While the Euros again ended in sadness for the English team, its followers and for England itself, my attendance of the tournament in Germany left me with great spiritual hope as well as fulfilment.
For I witnessed how a collective anticipation built on football, patriotism and faith can create a camaraderie both unrelated to an individual team’s performance and one which transcends all borders.
Looking back on that giddy time, I realise that I was not just a fan. I was a footie pilgrim on a journey, full of many of the lessons usually involved in a more traditional pilgrimage like the Camino de Santiago or Via di Francesco to Assisi.
