Playwright James Graham, creator of the hit play and BBC TV series Dear England, argues politicians often underestimate football\u2019s deeper social importance.<\/p>\n
He says that football matters not just every two or four years during major tournaments, but every single week, shaping people\u2019s routines, their communities and even their identities.<\/p>\n
Amid the \u201chollowing out\u201d of British civic life \u2014 declining high streets, weakened public spaces and fractured communities \u2014 the football stadium is one of the few places left where people still gather physically and collectively, he says.<\/p>\n
When people support their club, they are investing in something bigger than themselves: shared rituals, symbols, songs and belonging.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to turn up in person and in proximity with your physical community,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Graham argues that politicians who understand this are more likely to connect to voters in what he sees as an age of growing disconnection, as people\u2019s lives are increasingly shaped by AI, growth targets and digital life.\u00a0<\/p>\n