The Beautiful Game

On the day that the 2010 World Cup started in South Africa a reminder of just why it is the beautiful game much closer to home. Went along to take some pictures at for the Edinburgh Council's Festival of Sport at Spartans Football Academy close to Ferry Road. The photocall was to take a group picture of a young rock climber, an archer and a dualthlete (cycling and running) along with a councillor, but there was also a morning of football training organised for a group of kids. Anyway, having finished the with the three athletes I started watching the primary school aged youngsters playing a small game. Greens against the yellows, but for all I knew it was just a couple of scratch teams. To start with I thought they'd done a bad job of picking the teams, as the greens seemed to have everything their own way - passing it around and apparently scoring almost at will. The only girl on the pitch was at the heart of everything they did, with great feet and got on the end of a cross to score just as I left briefly to talk to my contact from the council. Rather than leave then, I returned to watch a bit more, by now into the second half. The yellows seemed a bit more competitive, but when they scrambled in a scrappy goal off one of the green defenders past his own keeper someone said that still meant the yellows were 4-2 down.
Except.
Almost immediately they scored again.
Now they were fired up.
Suddenly they were a team.
And the greens were muttering and pointing accusing fingers at each other. Who had given the ball away or hadn't tracked back with their man?
They still passed the ball around well, but the yellows were defending heroically - throwing themselves in front of the ball, making last ditch tackles and even if the greens did get a shot on target the yellow's keeper was unbeatable.
They were working so hard for each other.
And after a couple of near things they got another goal - now it was level and I was hooked. Whoever they were, I was willing the yellows to get a fifth goal and hoped they wouldn't concede, having fought so hard to get level.
The greens seemed to wake up and there were a few close calls for what was now 'my team'. But then another long ball, and the stocky yellow striker was past his defender and in on the goalie. He scored and punched the air in delight.
They clinched it with another and that was it, a 6-4 victory.
It lifted my spirits to see them.
Reminding me of the days when there was nothing to stop you playing football for hours in the sunshine.
Just for the fun of it.