“True happiness is experienced when you’ve played a game of soccer” is what I tell people when I talk about soccer.
A simple sport, yet beautiful in many ways.
A sport that anyone can get into and all you need is a ball, some friends and you have a game on your way.
The best part about soccer
Played in every corner of the world, it brings people together, and this makes it a common interest and an ice breaker.
Think about it, the world is already a big place, with so many countries having their unique culture, and soccer can bring all of us together as if we are all from one nation.
Through soccer, I have been able to connect with French speakers here in Montreal and what seemed to be a challenging language barrier, was removed by a kick of a ball.
The article “More than just a game, football brings people together” written by Reuben Gready, in July 2018,
mentioned how football(soccer) can unify is when the Ivory Coast qualified for the 2006 World Cup in Germany and helped to end the civil war that was raging in their country.
The war started in 2002 between the Muslim north of the country and the Christian south. Moments after the Ivory Coast secured qualification, Didier Drogba, the star player of the team and a hugely popular figure in the country, begged both warring parties to stop their fighting on national TV.
The football team was made up of people from a mix of religions and ethnicities who wanted to use their success to help the country end its bloody conflict. Within a week the factions put down their guns and agreed to a ceasefire.
Greatest Underdog Story
Leicester City, a team in Leicester, England. Leicester was promoted to the Premier League in 2015, the professional tier of soccer in England.
5000-to-1 was the odds for them to win the championship according to NBC Sports. From fighting to survive, Leicester City ultimately ended up winning the Premier League title altogether.
Bearing in mind the league has six top teams that were the big boys of the league, and they were pushed aside by little Leicester despite the 5000-to-1, became champions of the Premier league.
A game of soccer is usually 90 minutes and more and even then, it feels like you have time or there is no time left. Goals in the dying seconds of the game happen occasionally and it’s one of the best shows of soccer as it captures the game’s "never over till the whistle is blown" nature.
1% Chance, 99% Faith
Soccer can be a surprising game sometimes with so many twists and turns. On May 4, 2022, Real Madrid played Manchester City this season and the interesting part of this game was the chart displaying the likeliness of each team qualifying, Real Madrid was at 1% while Manchester City was at 99%.
I’ll let you guess who won on the night. It was Real Madrid. Despite the low 1%, they managed to beat Manchester City scoring the decisive goal in the final minutes of the game and what looked to be a certain defeat, quickly turned into a win.
Benefits of Soccer
According to BetterHealth, here is a list of a few benefits one can get from playing soccer:
Generally, a non-contact sport.
Teaches coordination.
Promotes teamwork and sharing.
Teaches you to ‘think on the run’
Helps to increase skills in concentration, persistence, and self-discipline.
A great way to meet people and exercise with friends.
Provides an opportunity to increase your confidence and self-esteem and helps reduce anxiety.
Requires very little equipment so it can be played in the backyard or park
Relatively easy to learn, so beginners can easily join in the fun and play basic soccer for recreation.
It is an international sport.
Recommendations
I recommend you give soccer a try because you get to try a new sport and meet new people and discover a community in your city that is based on soccer. Rutherford Park, located in downtown Montreal, is a hotspot for soccer and you can always drop by, play a game, meet new people, and have a good time. I also recommend following CF Montreal, the city’s professional soccer team competing in the MLS if you feel like capturing the city’s spirit while enjoying soccer.
How soccer helped me
Making friends was never easy for me. I was very nervous and shy and constantly worried people would laugh at me for not being able to talk as smoothly as others. On top of that, I looked down on myself so much that my confidence was at an all-time low. I always sat there, in class during middle school, looking at how others were talking to one another so easily and why I couldn't do the same.
Sometimes I thoughts that I'm always gonna be alone forever. That was until I got into soccer. It took away the focus from the talking part which I wasn't good at and instead, allowed me to communicate effectively in a way I never knew I was capable of. Over time, I got better at the sport and as time went on, I started to feel more confident as a person and all of a sudden, I slowly found myself talking to others with less difficulty than before.
From being able to talk better to making new friends over a game of soccer, it felt as if I was always a confident person, it just took a little sport to pull that out of me. Soccer has given me confidence and made me feel good about myself, and being part of a team meant I was never alone. Before, soccer was a part of my life, now, it is my life.
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