WHY I PLAY

They call football the beautiful game, and there are many reasons I fell in love with this sport

First, our lives are filled with frustrations, and other people often fail to understand our intentions and points of view. For me, football is an oasis from that world when it is played well with gifted players.

Fundamentally, the game allows one to deeply connect with people who have a shared purpose. Football is  a team game, and the concept of a team sport is something I never experienced growing up. Indeed, I spent most of my adult exercising life was spent running alone or training at the gym alone. Those individual activities are fun and great exercise. However, there is something amazing about playing with others. 

The objective of football is quite straightforward – put the ball in the back of the other team’s net while preventing the other team from doing the same. This task seems simple, but it is quite easy to make the game more complicated than it needs to be. Indeed, the great Dutch number 10 Johan Cruyff said it best, "Football is simple. But nothing is more difficult than playing simple football.” 

Indeed, the best teams do not complicate the game. They work together, anticipate each other’s movements and actions, and work as a cohesive unit. There is beauty in that, and many have rightly compared the play of the greatest teams like Barca to works of art or symphonies.

The futsal and soccer teams I have played on are not Barca. However, my teammates and I have been able to create some beautiful moments on the court or field. My most recent coed team Arse-and-all (a play on the English club Arsenal) has been a miss-mash of players of all levels. Some do not know there head from their, well, arse. Others like me are more skilled. 

We lost most of our games this season, but most of the games have still been quite fun. This is because of moments of magic and connection between our teammates. Many of us have come to anticipate the others'  movements or actions, and we have more effectively worked together to create outstanding, collective football. This more than goals or assists is what kept bringing me back this past season.

I am going to have the hardware removed from my previously broken leg soon, so I am going to take next season off from the game. However, I hope to be back in January even stronger and more able. You see, football is like a drug - a drug best shared with people whom you like and who play like you!