The United Kingdom is gripped by football fever. Matches are the time when men, women, the young and the old from all sorts of backgrounds, ethnicity and religions come together for a common cause: to support the team they revere. Football fans are deeply affected by each of the matches that their team plays, constantly convinced that this will be their match, their season. They admit that they love the game, and the elation and devastation experienced through winning or losing keep them addicted for their entire lives.



How can this passion, excitement, dedication and emotion and for the beautiful game be explained?

One possible reason is that the advancement of football as we know it today took place in Britain, and it is therefore regarded as being part of our culture, and for some it is intensely ingrained. Match days are almost enchanting ? the smell of fried onions, the hordes of the team's supporters in their brightly coloured football shirts, the banter, the football chants, the smiles, the singing, the nervous anticipation, the programme and scarf sellers?. it all makes for a familiar yet completely exhilarating and charged atmosphere.

Football represents an escape yet also provides a sense of community and belonging. The social bond between fans has been described as familial ? 'my family', while the football team itself is also considered a 'friend' to many fans, all of which creates a tribal effect. A lot of the time, someone's support of a particular team, stems from family relationships, with fathers and sons in particular attending matches, thus creating a lifelong bonding and friendship between both themselves and 'their' team. Football is seen as a unifying force that provides stability and communication within a family.

Some believe that football is as popular today as it is, because it represents a substitute for ancient warfare. In the past, a country or population derived their sense of self from the performance of their army, and who they defeated or lost against - there was a strong obligation to dominate your neighbors. This theory of neighborhood rivalries may explain why there is such passionate competition between teams such as Liverpool FC and Manchester United.

Another possible reason for our love of football, is the respect and admiration that the players deserve ? they are naturally talented but yet have played for years to improve on this. In short, they play football for a living and are extremely good at it, and therefore we envy them.

Football fans, although not part of the actual game, consider themselves to be part of the team 'the twelfth man'? without them there would be no team motivation, or intimidation of the opposition, and it is often suggested that the fans influence the decisions of the referee. So strong is this belief that fans would feel that they had left their team down if they had not attended a match and they lost ? fans are not just observers, they are there to help the team to win.

No matter what makes us passionate about football one thing is certain, football incites passion, frustration, euphoria and rage like nothing else in the UK.