Doing Football Differently

A four-part docuseries exploring the game’s growing undercurrent

Football is the world’s game, from its religiously dedicated, colour-coded, crest-respecting fanbases and its passionately revered players, to its edge-of-your-seat, heart-stopping celebrations. And as with any world, it contains multitudes. With all eyes turned to the forthcoming FIFA World Cup, what better time to turn the spotlight to the rising strength of a movement blossoming at the edges of the sport — where inclusivity, kindness, and the alternative command the pitch. 

Through the briskness of moves, the constant passing of the holy ball, and the tactility of garments clinging to sweaty skin, football also rhymes with safe-haven driven community, and with the tasteful freedom of self-expression. For Glamcult #144, we partnered with Zalando to delve into the local creatives doing football differently. A docuseries dripping in sartorial intention, where an UNDERCURRENT is deliciously nourished, and flourishes across FLINTA and queer teams, tournaments fueled on all-around inclusivity, and communities bound by something larger than the game.

It’s with the purest, sincerest curiosity that journalist and writer Frida Boeke encounters strangers on a weekly basis, an instinct that also fuels her column in the Dutch newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad. Passionate about bridging the everyday with larger geopolitical themes — from climate change to activism — her work binds genuine wholeheartedness with the serendipity of the everyday. And these meaningful encounters materialise on the football pitch too. Reflecting on the past, Frida goes way back with ball sports, with a serious field hockey career through her teens and early twenties, until one day, she and her teammates made the switch. She reflects on how she wishes football had played a bigger part in her upbringing. “The benefit of football is that all social classes play it,” she says, a sharp contrast to field hockey’s flirtation with poshness. She makes special mention of the canteen, where all social bubbles gather post-match, after a sweat-dripping, pour-it-all-out game on the pitch. A place for “checking out of everything,” from the bustling rhythm of life. “You’re just pushing each other a bit, joking around.” And deeper than that: “It connects me on a deeper level to my friends to do something physical together.”