'assoc' -> 'soccer') and gridiron football (which Ameri

> football ( the original, not US version) For what it's worth, both association football (from whence, 'assoc' -> 'soccer') and gridiron football (which American and Canadian football are variants of) emerged at about the same time, during the mid-19th century. It would incorrect to refer to soccer as the 'original' for this reason, although they, along with a few other sports such as rugby and Australian football, descend from games that were played in this period in which the rules were still not yet set in stone.