Look away from the ball
This sounds counterintuitive - the ball is where the action is right.
… Right?
Well. You also have to pay attention to what’s happening around the pitch, who’s getting ready to act on the move that is being played out. Train your gaze follow not just the ball, but the movements surrounding it. Who wants the ball? What’s the intention behind the movements?
Just as with a play or an orchestra performance, a lot of the magic lies in the work that’s gone into it behind the scenes. The football manager is like a conductor waving at the sidelines, supposedly putting it all together but once that whistle starts off the 90 minutes, there’s not much they can do - all those hours of work needs to have gone into it beforehand. The same goes for the movements on and off the ball. Where the ball lands is just the conclusion, but everything that is unfolding before and around is part of what’s leading up to that moment. It’s all notes interpreted by the orchestra.
Movement begets movement. When someone initiates a move, that action will spark a new movement which will spark a new one and so on. It’s all the decisions simultaneously colliding in the air on the pitch, pivoting with a seconds notice as someone changes their decision forcing all the decisions around them to change to. All the while the ball is just rolling along, where it’s kicked to.
Watch it with the intention of learning something new every time
Have an open mind. Just because you think you know what the game is about, it doesn’t mean that you know how it’s actually going to play out, which is why it’s exciting to watch. How refreshing it is to be around people who are always open to learning, who create an environment in which it feels safe to ask questions and learn new things.
There are enough people who feel the need to pretend that they know everything, don’t put that pressure on yourself.
When it comes to the different football system and how to interpret them even those who have watched a lot of football games disagree on fundamental things. There are those, like Marcelo Bielsa, who believes there are only about ten different ways to play out a football match strategically. In contrast, Fernando Diniz believes there must be infinite ways of playing tactically. It speaks to the fickle and exciting nature of the game.
Ask a lot of questions
That applies to queries about individual players and teams, as well as questions regarding the wider set ups and workings of tournaments and league structures. Be inquisitive and don’t just take their word for it, whether it be the medias, the football federations or the governing bodies. There’s information just a few taps away on our screens, so use that possibility to challenge yourself and widen your world view.
Go to watch live football
At least once in a while, try to make it along to a live football game in person. Not only is the atmosphere completely different, but you will get a very different view from the game you watch on the TV or online. The TV cameras are restricted in their angles. As much as televised games are great for multiple angles and replays, you will never get the complete view of the pitch at once. This means that you cannot watch the position of players, you can’t see the movements of players off the ball and where they place themselves. So of course sometimes you’ll be left wondering “wow, how did they string that together? As if by magic!” when in reality the movements started several plays back, and that player’s movement off the ball dictated the decisions of the player with the ball.
Make it an event
Plan something around the football game and don’t be shy to turn it into a special occasion. Make an effort to include people who might not usually watch, extend them the grace of not knowing and shoulder the role of the expert (loosely applied). Whether it’s going to the pub when you usually watch the game at home, or throwing a whole damn party around 90 minutes of football, cake, party hats and all. Don’t underestimate the power of making an ordinary moment special.
Allow yourself to get invested
If you feel like you’ve got the emotional bandwidth, you can read up on the teams beforehand or ask someone to fill you in. Find some sort of existing connection to something you care about, whether that’s a player or manager, or a connection between supporter groups, and allow the connection to blossom from there.
Get into supporting the team, even if it’s just for that game. It doesn’t always have to be a lifelong commitment, sometimes it can be 90 minutes of allowing an outside force to stir something inside of you and then you let it go.
You get to decide how you want to show up
There’s a difference between wanting to really ENGAGE in the game, make an impact and say things that bring something to the table, and simply watching and enjoying the game.
As a woman or a femme-presenting person, entering and taking up space in the football world can be difficult, especially if you don’t have a defined group or people around you that you feel safe with. Mediocre men - easily threatened creatures - seem to have this innate need to “put a woman in her place”, by way of ridiculing her or attempting to catch her out as a counterfeit fan. This is especially prevalent in the pub environment, where there’s usually a pint or two accompanying the drama. Not unlike a poor-man’s Sherlock Holmes, they will try to suss you out and catch you in the act of ‘pretending’ to be a football fan, making the experience of going out to watch football somewhat of a gamble. This becomes extra difficult if you’re a people pleaser and can’t stand an uncomfortable atmosphere, because calling them out on it just got 10x harder. If you’re comfortable in your fandom, having to deal with a loudmouth fan might not be a big deal to you (maybe you’re seasoned, and used to it) but even though I would consider myself ‘having been through it’, I still have times when I’ve had it and either shut down, or leave the situation.
I just want to acknowledge that there might be moments where it can feel better to play it down and pretend like you don’t know anything. The amount of times I’ve dumbed myself down in order to play it safe are too many to count. That’s totally fine, even if you catch yourself out afterwards thinking ‘why did i just do that?’
Strap in for the ride
A lot of men’s football nowadays has been described as a show, where the players are not mere athletes but performers. With the incorporation of VAR and endless replays, and there being a lot of falling down easily and bending the rules to one’s advantage despite the new video referees, it’s hard to disagree that it feels very ‘put on’. As long as the referees set the standards and go with allowing certain things, it’s going to continue.
Is there a way to look past it all, embrace it for what it is and enjoy the show? Wouldn’t you want your team to do anything to win?