how a game transforms our wellbeing
Clue: It's not just about the football.
It’s the day of the UEFA European Championship where this evening England take on Spain in the final.
And most of the country, it seems, is behind them.
I don’t know a lot about football but when there is a game as big as this, I can’t help but get swept into the collective excitement, pride and hope that engulfs us. It was the same when the Lionesses were playing in 2022.
So, what happens when big football games have us hooked?

Small talk
I took my ten-year daughter to a supermarket to buy some plain while t-shirts to decorate in England colours. The cashier looked at them and the felt tip pens, smiled and simply said “for later?”. And I looked at her, smiled and we shared a common knowing that this is a big day. “Will you be watching?”. “Oh yes”.
The Brits are good at small talk. We talk weather, plans for the weekend and the weather some more. And big games. “Will you be watching?”. No one needs to ask “watching what?”.
Team sports, team cheerleaders
My daughter does not play team sports outside of school. She likes doing her own thing like gymnastics, art and fashion design. I sometimes think she is missing out on the team spirit, camaraderie and friendships that team sports offer. She doesn’t watch football on TV usually, preferring some Netflix show about gymnastics. But she too allows herself to be part of the great cheerleading team that is the nation. She learns the songs, she designs posters, she decorates her t-shirt and is excited to stay up late to watch. Today she is a football fan.
My son, 11, shows a bit more interest in league games, following Liverpool like his dad (for some reason did not follow my path as a Sunderland supporter!). He too cannot wait for tonight. He has decorated his t-shirt, chosen his snacks and 8pm cannot come quick enough. He knows this game will also be playground news tomorrow too. Teachers and students will come together and have a view point to share.
Collective respite
And it’s not only kids that get caught up in the excitement. It brings respite to us all. Respite from bad news, from ill health, from world events, from loss and grief. We watch professional football players come together and we pause the other stuff that can be too loud or suffocating.
And we root for the whole team. We seem to know the players because many of us shared a similar childhood with a football, a few mates and a couple of jumpers for goal posts (in my day at least). And yes, we commentate and manage the England team from our sofa or bar stool.
Inclusivity
The game of football is simple, accessible and sociable. It is all inclusive to watch. Local football clubs, pubs, public viewing spaces, regular TV channels, wedding venues even, are showing the game so nobody has to miss out if they don't want to.
And no matter what the result, we will celebrate together or, if it doesn't go our way, we will commiserate together, while still applauding how far we have come.
Of course, not every single person is caught up in the football whirlwind, so it’s also good to know that it will soon be over and life as we know it will resume. But maybe with a quiet reassurance that for a short while, we were all on the same team.

Lucy Wooldridge is a Mindset Coach, from the North East of England, now living with her family in Hampshire. She can be found in her Facebook group The Resilience Nook.
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