Name – Fran Mason
Occupation – Goods In Team Leader at Tony Pryce Sports Warehouse
Sport – Football, play for AFC Dunster
Boots – Nike Tiempo Rios
I love football. It is a big part of my life as I enjoy watching, talking and playing it. I am a big Manchester United fan and have been ever since the 1994 FA Cup Final at Wembley. This was my first footballing memory and I’m pretty sure the result from that game decided the team I would support to this day and beyond. For the record Man UTD triumphed that day by 4 goals to nil.
My love of football grew that summer with the World Cup which was played in the USA . The fact that England didn’t qualify for this tournament didn’t faze me, at the age of 7. The team that I took a liking to in their absence was Italy. The reason……….Roberto Baggio. He was the reason I wanted to get into football because of his flamboyant and artistic style of play as well as his goal scoring and his enjoyment of the game. He scored 5 goals on the way to the final that year but unfortunately missed his penalty in the shoot-out against Brazil in the final at The Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California in front of close to 95,000 spectators. I was gutted. But this was a good learning curve because you know in any sport, you can’t win every game.
I now play for my local Sunday League Team – AFC Dunster as it is a great way to keep fit and is a brilliant social activity. Although I aspired to be a striker like Roberto Baggio I am now quite happy being a defender as I don’t have the imagination or guile to unlock defences and I love a good slide tackle.
There is nothing like going to watch a live game of football. The Barclays Premier League is widely regarded as the best league in the world and is watched all around the globe. We have many top class stadiums in England including The Emirates Stadium, Anfield, Wembley and many more. For me though, being a Manchester United fan there is no better place to watch football than Old Trafford. It has a lot of history and is a great theatre to watch drama unfold on a Saturday afternoon. It has seen many great players grace the hallowed turf over the years from George Best, Denis Law and Sir Bobby Charlton to David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo and the evergreen Ryan Giggs.
So there we have it. A brief insight in to why I love football. I strongly recommend people getting into football whether it’s watching it, coaching or playing at grass roots or even just a kick about in the park with your friends.