A Passionate Yell Heard All Around The World

I’ve never been good at introductions in my writing; even in person, I’m very awkward. I’ve never known where to start, and I’ve always felt like I’m trying to start the conversation in the middle, like I’m trying to bypass the whole introduction. But intros are important, they let you know who it is you’re talking or listening to. Nowadays, we don’t want to listen to someone who doesn’t have a personality, who doesn’t let us know who they are or what they’re about. We want someone to connect to, someone whose emotions and passion can be felt in their words and through their actions.

So let me start the conversation by introducing myself, hi, my name’s Hector, and I’d like to take you on this journey with me into the world of Football.

I am, of course, talking about the sport you play with your feet. 22 players on the pitch, 2 teams made up of 11 players a piece, and 2 keepers working to keep the ball out of the back of their respective nets. This is the beautiful game. A sport played in all corners of the world that can be enjoyed at any age by anyone. From the wee lads and lassies to the full-grown lads and lasses stumbling down the road at the end of the day after watching their favorite team battle it out for 90 minutes on the pitch against their city rivals. Sing or sorrow, there are few things that compare to the euphoria you feel as you watch your team’s striker fire off a screamer that ends up in the back of the net. This is a blog where we will explore all things football. Players, matches, highlights, controversies, we’ll be covering it all, but most importantly, we will be covering young, talented players who want to reach the greatest heights that the beautiful game can offer. Talent that is on the rise, talent that is close to achieving superstardom but isn’t quite there yet, some that may have already had their names etched into the history of Football, but haven’t reached the legendary status that will have entire stadiums chanting their names. These are the gladiators on the field, the athletes of tomorrow, the Warriors On The Pitch.

Welcome to the official Warriors On The Pitch blog.

This will serve as an intro into what you can expect to find on this website, so let us dive in as we explore the wonderful world of football. As a child football did not really call my attention, I was not a passionate fan, I didn’t watch the matches, I didn’t have a preferred team, and I did not play. In fact, when I was a teenager, I went through my rebellious faze and denied joining a team, telling my father that I wanted to play American football. Of all things to rebel against. Thankfully, I never really meant that and so never realized my fake “dreams” of joining an American football team.

Football played a large role in my homestead. My father and every one of my siblings joined a team and played the sport at some point in their lives. Even now, my oldest brother coaches his own junior Football team and some of my nephews play in their own Sunday league teams or are coaches themselves, damn I’m old. The point is, this sport spans generations in my family and in many other families all around the world. Football is often times viewed as something that divides us, but more often than not it brings people together. People pile into stadiums to watch their favorite team aim to get those glorious three points or move on to the next round of elimination and make it to the cup final. Football is such a powerful driving force that can unite us, it can teach empathy, teamwork, and so much more. Hitler himself hated the sport, he saw it as a threat to the tyranny and dominance he was trying to force onto the world. He thought it too passionate of a sport, he thought it would lead to revolution against his reign and thus made an example out of Bayern Munich, one of Germany’s most decorated and influential Football clubs. During the 2nd World War, Hitler melted down all of Bayern’s previously won trophies and turned them into ammunition as a way to humiliate the long-standing club, but they endured. Hitler did not. So it has to be said, if a dictator is threatened by the potential power of the beautiful game, then this sport is held near and dear by fans for a reason.

In no way does that mean the beautiful game is perfect. There are plenty of things that need to be addressed in Football. The corruption, the hate, the racism, the misogyny, the homophobia, and the drunken street brawls. All of these taint what is a fantastic sport that should be celebrated and shared with friends and family. So sit back, kick your feet up, and get comfortable because we have a long journey ahead of us.