Is It Football or Soccer? Why Dutch National TV (RTL4 Nieuws) Came to Frisco to Find Out

Dutch national news station RTL4 Nieuws came all the way to Frisco, Texas to ask one very serious question: is it football or soccer?

Spoiler: at Dutch FC, you already know the answer.

We at Dutch Football Club, in the heart of Texas, are on a mission to bring not just real football culture to North Texas — but Dutch football culture specifically. We're inspiring a passion for the game by developing players to compete at their highest potential… one player at a time.

Watch: Dutch FC Featured on RTL4 Nieuws

Watch the full RTL4 Nieuws feature on the football-versus-soccer debate, filmed right here at Dutch FC in Frisco, Texas:

Is It Football or Soccer? Dutch National TV Came to Frisco to Settle the Debate

While almost the entire world was talking about the FIFA World Cup, the United States — a host nation for the 2026 tournament — was busy talking about "soccer." For many European football fans, that single word is a thorn in the side. So RTL4 Nieuws, one of the largest national broadcasters in the Netherlands, traveled across the ocean to Fields of Faith in Frisco to see how a Dutch-run youth soccer club is handling the great football-versus-soccer divide in the heart of Texas.

The answer from the Dutch FC sideline was about as unanimous as it gets. As one of our young players put it on camera: "It's football, not soccer — because everywhere but here calls it football."

Straight From Our Players

When RTL4 Nieuws asked Dutch FC players how they felt about the word "soccer," the responses were honest, funny, and proudly Dutch in spirit. One player drew the line clearly: "We've got American football — you know, the tackling. And then we've got real football." He paused, then grinned: "That's my opinion… but I'm playing soccer right now."

That playful tension is exactly what makes the debate so fun — and exactly why a Dutch broadcaster wanted to film it at a club like Dutch FC, where Dutch football culture meets North Texas youth soccer every single week.

Why Do Americans Say "Soccer" Instead of "Football"?

Here is the part that surprises almost everyone: history actually backs the Americans up. The word "soccer" is, ironically, a British invention.

The sport originated in nineteenth-century England as an offshoot of rugby and was officially called Association Football . The British abbreviated "Association" to "Assoc," which was soon corrupted into the slang word "soccer." When the game crossed the Atlantic in the mid-twentieth century, the United States already had its own gridiron sport called football — so Americans naturally adopted the term "soccer" to tell the two apart. Around the same time, the word "football" gained traction across Europe. Football stuck in Europe; soccer stuck in America. Both words, believe it or not, come from the same English-speaking root.

It's a piece of history the American Ambassador to the Netherlands knows well. As he told RTL4 Nieuws, now that the World Cup is in town, more and more people understand the difference — "this is football, and this is Dutch football. This is Total Football."

On a Mission: Promoting the Culture of Football

Dutch FC is a non-profit, coach-run youth soccer club founded by Dutch-born coach Wilco Ravestijn and run by Dutch expats in Frisco, Texas. The club isn't just teaching kids to play — it's working to bring authentic Dutch football culture to North Texas.

"We really want to promote football — the culture of football," the club shared with RTL4 Nieuws. "We want to make the original term more popular here." It's a friendly mission, and an uphill one. "We're swimming upstream, that's for sure — but we're doing our best."

That mission shows up in how Dutch FC trains. The club's Dutch-inspired development model is built around ball mastery, intelligent decision-making, and possession with purpose — the principles of Total Football , the Dutch playing philosophy that prizes technical skill, positional intelligence, and beautiful, attacking soccer over winning at all costs.

A Dutch Football Club in the Heart of Texas

Reporting from Fields of Faith, RTL4 Nieuws correspondent Sander Paulus introduced viewers in the Netherlands to the club by name: "At DutchFC — a Dutch football club." For a Dutch national audience, seeing their football culture alive and thriving in Frisco, Texas was a point of real pride. For Dutch FC, being featured on national television back in the Netherlands was powerful validation that the club's approach to youth soccer is something special — and something genuinely Dutch.

The Youth Hold the Future

Will the word "soccer" be replaced anytime soon? Probably not. As RTL4 Nieuws noted, the term isn't going anywhere overnight — but the youth hold the future. And at Dutch FC, that future is being shaped one player at a time.

The last word, fittingly, went to one of our young players. Asked what the sport should really be called, he didn't hesitate: "Football."

Football or Soccer? Quick Answers

Q: Is it called football or soccer?

A: Most of the world calls the sport football, while the United States calls it soccer — and both words come from the same English origin. At Dutch FC in Frisco, Texas, we proudly call it football, and we work to share authentic Dutch football culture with families across North Texas.

Q: Why do Americans say "soccer" instead of "football"?

A: Americans say "soccer" because of British slang. The sport was originally called Association Football in nineteenth-century England, which the British shortened to "Assoc" and then "soccer." When the game reached the United States, the country already had American football, so "soccer" stuck to distinguish the two sports.

Q: Why was Dutch FC featured on Dutch national news?

A: Dutch FC was featured by RTL4 Nieuws, one of the largest national broadcasters in the Netherlands, because the club is a Dutch-run youth soccer club bringing Dutch football culture to Frisco, Texas — a compelling story during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, especially around the long-running football-versus-soccer debate.

Q: What is Dutch FC?

A: Dutch FC (Dutch Football Club) is a non-profit, coach-run youth soccer club based in Frisco, Texas, serving boys and girls from U6 through U18 plus an adult 1st Team. The club uses a Dutch-inspired development philosophy known as Total Football, emphasizing ball mastery, intelligent decision-making, and possession with purpose.

Q: What is Total Football?

A: Total Football is the Dutch playing philosophy that values technical skill, positional intelligence, and attacking, possession-based soccer. Dutch FC builds its entire player-development model around these Total Football principles.

Related Articles

• What Is the Dutch FC Playing Philosophy?
• What Programs Does Dutch FC Offer?
• What Ages and Levels Do You Serve?
• Where Are Practices and Games?

Learn more about Dutch FC at dutchfc.com.

Dutch FC is a non-profit, coach-run youth soccer club based in Frisco, Texas, serving boys and girls U6–U18. For more information about Dutch FC programs, visit dutchfc.com or call 469.256.7200.

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