Football: love it or hate it, you can’t deny that it has a unique power that brings people together. There’s something about the beautiful game that breaks down boundaries and unites people from all walks of life. Even now, sat here writing this whilst wearing my Liverpool shirt I feel strangely connected to the club I love so much. Football matches get watched all across the world. You’ll find that people in different time zones stay up late just to watch their team play. Add onto that international competitions and it’s easy to see the global impact of football.
But how does football connect people?
Well, the day after the Champions League final I’d gone out in my football top and a little boy came over to me. He asked if he could show me his top. Slightly confused at why a random child would want to show me what they were wearing, I looked to his parents for a nod of approval and then said yes. The little boy super excitedly then showed me that we had matching Liverpool shirts on and went on to tell me how happy he was that we’d won the night before. I’d never met this boy before, and I’ll probably never see him again, but in that moment we were united in our support for the same team.
Later on the same day, I’d popped into the Co-op and the lady serving me had noticed my top. She asked if I’d enjoyed the match. It started a conversation. I happened to mention that the pub I’d watched it in had been a little bit quiet and so she gave me recommendations of the best places to watch sport near me. It’s crazy how much football really does start conversations!
But this doesn’t just happen at home!
Over summer I went on holiday to Turkey. Whilst there, I was buying my brother a Spurs cutout. The guy selling me it asked me whether I supported Spurs. I told him no, but my brother does. His response was that my brother has good taste. He asked if I watch football and I said I support Liverpool. We had a laugh when he told me that I have bad taste. You see, football is a global language! No matter where you go there’s people that will discuss football.
Cast your mind back to the World Cup last year. No matter what country you were in, people were talking about it! Every single pub was full with people there to support their team. And when their team got knocked out? They’d still turn up, they’d carry on watching. They were still in the pub having conversations with people, cheering other teams on. It blows my mind to see the sense of community that comes from football!
Football breaks down boundaries
One of the most beautiful things about football is that people come together from all walks of life. For the 90 minutes of play, they set aside their agendas and they support the same players. This week I saw a video of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte at an Aston Villa match. It was so lovely to watch- especially William and George who were just like any other supporters! Football really does bring everyone together.
Football really does have the power to bring people from all over the globe together. It’s the beautiful game and that’s why so many of us love it.
