Soccer has roots dating back thousands of years to ancient games played in China, Japan, Greece and Rome that involved kicking a ball, with the modern game developing in England in 1863 when rugby and soccer split into separate sports and the Football Association was formed as the first governing body. While the precise origins are disputed, many early ball games involved trying to kick an object through an opening or pass it without it touching the ground, and over centuries different versions evolved and spread in various cultures with rules developing into the modern game of soccer.