The Beautiful Game That's Football - Part One

F.C. Barcelona and its free-flowing, passing football. Brazilians doing the samba with a ball at their feet. These may come to mind when one encounters the description of football as a ‘beautiful’ game.

A relatively late convert to this ‘beautiful’ game, I had rejected its appeal all my primary school years, even as I observed my classmates exchange stickers with profiles of footballers and enlarge their collection of Corinthian figurines. I couldn’t quite comprehend why it was the most popular sport in the world; Pat Rafter and tennis were my obsessions. ‘Twenty-two people (some may argue that it’s actually twenty excluding the goalkeepers) chasing one ball on a rectangular field. Where’s the sense in that?’ I still come across this line frequently and in all honesty, I was once a subscriber, too. I couldn’t understand how several of my classmates would spend lengthy durations talking about the weekend’s games and how they could possibly invest so much emotional energy in supporting football clubs stationed thousands of miles away. The game’s tremendous popularity was beyond me. Some may argue that it is not in spite of, but rather, because of its relative simplicity, compared to the likes of rugby and cricket, that football possesses a strong, global following. One only needs to compare the number of viewers of the 2010 World Cup to other sporting events to get a sense of the game’s popularity. For my part, I will not compare it to other sports and assess their comparative aesthetical values (one may find little point in doing this) but rather, try to explain how I came to appreciate football and the impact it’s had on my life thus far.

Most football fans in Singapore support the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea. In December 2001, I entered my parents’ bedroom where my father was watching Leeds United vs NewcastleUnited. Dad was a football enthusiast – he captained his school team during his younger days – and would spend hours every week watching English Premier League games on cable TV but I had never summoned enough curiosity to accompany him and to find out why football was such an important part of his life. For some reason that I cannot recall, I decided to, for once, attempt to watch the game with him. In retrospect, my decision to remain was a curious one as when I began watching, Newcastle were already 3-1 down and were playing away from home against a formidable Leeds team. Possessing little football knowledge and interest in the game, I would normally have walked away, especially after I had seen the score-line. Fate, however, ensured that I stayed put and watched the rest of the match. This made sure that my life would never be the same again. The Magpies, the nickname by which Newcastle is known, under the guidance of the great Sir Bobby Robson, soon pegged back from being two goals down and drew level with their opponents. In the dying minutes of the game, Nobby Solano squeezed a shot in from a tight angle and the contrast between Sir Bobby’s and David O’Leary’s reactions could not have been starker. Nobby’s winner made my blood turn black-and-white. In all honesty, I had no idea that its 4-3 win sent the Newcastle team to the summit of the Premier League table and the fact that the team had not won a domestic title since the 1950s – and have not since – precludes the possibility of me being labeled a ‘glory-hunter’. The spirit they displayed in that match against Leeds was what gave them my allegiance.

With Terence and Vinod at St James Park

Many, cognizant of the fact that I’m a Newcastle fan, often think that my support for the club was the reason for my decision to select Durham University to undertake my undergraduate studies. This is an impression which I need to correct. Durham’s a reputable university in its own right and its History department was ranked 2^nd (behind Cambridge) when I applied to study there. I also liked the fact that Durham was far away from London and provided a different living environment from the hustle-and-bustle of city life that I’d grown up with. On a personal level, supporting Newcastle added to the university’s appeal, and played an important part in making Durham the University of my Dreams.

With Bill at the Sir John Hall Stand

Studying in England has afforded me a more intimate perspective on the ‘beautiful’ game. The reasons for the love many English football fans have for the clubs they support go beyond the trophies they win, and beyond their adoration for particular football players. Attachments to football clubs are often formed because of location, family history, religious affiliations and even certain ideas represented by the clubs. I had the chance to meet friends in university who support the likes of Coventry, Preston and Portsmouth (which is in the danger of being liquidated as I pen this). And of course, in Durham, you get a significant proportion of football fans following Sunderland F. C. (in Singapore, you hardly see someone in red-and-white apart from during National Day celebrations) in addition to ardent ‘magpies’ like me. Perhaps, the strength of regional and local identities in England can be gauged during the support seen during derby games, where teams located in close proximity play each other, and even when clubs from the South compete against those in the North. For many, football is almost a religion, and I know of people who will go so far as to say that a victory or defeat for their team during a weekend match could determine their mood for the upcoming week! Bill, a long-suffering Newcastle fan whom I sat beside during several matches, told me how he kept recordings of the 5-0 victory against Manchester United and the 5-1 derby demolition of Sunderland and that he would watch them whenever he was feeling down. David, seated two seats from me, has held a season ticket at the same seat for more than a decade. When I asked him if he was retaining his seat for next season, he replied, ‘Definitely. It’s like a drug.’

With Hughie and Fast at the Woodman Inn

Knowing a little about English football helps a foreigner like me in my interactions with locals here. Often, you meet someone new and apart from the usual introductory exchanges, find yourself struggling to come up with a common topic for discussion. Although one should not overestimate the broadness of the football support base in England, I find myself surreptitiously heaving a sigh of relief, not just because there’s something to break the awkward silence but also because I enjoy finding out more about the different football clubs, the areas they are in and the culture behind their existence. At times, the topic provides the first foundation stone upon which a friendship may be forged. On the 31^st of October last year, I decided to catch a Monday night football game: Newcastle vs. Stoke City. The Woodman Inn is a century-old, local pub situated some five minutes away from my house in Durham and having passed it quite a few times on the way to lectures, I decided to catch the game there. Of course, I had to first verify if it was a safe place for Newcastle fans to be in. The owner, Gary, told me that it was a Newcastle pub (I was to realise that the Woodman was frequented by BOTH Newcastle and Sunderland fans) and that I will be safe there. I popped in an hour later, some ten minutes before the game, quite eager to interact with anyone who would care for a chat. I took a seat at the bar counter and quickly began conversing with those seated around me. They were mostly Durham locals and I warmed up to them with relative comfort. A few were naturally curious about how I’d come to support the Magpies and I genuinely enjoyed listening to their opinions on certain players – those they rated and those they hated. The team defeated Stoke City that evening and it was great fun celebrating with the others. A few weeks later, when the satellite reception was temporarily lost while we were watching another game, Michael, one of the guys I met the other night, offered to take me along with a few others to another pub. He gave us a ride to Belmont, a few miles from the Woodman, where we continued to watch the game at The Sportsman. They even bought me drinks! I have since become quite a regular at the Woodman and though I’m usually the only Asian there (Michael refers to me as the ‘Asian Contingent’), I always enjoy the company and the atmosphere there. I even had the opportunity to make friends with Hughie, a die-hard Sunderland fan who constantly offers to take me to the Stadium of Light and divert me to the ‘straight and narrow path’. That aside, with reference to the game of football (and this may apply equally to many other sports), I find it wonderful that people from such vastly different backgrounds can come to share something common that is so close to their hearts, to revel in the joyous moments and to commiserate with one another when things aren’t as rosy. Football can really draw people together and can even form the basis on which friendships can be built across racial and cultural lines. I am truly grateful for this part of my Durham experience as it helps to make the experience of studying overseas all the more complete.  

With Jeff, our beloved college porter

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