“There’s never been a better time to be a football fan”
BY NIC CROSARA, IMAGE BY WSL FOOTBALL
Football was never a huge part of my life growing up. I’d sometimes watch the Chelsea men’s team play on TV with my Grandad, and I remember my Italian family running around the living room in a frenzy when Italy took home the World Cup in 2006. But in recent years, this has started to change.
My wife is a huge football fan and has attended many games throughout her life. She has been slowly and surely trying to convert me. I became invested when we watched the Lionesses epic performance in the UEFA Women’s Euro together from our living room. But nothing could have prepared me for what it would feel like to watch my very first match live.
As I write these words, my voice is hoarse from cheering along as I watched Chelsea take on Manchester United at the WSL Subway League Cup Final at Bristol’s Ashton Gate Stadium. Surrounded by the energy of a jam-packed stadium of fans, it clicked for me. I finally understood why so many people religiously follow the sport.
It was long before I approached the stadium that I started to get a real feel of the community and buzz that would be present throughout the day. My train was jam-packed with Chelsea fans. I saw lots of proud Dads and their daughters decked head to toe in blue merchandise, talking animatedly about their predictions for the match. I saw women of all ages having their own discussions among each other. I saw some fans with Pride flag pins on their bag next to their footie ones.
By the time I was watching the match, the fans were going wild in the stands. I was fully immersed. It was great to watch a match with so many players I was already familiar with from seeing the Lionesses bring it home again last year. Lucy Bronze, Keira Walsh, Aggie Beever-Jones and Lauren James – the latter deservedly received the title of player of the match – were among the Chelsea players giving their all. While Chelsea won (2-0), Manchester United players like Jess Park and Lioness Maya le Tissier certainly made Chelsea work for it.
As a queer and trans person living in the South West, Bristol is often a city I turn to when wanting to connect with community, from Pride events to LGBTQIA+ nightlife. But yesterday, I saw it all around me, and not just queerness. People of all different walks of life came together to cheer on their teams or favourite players.
It’s great to see the women’s teams receiving more recognition in recent years. More and more people are getting into watching the sport due to the exceptional games these players provide. It was great to see last night’s final had a record attendance of 21,619. I will certainly be doing my best to convert as many friends as possible – I know that I am not alone. There’s never been a better time to be a football fan. This number is sure to continue to rise.
While I was sadly unable to take my wife with me (she had just started a new job), I was able to take my bisexual bestie. Despite coming from a family of footie fans, she, like me, is a novice. But we both left the stadium changed on Sunday. I’m looking forward to attending future matches with my friend/s and my wife. I’m too new to the game to say for sure which team I will support, but after this weekend, Chelsea undeniably holds a special place in my heart. My wife is an Arsenal fan, so… this might complicate things.
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