The pandemic brought about an abrupt change to the way we viewed, played, and enjoyed the sport. Tuning into the television to hear voices, of the select few allowed inside, bouncing around empty stadiums while we sat alone in our homes or in the presence of the inner circle that we had bunkered down to bear with the toll that COVID-19 had taken from us.
While the minimum requirements of yourself, a ball, and a wall is all you need to enjoy the beautiful game it becomes something so much more with community and conversely something so much less when that aspect of community is taken away.
With bans on public gatherings loosening and the world eagerly awaiting the return of the game they love, fútbol fans flocked to their local haunts to take in the tournament and revel in the thing that makes the game so special. Community.
