Gods of the Astro is a week-long investigation into the strangers across the United Kingdom who come together to play football every morning, afternoon, and night. These aren’t your 7-a-side post-work commitments or your Sunday League sloggers, these are groups of people who choose to play football with whoever else is up for a game. It’s like a secret society, but with goal celebrations instead of dodgy handshakes. We’ve split this feature in five parts. This is part four, so make sure you're caught up on part one, part two and of course, part three, before you dive in. This week, we're diving into the fray with Fady, who hadn't even kicked a ball before discovering Footy Addicts in 2019…
“I’ve always been a massive football fan, but growing up in Egypt, I never really felt there was anywhere for me to play. It was hard. When I was looking to try and find any kind of football in Birmingham, I didn’t know where to start. I was looking to join teams in Sunday league districts, but it all seemed complicated, a bit out of my comfort zone.”
Fady started playing in Footy Addicts games and in other groups around Brum, and since then, hasn’t missed a week, playing at least two or three times.
“I have to get some football in; it’s just in my routine. I’ve got to get something in,” he says before telling us about Ball in Brum, the WhatsApp group he’s been running for about a year. Started off with just a group of friends asking each other if they could get together at a certain venue, and then friends asked friends, and 20 turned into 50, and 50 turned into 100 very quickly. For Fady, it’s not just about playing but also providing others with the opportunity to play.
“I love directing people and making sure people have games on. I think a part of that comes from where I work and what I do in my field. I manage a refugee service and housing association, currently working with Ukrainian refugees but previously with Syrian and Afghan for a number of years.”
“That sector always involves working with vulnerable people, advocating and lots of support work. Not to say that I'm doing that in football, but some of those things probably just transported to football a little bit, where I do like to lead on games and provide opportunities for people to come play.”
“I know what it felt like when I was trying to find a game and how it made me feel when I actually did find something. So, if I know I can get someone to come and play on a weekly basis who’s never touched the ball, then that's sick.”
It’s people like Fady who make the world go around, and that idea of providing games is something Billy does too.
IT’S CALLED TERRIBLE FOOTBALL FOR A REASON
Billy Blackett’s idea behind Terrible Football is “to be casual, to embrace mediocrity, to be welcoming and inclusive, to be open to anyone, and to be free.” After a couple of rainy kickabouts in east London in 2019, the organisation has gone global.
“Terrible Football fits into a very important niche. It is more organised than a few people in the street knocking a ball against a wall but far less intimidating and expensive than the after-work leagues.
“Many of our players returned to their home countries and took the format with them. Terrible Football games are now in Amsterdam and Berlin, and then further afield in South Korea, Taiwan, and California.
“The greatest thing about Terrible Football are the players. It’s a cliche to describe football as a universal language, but it really is true.”
