Euphoria can best be described as a feeling of intense happiness. Dave Hoffman, an American, went to London with his family when they surprised him with tickets to a Chelsea F.C. game. Growing up, Dave always had a connection to soccer. To this day, he remains attached to the game through refereeing, playing Fifa, and coaching.
Imagine the anticipation building as he walked toward something he’s only seen through a TV screen, a memory he holds with his dad. As his childhood dream became a reality, he and his family took it all in with nothing less than awe. Dave and his family went to the arena early to take it all in. They walked around; Dave made sure he stopped at the memorabilia store to get something that would allow him to hold onto that moment forever.
The game was Chelsea V.S. Lester City. Although neither teams were Dave’s favorite team, Manchester United, he was still nothing but amazed and energetic when he talked about the game. With a final score of 1-1, Dave described the game itself as good, but not as intense as one would think: “it was weird Chelsea started off well, the second half then struggled Lester got back in it in the second half, but wasn’t super intense bc it was early in the season.”
This game was unique was the fact that it was Chelsea legend, Frank Lampard’s first home game as the team’s coach. Although the team and Lampard had to part ways, Dave still thinks it was a ‘cool’ thing to see, as fans waved banners all through the area.
Dave noted the unifying chants that people would scream in unison, encouraging their team to persevere. He also mentioned the vast difference in how the English soccer game had a completely different atmosphere in relation to America, saying the most significant difference was the passion behind the people, “soccer means a lot to me, and I’m sitting here, but it means so much to people. It’s a way out of poverty. It’s super important to an everyday person. Brings people together.”
Dave defined soccer as something English people take extremely seriously, saying it’s not fun to do like baseball would be in America. He went on to say how observers were not allowed to bring their drinks to their seats. He then chuckled, saying it was probably a rule because people would accidentally spill their drinks on each other in anger. What shocked Dave most was that he barely saw anyone on their phones; all attention was honed on the game.
Dave’s family purchased the tickets at least one month ahead of their trip while they were planning on how to take on the iconic city of London. He would recommend this to anyone trying to absorb the English culture, saying it seemed to be the beating heart of England.
Although completely satisfied with his experience, Dave said he would change two things. He knows he would’ve been more passionate if Manchester United had played in the game. He also wishes he was given a chance to watch Eden Hazard, who was playing for Real Madrid then and is currently available to get transferred back to Chelsea.
Dave looks to return to England so he can attend a Manchester United game. Both he and his father continue to watch soccer together. He described their viewing parties by saying it soon became a bonding ritual for the pair.
