The mighty Mustangs played their first competitive football match on Sunday since March 16th.
Amid a whirlwind of alcohol gel and virtual handshakes they set out on their journey into 11 a side football having never played a game of this format before.
It was the first league game of the 2021 season and in case you’re interested we won 4-2 in a tightly contested game which included one of the opposition team trying to punch my superstar number 7!
It’s not about the Mustangs or the result though, you can read about that somewhere else if you’re really interested.
As I’ve said before in these pages, I’m not a footballer and know very little about football, but sport for 12-year-old boys is not about the football.
11 a side games for under 13’s are 70 minutes long, that’s a long time in football for a 12-year-old.
The game has ups and it has downs.
You have periods where you’re on top and periods where you are not.
There are real areas where you have to dig in and you have to overcome things that are difficult and understand and navigate through personal situations (like a boy trying to punch you) without losing your rag and then analysing the situation.
You have to deal with disappointment when you make a mistake that costs the team (we were 3-0 up in 10 minutes and then it was 3-2) in the end though you get to share and chat and discuss and celebrate or commiserate together.
Many of these boys have been together since they were 5 years old, with some new ones coming in as the team starts to get bigger.
There is a culture in the Mustangs of having fun and understanding the resilience required to play football at a level which will never make you a professional footballer, but which is pretty solid.
We can all find opportunities in our day-to-day life to improve our skills as human beings and our ability to navigate the world.
It’s just about the narrative we tell ourselves about what’s important and the lessons we learn from the everyday.
Blog Post Number - 2488
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