It’s Coming Home…

It’s not always pretty. It’s often dramatic. Sometimes there is flair, and sometimes it is purely pragmatic. It is always important!

Will Barrett

By the time you read this, there is every chance that football has indeed come home. But let me tell you a little secret… it never left!

Since 1966, the Three Lions have continued the (usual) bi-annual quest to bring ultimate glory to a nation that lives and breathes the beautiful game at pretty much all times.

Of course, there is time for sleep, but beyond our daily rest, up and down the country people of all ages participate in football every day of the year.

In changing rooms, on pitches, on terraces and in stands, on social media and other forums, and in meeting rooms, football is a significant matter for the people of the country that founded the modern game.

It’s not always pretty. It’s often dramatic. Sometimes there is flair, and sometimes it is purely pragmatic. It is always important!

At Fair Game, we recognise this importance at all times. The fact that football is deeply embedded in our lives and our communities is, in essence, the foundation of our mission to ensure a fair and sustainable future for our national game.

This, of course, is not a simple mission. As fans we support many different clubs and hold myriad views of how things should be done both on and off the pitch, but we believe that our best chance of achieving our goals is by working together.

This spirit of collaboration has perhaps been represented no better in the past month by the adventures of the England team.

On and off the pitch, cohesion has been central to Gareth Southgate’s squad. The desire to support each other and work hard together is at the very heart of the team’s success so far.

The players, like us as supporters, spend most of their time aligned to different clubs and different goals, but when it comes to England the players and nation are united in a bigger picture.

For our national team that picture has been to end 55 years of hurt, whilst for ourselves it is to ensure that no supporter at club level ever has to endure the hurt that has faced the fans of clubs such as Bury.

Here’s to a game that is sustainable, has integrity, shows transparency, and has community at its heart – here’s to football coming home!