While in secondary school, I had two close female friends who loved football and discussed it every chance they got.
I never knew a football match was scheduled to happen that day until they were discussing. Oh, well. It never did hurt me, so cool.
Except that my new roommate in a space of two weeks after meeting her asked asked me twice if I liked football. So the mind wheels got rolling on how and why women develop a liking for football. That is what this series is about + critiquing societal expectations.
Right now, I can name only a few football teams: Chelsea, Arsenal, Man U, Liverpool, Barcelona. Boy, am I brilliant or what?
I’m granting some female friends short interviews on this subject. I can’t fit them all into one post so its going to come in form of a series.
Happy reading.
Simi
Simi is one of those friends from secondary school that I referred to earlier. Till date, her whatsapp status is filled with football discussions. I just don’t get it. She answers…
1. When did you have your first football consciousness? Did you love it immediately?
I guess I had my first football consciousness when I started playing with my brothers since that was the only fun thing I could do with them other than from watching movies. And yes, I loved it immediately.
Yes, I think they influenced my love for football in a way because we watch it together and we even play together.
Infact I remember vividly during the worldcup in brazil that should be 2010 or 2014 my dad used to ask me to wake him up whenever Nigeria was playing if it happened to be fixed at midnight. Sometimes if he was the one awake he would come to my room to wake me whenever the match was about to start. At first my dad didn’t like the idea of me playing but he eventually left me when he saw how much I loved playing football.
3. How do you describe the reaction from both sexes when people discover you love football?
I have found out that only females with the common love for football don’t find it surprising when I say I play football. But guys?? I have had different funny reactions. I have got reactions like “what is a beautiful girl like you doing here?“, “I can’t believe you till i watch you play”. Someone even accused me of being a lesbian.
Infact the funniest was when I collected the award for the sportswoman of the year in my department; when the Mc called me to come forward for the award he was like “Please, what sport?” and when I told him football he didn’t believe me. He said I don’t look like I can play. The sport either has to be table tennis or volleyball or better still, I bought the award!”.
4. I only watch it? Or I watch and play?
I watch and play.
5. On a wild trip, do you mind marrying a guy who has no interest in football? Do you think it weird?
I don’t think I can marry someone who doesn’t love football because there will be no one to discuss or watch football with. So yes, it will be wierd. Infact if I am attracted to a guy once I discover he doesn’t like me playing football or he don’t even like football at all I loose interest immediately.
Bonus question: what’s your football team?
Football team; Chelsea and Real Madrid.
And that’s that! When I was reading it, I was thinking ‘just take me to that MC, let me see what he looks like’. What did he mean by ‘or you bought the award’!? Hian.
P.s: I might be football conscious o. I know there was a Karius or Kairus crisis recently. ?
So tell me people, what do you think? Ladies, do you fancy football or you have teams just for the sake of being able to make contributions?
Guys, are you indifferent to football? Or you’re saying “please please please!, what’s the meaning of indifference?“
What else struck you in Simi’s conversation? (Don’t even get me started on the lesbian assumption!)