I enjoy both watching and playing sport, and I know it has the power to unite communities – something especially valuable when so much else seems to pull us apart. Whether we’re on the touchline, in the stands, at the pub, in a community centre or watching at home, strangers can become neighbours for 90 minutes.
As a doctor, I also know the value this has for our health. Research links watching sport with improved mood, stronger social connections and a greater sense of belonging – interestingly, even more so when your team loses. That’s one of the reasons I started trialling Football on Prescription. I hope we can continue finding ways to make sport accessible to everyone.
Locally, there are some excellent examples. Stratford Park Leisure Centre, Cam & Dursley United Walking Football and Wotton Walking Football Club all offer over-50s the chance to enjoy a slower-paced, highly sociable version of the game.
Archway School has also recently opened a tremendous new £1 million floodlit 3G pitch. It will make football more accessible in all weathers, expanding year-round opportunities for students, clubs and community groups. Facilities like this do more than develop players – they help knit communities together.
That’s why Forest Green Rovers’ decision to disband the women’s team and youth academy in order to concentrate resources on the men’s side is so disappointing. Forest Green has long been known as an inclusive club, and many people will feel that this decision leaves important parts of the community behind.
But football isn’t always a force for good. We know that incidents of domestic abuse rise significantly when England play in major tournaments. That fact sits uncomfortably alongside the positive role sport can play, but it is important to acknowledge it. There is no simple solution, but recognising the problem and talking about it is a necessary first step.
