"There's Nothing Good About Football". Women's World Cup. Wellington and Sydney. Too much FUN

The Women's World Cup.  I was totally immersed.

At the height of my enthusiasm and enjoyment of football Dad gave me a t-shirt for a christmas present, with a quote on it by Camus.  I put it on with gratitude to my Dad, with a big smile of agreement and appreciated his thoughtful gift. I was happy and proud with my christmas present.  Within minutes my joy was deflated quicker than our punctured wheel barrow tyre, when a thoughtful family attendee kindly observed by saying "there is nothing good about football".  I was kind of taken aback, had the smile wiped off my face and I took it off.  I haven't put it on since.

I had so many good times with my Wigan football friends following a more than mediocre football team around the country.  The fun, the craic, the banter and the silly comments were all created by the catalyst of football.

   

Goal shoot for which I won a jar of 'Uncle Joe's Mint Balls' and a signed shirt!

 Andre Mariner, ref at the 2013 FA Cup final, which Wigan won!  Signed photo!

But down here, almost as far south as the globe can go and as far south as the planes can fly before going north again we've had the Women's World Cup.

It has been truly wonderful.  I've had the best time.  I went to 7 games including a quarter final and the FINAL in Sydney.  It was blinkin good football, lots of fun, some mucking about and free transport to and from the games.  What is not to like.  What follows in a photo story of 4 weeks of fickle fun.  My team always won!  I wore half the colours of one of the teams and half the colours of the other team; I had a double sided flag - one team on one side and one team on the other.  I was always happy with the result!

                                 Nice consensual hugs at goals!!                      Even the train supported                                                                                                                                Japan

  
Pipes on the way to the game, of course

   
The view to the stadium from the train.     Concourse coffee.               Oh what an atmosphere.

    Japan subs!!  What are the chances!  Fuka and Seike and that's what I thought when they came on!

  
Amazing result to the Australia v NZ game.                                         Behind me, what was she                                                                                                                                 thinking?

 
Dressed for the Philippines game, as you would!  Philippines 1, NZ 0

As for "nothing good about football".  Tell that to the millions of people who have attended the Women's World Cup and the even more millions who have watched it all around the world.  I have had the BEST time.  I've been to 7 games; 6 in Wellington and the final in Sydney and I've watched at least 1 game most days for 4 weeks.  I've watched excellent football; I've seen a really high standard of refereeing; I've seen stunning goals and games full of skill; I've had amazing fun; I've sat amongst lovely people; I've laughed and we've laughed; I've enjoyed being consensually embraced - metaphorically and physically by fans from around the world; We've enjoyed jokes together; I've seen passion and compassion; My diagnosis by Kath's Mum, Kath sat next to me, of Saint Vitus Tick came back; I've enjoyed mucking about with my own concept of being an avid supporter and enjoying that my team always wins.  Fickle fanning is a good way to go.  Fickle Fannery is taking a sheet of cardboard with the flag of each team on either side.  You celebrate every goal and boo every goal.  If you don't like the idea of the above, then yes, you'd have to say there is nothing good about it.  I really have had the BEST time which is astonishing considering "there is nothing good about Football".  Once upon a time I went to Wigan and performed a sponsored silence, where I was in total silence for 90 minutes.  Even that was fun.  

  

  

  

Out goes someone in comes Norway

   

Six Wellington games done.  Every game had 2 flags, I was always happy, my team always won.

NZ v Philippines; USA v Nederland; Japan v Spain; South Africa v Italy; Japan v Norway; Spain v Netherlands

OFF TO SYDNEY........

 

I'm still fickle.  Preparations for the final in Sydney just about complete.  I always was in favour of the European Community.

To Sydney for the final.

  

Good-bye Wellington stadium                An Indian wedding anniversary    06.15 and we're off.

We went to Urban Masala before leaving for Sydney and were invited to join a happy couple in their wedding anniversary celebrations.  It was lovely, and such a kind happy gesture.

 

Football special breakfast                                                        Sydney Stadium is over there somewhere

   

Touchdown                                    Keep Calm and win the Cup.

   

 Cup Final day sunrise

  

The football special!!                                        I'm on the boat

                

I'm on the football Special ferry.                            On the football special.  

It put's a whole new perspective on the 'football special' where we were comfortable standing on a ferry boat cruising down Sydney harbour.  In Wellington special trains were put on, of course scheduled to be in Wellington 2 hours before kick-off.  There was no schedule for the return.  When I asked, I was told "oh, we don't schedule the return, we just wait for an hour after the game finishes, in case it goes to extra time or penalties".  Those were the days when I squeezed tighter on the football special at New Street to go to Villa Park than any sardines in any cans.

Fickle Fan's folding Final Flag

 

I did sing a load of Wigan songs, including Boyceeeee, The Shaun Maloney, Up the Tics, Paul Scharner and of course bothe Your defence is terrified, We had a good Time and We beat Man City.  I got a few strange looks and at one game the police came and patrolled the aisles, to which I told her "It is all perfectly normal".

 

                            

Just a short queue for chips.     Pre match drumming up an atmosphere.

 

             The  Ref and a red card for "too lippy"!!

  Fickle Fan

 
                                                I'm IN!!!!
   

I'm in!!                                                                                        The view from my seat.  Level with the                                                                                                             penalty box.

I sat at my seat.  Row R, No 6. and said to myself "I think I've got one of the best seats in the house", at which point the guy next to me asked if I was ok.  I was a tad overwhelmed and had an emotional moment.  Here I was at the Women's World Cup Final.

The penalty should have been retaken.

Opening ceremony

    

Closing ceremony

 

               Who is the ex Australia goalkeeper?

 

                                        
The anxiety of the Spanish subs, in the last few minutes.    Just before the infamous kiss / smooch.  Apparently consensual.  Dirty old man!!
                              

                                   "Let's take some net home as a                                                                                                                         souvenir".  See the gaping hole!

 

  

Someone had to lose.                    I just missed her.

 

The last of the Fickle Fan's Flag

Good bye Sydney

 

Nearly home                        At Sydney Airport.

Thank you from the chickens.  5 days work.

For a game at Wigan I did a sponsored silence.  Silent for 90 minutes.  No one believed I could do it and I couldn't.  The stakes were high.  The provocation was unkind!  If I made a noise I had to double any money I had raised.  Over £400 went to CALM.  I did keep quiet and a goal was scored.

 

As for Lauren James who is going to be England's best player and who is probably better than her brother Reece, yes, she should have been sent off.  Straight red was fair. It was right she didn't start at the final.  But, at the airport I met one of England's team who said that "she is young, still has a lot to learn but what we don't know is that she was being hassled something rotten off the ball and off camera".  I know, probably like many of you, that after a lot of unreasonable provocation, sometimes one just 'snaps'.  I gave myself a red card, left the house and I was off, never to go back.

That's a bit of the World Cup Journey.  Generally good reffing but let down by the final.  Brilliant VAR; way to go; excellent football - the men's game has a lot to learn; great crowds and loadsa fun.  No complaints at NZ$20 a game and $60 for the final plus free transport to and from the game.

But THAT KISS!!  What a shame a great game has been overshadowed by a dirty old man, compromising so many of FIFA's principles played before every game, not least the one of RESPECT. Maybe, perversely it has us all a lot of good.  It has highlighted the inappropriateness of such dreadful behaviour, which too many people get away with. FIFA should come down on him harder than a ton of bricks.  It compromises the slogans they broadcast before and during every game, the 2 most pertinent being 'football unites the world' and 'respect' 

Yes, there are some things that are not good about football, but millions across the world had a good time.

It all seems so so far away from my first ever job as a road sweeper for Reading Borough Council, where I walked in front of an electric buggy, I had a brush in my hand and I swept up rubbish.  Behind came a chap with a shovel and he'd put the rubbish into the bins on the electric cart.