Football Family

Sitting at home on a Saturday evening we have somewhat inevitably ended up watching the Champions League Final.  Our family are not Chelsea fans and we have no vested interest in the result as it does not affect our team, so why are sitting here at 10.10 in the evening wondering if we will be watching penalties in a few minutes?

I know many will say that with an all male household (apart from me) I am daft to expect anything else and perhaps I am.  I remember that as soon as they could toddle around the garden the boys would instinctively kick any ball they saw.  This wasn't me showing them or influence from anywhere, it was just something they did.

All the boys love football.  Each one has played for the school, in a local team or in an after school club and if they are not actually kicking the ball they are watching football, discussing it, putting comments on Facebook & Twitter, or winding up their friends in a text.

Football is all consuming and last weekend when Manchester United lost, won and finally lost the league title to their rivals there was an air of depression.  Any true fan will know this is not an exaggeration as the strength of feeling by a supporter cannot be underestimated.  I remember my brother at a pay phone from a school trip calling my parents in tears as his team had lost the FA Cup.

As I am writing this the two teams have just finished extra time and now it is penalties.  This is often the time I have peered through my fingers and I ask the boys what is happening.  I am not as good as them at the stressful bits of the games!

After tonight the focus will be on the Euros and then the discussion will be on any signings and changes before the new season begins again.  Football never really disappears it just has slightly less prominence in our lives. 

As I sit here Chelsea have just won the Champions League and perhaps now I can subtly turn over the TV to something else!  Tomorrow we have our own end of season presentation to go to and then we will have our weekend back for a few weeks before it all starts again.  Whoever it was that said that football is more than just a game must have been looking through our window.