ESFA Finals Day : A View from the Crowd

By Avirat Prasad

The day was buzzing. Excitement was filling the school, even from a drowsy 7:30am start. Everyone was waiting for the coaches to transport us to Stoke city Bet365 stadium to proudly watch our 2nd XI and 1st XI in the English School Football Association (ESFA) national finals for under 18s. After what seemed more than just a 3 and a half hour wait for the sight of the grand stadium, and the smell of success, we arrived. 23 coaches full of passionate supporters from Hampton supporters poured out full of life. As soon as I got off my coach, I heard an eruption of a roar from the crowd. 

As I walked through the galleys, I could hear the drums echoing across the stadium with a steady but entertaining beat to support the Hampton 2nd XI. As I entered the stadium, a teacher told me that the score was 1-1, as right before I came in, Hampton had scored from a corner kick. No wonder there was a roar when we arrived. Around 15 minutes later, the half time whistle blew, and the players went to the changing rooms, whilst I feasted on a packed lunch. 

Shortly after, the players came back on. We were all passionately cheering and urging on Hampton to get across the line. Then, 2 minutes before the end of the second half, Hampton struck and made it passed the keeper! A roar rung through the whole of Stoke. 

Then came the main moment, the 1st XI. This was a good match, even if you look at the scoreline you cannot imagine how well Hampton played. The 1st half started off with 2 early goals from the opposing side. Suddenly, the whole stadium went pin drop silent. In the deep second half, Hampton scored and the crowd rose to their feet, with noise, and liveliness. The goalkeeper came up for the last kick of the game, only to be beaten by another goal. The final score was 3-1 loss, but this does not reflect how Hampton played. 

This was an amazing experience, and I wish the best of luck for next year for all football and sporting teams for Hampton.