Football As A Force For Good

A reminder that the world's best sport can still be beautiful

Saturday is football day so I thought I’d take the time to pay tribute to my favourite game.

It’s easy to feel disgusted by modern football, especially at the top level where it has become so consumed by financial greed that the more wholesome aspects of the sport - community, connection, love, diving headers, pies - seem forgotten.

Football clubs were founded as community organisations that brought people people together and offered distraction, respite and fun at the end of the working week. In my life, it has brought me more than just entertainment: it is the basis of life-long friendships, family bonds and beautiful shared experiences.

This is why I try to look beyond the grotesque decadence of the big clubs that exploit their most loyal fans and the TV companies that fuel the erosion of the game’s founding values. Instead, it’s nice to focus on how powerful football can be as a unifying social force.

People love football because it is simple, exciting and - sometimes - deeply emotional. The game’s popularity can be leveraged in a variety of positive ways.

Spain’s La Liga has made a huge effort to fight the racism that still plagues some football crowds. They have an impressive ‘La Liga Vs’ project that harnesses the combined influence of their top clubs to tackle all sorts of social ills. Their latest project is La Liga Vs Bullying, designed to help fight bullying and violence in schools. Here’s their impressive promo for the campaign…

I like it when football does stuff like this. It’s difficult to get school kids to listen to dreary talks about important issues when they are delivered by earnest teachers or visiting experts. But when there is a football connection, it’s easier to get them to sit up and listen. I hope English football clubs take note of what La Liga is doing.

In recent months I have been writing about some great stuff being done by football people in this country. I wrote in the Telegraph about Manchester City’s partnership with the excellent Andy’s Man Club. I’ve covered AMC a few times on The Reset - it’s founder, the inspirational Luke Ambler, was an early guest on the podcast. It’s an organisation that hosts Monday night get together’s all over the country, every week at 7pm. It’s a chance for blokes who are struggling with life’s bullshit to meet up and chat things over without judgement. I’ve been to a couple and can vouch for them very strongly. You always come away with a smile on your face and they are not in the least bit dull or patronising. In fact, they’re usually a good laugh. Man City have given a venue to AMC at the Etihad and are encouraging their fans to get involved. It’s a wonderful thing.

Lastly, a reminder of the superb work being done by Bloomsbury Football in London, who provide free spaces for thousands of kids at their first class football camps throughout the year. After 14 years of austerity, kids from ordinary families don’t have much left to do with their spare time that doesnt cost an arm and a leg. Bloomsbury have fixed that for thousands, by providing a safe, fun and improving environment for every young person, irrespective of their footballing talent of their parents’ bank balance. I spoke to Bloomsbury founder Charlie Hyman on a recent episode of The Reset podcast. I also interviewed him for The Big Issue which you can read here.

Football can be stupid and frustrating but I bloody love it. I always have and I always will. Maybe I’m getting sentimental as I get older but I was just inspired by a Saturday afternoon listening to the results the radio to write a piece reminding us all of how beautiful it can still be. West Ham lost again. But fuck it, I’ll be back next week.