Cultural differences 4 - five a side

I must admit I didn't play football much in Italy. Surely I did a bit growing up at the beach or in parks, but never regularly. Maybe once every 2 years.

However when I moved to London I thought football would be a great way to meet people. So I started playing with some people from work and some other friends who played in an amateur league.

Things over here are a lot different from back home. Not as much in terms of how football is played, though there are some differences there too.. for instance think of the low wide goals.

 

Or the fact that in some instances people play on a pitch with no throw-ins or corner kicks.

What I'm referring to is more about what happens after the game.

At the end of a game in Italy, people go back to the changing room, take a warm shower, dry up using their bathrobes (see http://italianinlondontown.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/bathrobe-in-changing-room.html?m=1), blow-dry their hair (see http://italianinlondontown.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/macho-culture.html?m=1), put some gel on and they are ready to hit a pizzeria, where they would go for

pizza and a beer. 2 maybe if you want to be wild.

Over here instead, most people playing 5 a side play in low level leagues, with not many facilities, often without showers. In my case, my friends and I play at an elementary school and therefore while you can get changed in one of the toilets, you cannot shower after the game.

That is not a big concern and at the end of the game, the team would often hit the pub. Outfit? Astro trainers, shin pads, shorts and a football shirt! :) If it's a bit cold you will see people wear a jumper on top. That's about it. 

An Italian in that situation would wear long trousers, a jumper and a coat.

So, a bit sweaty and dirty you approach the nearest pub and I can assure you that nobody looks at you as you walk through. You could be wearing a toxedo, a suit or your football kit, people will not turn around.

This is the country of fancy dresses after all!

Now, if the same thing happened in Italy, at least in Rome, everyone would stare in disgust. "What are they wearing?", they would whisper in dissent. But not here.

It actually happened no longer than 3 hours ago. We walked into a pub after playing footie on a rainy May day. We were completely soaked. Shirts, shorts, socks, hair... Nevertheless, we were welcomed like any other guests and nobody seemed to notice how wet we were. That is an aspect that I'm loving more and more.

Once inside forget the pizza.. After all this is a country with a developed drinking culture and underdeveloped eating one.

Here you would have 3-4 maybe 5 pints. And what about the food? Nah, screw the food. Who needs to eat? "Eating is cheating" some people over here believe.

That is why what could be a quiet Tuesday five a side evening, often means  getting a bit tipsy and having some dodgy takeaway on the way back home, trying to walk straight.

The evening normally ends with a tube trip back home, wearing the same football outfit... Needless to say that you would never see anyone on the tube in Rome wearing a football outfit. But hey, this is London!