Discussion Groups / English Usage / November 2006

Does anyone know when the word "pace" started to be used in soccer as
an alternative to speed, as in BBC report today "Aaron Lennon, starting
on the left, caused the Belgian side problems with his pace..."

I know it has been around for quite a while, though not, I think, when
I was a youth in the 1960's, and the word does not seem to be used in
quite the same way in other sports.

For example, in tennis, one might talk about the pace of the ball, but
more likely of the speed, or foot-speed, or quickness of a player.

Of course the orginal meaning of "pace" is the length of a stride, and
in Dickens you will find phrases like "the case was desperate; for the
pony was quickening his pace... (The Old Curiosity Shop), and it seems
that the phrase "great pace" meaning with long or fast strides has now
been telescoped into just the single word.

Anyway, reading soccer reports from America, it always strikes me as
slightly odd when I see that usage, as it does not seem to be common on
my side of the pond.