“Everything was shut down because of the pandemic, I had no idea if I was going to be able to finish my course, and needed something to look forward to.”Ĭanada is what you could call a developing football nation, where the sport is popular but not the national sport like it is in many countries. They’d begun planning their trip in July 2020, a month after Australia and New Zealand had won the bid to host the tournament. They’d just finished qualifying as a teacher and had a schedule of 15 World Cup games across Aotearoa and Australia. In Dunedin the day before, I met Dana from Canada. An unexpected gift (Photo: John Palethorpe) People are embracing this wild, beautiful and diverse tournament for what it is: a celebration of women’s sport. Every single supporter has embraced the tournament, whether they’ve travelled from overseas, picked their team through immigrant heritage, or just taken a chance on a game. But it is entirely fitting with the vibe of this Fifa Women’s World Cup. It’s something unexpected and personal and kind, and completely out of the blue. She nods, smiles and thanks me, then hands me a small red envelope containing a mizuhiki knot in red, white and blue. We’d both been in Dunedin for Japan’s game against Costa Rica – a comfortable and controlled 2-)0 win for the Nadeshiko (literally: “the personification of an idealised Japanese woman”). This is football fever like we’ve never seen before, writes John Palethorpe, following a whirlwind three days of games across Aotearoa.Īs we disembark in Wellington way too early in the morning, I congratulate a Japanese fan on her team’s performance the night before.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |