What do needs, values and football have in common?
As we’re in the height of the Euros football fever, I thought I’d pen some words about the seemingly unrelated domains of football, needs and values.
I’ve never really been one to follow the rules or accept the status quo. As a little girl, I liked to play football, but I was the only girl who played at my primary school. In the 80s and 90s, girls who played football were very much in the minority, nothing like today. But I loved playing football and I was good at it, so I filled my time with as much of it as I could. From my childhood to my teenage years and beyond, much to the disapproval of my secondary school convent teachers who didn’t feel the sport was very “ladylike”.
Luckily for me, the sport was starting to grow and there were other girls in my school who also enjoyed playing, so we stuck together and played for teams outside of school. I ended up playing for Reading Royals Ladies for many years and continued playing on and off until injuries forced me to stop. It’s only recently that I’ve been reflecting on my needs and values once again that I’ve started to appreciate why I loved football so much.
Football fulfilled my need for autonomy. For as long as I can remember, I’ve held a value and need around freedom and autonomy and looking back now, I always felt so free on a football pitch. Unlike netball which I also played, where you’re restricted to certain areas of the court, in football, technically you can play anywhere, especially in my position as a central midfielder, running from box to box, supporting both wings, defending, attacking, playmaking. It’s not too dissimilar to building an early stage start-up, where you get to work across many different business areas, which I also love.
Football fulfilled my need for creativity. I’ve always felt like a creative person. Not in the arty/design sense, but since I was a young child, I’ve had a vivid imagination and loved to write stories. I was drawn to my first degree in English Literature largely due to the creative writing part of the course. I also loved being creative on the football field. I always got so much more pleasure from a cheeky little through ball or a clever assist, rather than scoring the goal itself. I’ve loved watching the super talented and creative young Spanish player, Lamine Yamal during the Euros over the past few weeks. His creativity shines through every time he plays. Although I haven’t quite reached the heights of Yamal in his short career, creativity followed me throughout my career. As a teacher, I loved creating lessons that were different and memorable and after leaving teaching, I went into a career in marketing, using my creativity to market products, before I went into the start-up world, where creating new products and companies filled my creative cup.
Football also fulfilled my need for connection. Yes, I loved the individual moments of creativity and dribbling round players before unleashing a through ball, but the real beauty of the game for me, whether playing it or watching it was in seeing the ball move from the defence to the midfield to the forward line with a succession of passes that then ended in a goal. And it wasn’t just the connection on the pitch but also off it. I met people from all walks of life playing football which widened my social circle and my network. The sense of togetherness that you get from playing in a football team with shared goals and aspirations is not too dissimilar to working in a great team, especially in a start-up, where everyone is truly depending on each other and where there’s no room for people not pulling their weight.
Finally, football gave me purpose. Having a sense of purpose has also always been something I’ve needed. Football gave me a sense of purpose as a young person. It kept me healthy, I felt committed to the team and I always felt like I was challenging the status quo by playing, because it wasn’t totally accepted by everyone, which reflecting on it now, could also be a need for me. Challenging the status quo or not always following the rules also enabled me to have a less than traditional career path. I went from teaching to consulting to marketing to entrepreneurship and social entrepreneurship and experienced working in large multinationals to working for myself, taking lots of risks in the process. Whenever I felt like I had stopped learning or wasn’t enjoying my work or that it didn’t align with my values or needs, I looked to change.
I wonder how many of you resonate with my story (even if you don’t like football)? What needs and values do you have and are they being met?
Whatever position you find yourself in, you are in control of your next move, just like a player on a football field. It definitely helps to have a good team around you and knowing your needs and values can help you to make that next move a winning one!
Interested in exploring your needs and values with me? Book a discovery call and we can explore this further:)