My Love and Passion for Football

My love and Passion for Football

My name is Yash Govindaraju and I am currently working as Operations Manager for Zealandia Honey, a New Zealand-based company in Dubai, UAE. I have a Master’s degree in Water and Wastewater Engineering from Deakin University, Australia, which helped me pursue my career in the water industry. On the other hand, my career vision is that the world shouldn’t be too dependent on our freshwater bodies but look into ways we can reclaim and reuse wastewater in a sustainable and efficient manner so that the present and future generations can have a happy life ahead. It’s never too late to pay back to Mother Nature.

We all know how severely we have been affected by the COVID pandemic globally. It has invaded all sectors as well as people’s lives. To my surprise, the way e-commerce took off to another level was unthinkable. This made me ponder how companies and brands are handling the supply and demands of customers - delivering the product in time alongside the struggle with logistics but not losing a  single potential loyal customer. I felt it was the right time to learn a new subject to diversify my expertise to grow in my career. That’s how I chose Athena as my learning partner and enrolled in the Masters of Supply Chain and Logistics Management program. 

I would like to talk a little about my favorite topic of interest which is Football. This sport was invented centuries ago and it is often referred to as soccer in some nations and football in some countries like America.  As much as cricket is popular in the UK and the Commonwealth countries, for me the next sport with a similar craze and following is football. It is a sport that requires tremendous physical strength and stamina and improves concentration and team spirit.

It was during a weekend  when I was nine years old that my dad asked me to get ready and soon we headed out. I do not know where nor did my dad disclose any information. To my surprise, we reached one of the famous stadiums in the city and I was wondering what exactly we were doing here – I assumed something to do about me joining a local club and learning the sport. We went inside and sat in the stands and I asked my dad what we were doing here. He said we were watching a football game between the two biggest teams of the ’90s. That got me excited and I was amused to see how the players were giving everything for that jersey and badge they were playing for. It was still goalless after 90 minutes and the game went into extra time and finally, we had the tiebreak and the home team came out victorious. That’s how my love and passion for the game started and from that very day, I decided to become a player who can represent at state or national level. 

This budding interest in the game just kept growing inside me and became an overpowering passion. For the last 21 years of my career, I have been learning and the sport is growing inside me.  I was so fortunate to have played with some excellent managers and coaches at the regional and state levels. On weekends, I try catching up with my teammates and friends and watch live football together at pubs and lounges. That ambience we create is something else, it gives shivers and goosebumps when your team wins and you can banter your opposition to your heart's content. Even now whenever I have some leisure time, I try to read autobiographies of players and coaches to learn how they grew up with the game, their style of playing football, and their philosophy. 

Last but not the least, the adrenaline rush we feel while cheering our team is what drives the players to perform their best and boosts their confidence. The fans weave a magical atmosphere by singing, chanting, and making noise. It feels so special to be a part of that revelry and create precious memories to treasure. The enthusiasm and pure joy, the chemistry between the players and fans is the reason we love the sport and the club unconditionally. As days pass by, the hype and craze for this beautiful game called football just keep increasing and the fans belonging to different age groups leave aside race, religion, and color to enjoy the game together.