A few months ago, FIFA released a survey and asked fans to give them feedback on how the organization could improve their relations with fans. Over 26,000 people responded. 50 of them were chosen to fly out to the Home of FIFA in Zurich, Switzerland, and take part in a two-day Fan Focus Group. I was one of those 50 people.
It’s hard to put into words how incredible of an experience it was. When I received the email that I had been chosen to travel to Zurich, I had to restrain myself from screaming. I called my mother and we were both near tears-- we were bursting with excitement. Two weeks later, I got on a plane to Switzerland. And when I returned to the United States three days later, my life was changed forever.
50 fans; 24 different countries represented. Some of us met before the start of the official event, at a tour of the FIFA Museum. As we all introduced ourselves, I started talking to one man about my job at Orlando City. One of the women from Australia overheard us. “Did I hear you guys talking about Orlando?” She asked. She was an Orlando Pride fan-- with all of the Australians represented on our team, we were a natural choice for her favorite NWSL squad. We immediately became friends.
Of course, as a staff member of the Orlando Pride, it was only natural that I was then adopted by the Australian contingency. That night at the hotel I had dinner with people from places as diverse as Australia, Egypt, Canada, and South Africa. That was only a taste of what was to come.
When I got off the bus at the Home of FIFA, I was speechless. And the events that were lined up for the rest of the day only amazed me more. We started the morning talking about FIFA’s mission, and we had a Q&A with the new General Secretary Fatma Samoura. We were split into groups that afternoon, so that we could discuss specific topics facing the future of FIFA. I was put into the women’s soccer group, where we shared ideas about how the game could be grown and talked about solutions to current problems facing the women’s game. Again, the Orlando Pride came into play as a woman from India spoke about her own experiences as a fan and player in her country, and how Alex Morgan and the rest of the U.S. Women’s National Team had served as an inspiration for her. After each group shared their ideas, we went to dinner and called it a day. When we left, I was just as speechless as the moment I walked in.
The second day we focused on the fan experience. We talked about the future of the World Cup, and talked about potential developments in the realms of social media and online forums that could help connect soccer fans. At lunch, we met Marco van Basten-- the Dutch and AC Milan legend. We kept working through the afternoon.
To say it was an amazing experience doesn’t do it justice. And yet, since coming back I’ve struggled to find the words to explain it. And what seems to have impacted me the most was not the incredible speakers or the grandeur of the event itself-- it was the people that I met. It was playing soccer on the pitch next to the Home of FIFA during our lunch break, and the conversations about our favorite players and teams that went long into the night. 50 people from 24 different countries, and yet over those 48 hours we became a family. This time last week, I didn’t know them. Now, I have 50 lifelong friends.
This event is a testament to the power of soccer, and sports as a whole, to bring people together. Despite many political, religious, and linguistic differences, I am instantly friends with anyone I met on that trip. Because we are all united by one common love and passion: soccer.
