This week I was presenting awards at a Special School for children and young people with autism. The awards were a range of GCSE and other certificates gained in the summer by this year's leavers. The head teacher is completely passionate about all things West Ham (which is presumably why I get regular invites to this event) and makes sure all of the kids know this as an essential part of his (very warm) relationship with them.
It reminded me how much more being a committed supporter is than the matches. It's part of my sense of identity, how I present myself in my work and how I relate to people (and they to me). It's part of my history, as I started going with my father over 55 years ago and have gone with my children for nigh on 30 years. And I have often joked that supporting West Ham is character building as you learn to cope repeatedly with disappointment. Bubbles, fading and dying.
But when I see those young people who have faced and will face enormous challenges in their lives, and their parents and carers who share those challenges, it's also easy to see the joy that supporting something can give, the connection it fosters with other people, the relationship that it gives with supporters of other teams (who all understand how great it feels to win and the despair of battling relegation - Chelsea, Man Utd and Arsenal followers excepted, of course, but they're followers, not fans) as life-enhancing.
But that's how I feel before the 'save our season' ((c) The Pornographers) game. Maybe I'll find it hard to be so philosophical afterwards.
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