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While it is true that the game known as "football" in most of the world is called "soccer" in the US,

John B. Moore Soccer in Central Park.

we didn't just make the word up so we could call our own quasi-gladiatorial contests "football." In fact, the Brits actually invented the word. "Soccer," when it first appeared in the 1890s, was spelled "socca," which was short for "association" or "association football," meaning football played according to the rules laid down by the British Football Association. It was also called "socker" until the current form "soccer" appeared around 1895.

So there.

Soccer can be played at two locations in Central Park-- the Great Lawn North Fields, and at the North Meadow. Permits are required, and cleats are prohibited.

Where
Great Lawn North Fields, mid-Park at 84th Street. Fields #7 and #8 are reserved for youth soccer only.
North Meadow, mid-Park at 97th Street.

When: Soccer is allowed from September through November, with a permit.

Permit Requirement: NYC Department of Parks/Recreation issues permits to league, teams, and other groups, to reserve specific athletic fields at specific times. Soccer permits cost $10 per session. Permits are free for applicants who are supervising a league composed of players 17 years old and younger. The public can obtain athletic field permits for a session on one of the fields by completing and mailing in a permit application to the permit office at the Arsenal, you can also apply online by following the link above. A permit application also can be requested by phone by calling the Permit Office.  For additional information, call the Permit Office at (212) 408-0226.

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