Making Moments Matter

Shani Glover, England

We have teamed up with MiXR, the app that helps you find the best pubs and bars to watch football, to showcase the diversity of fan and pub culture throughout England and Scotland during the 2024 Euros. Eight passionate fans have documented the tournament atmosphere at MiXR pubs across the UK while cheering on their national team to show there is a place for any fan, whatever you’re for.

Shani Glover is empowered by her love for football and cheered on England at Cheshire Cheese in London.

My name is Shani Glover and I am 28 years old. I currently live in Essex, but I was born and raised in Hackney, London. I have three jobs - I am an Assistant Headteacher in a Primary School in Enfield, the Director of Operations for Impact Football Academy (a grassroots football club) and an Equal Game Ambassador for the London Football Association. 

If I summarised my love for football in one word I would say ‘empowerment’! Football provides numerous opportunities for players, families, and communities on and off the pitch.

I stopped playing at thirteen years old and if my thirteen-year-old self saw my love for football, she would not believe it! As a young girl, I did not see a future for myself in the game so I stopped playing, stopped watching, and forgot about the sport. 

My husband used to play for Arsenal and he played in the 2014 World Cup Qualifier for Rwanda against Algeria. Watching him play reignited my love for the game. Due to an injury, his career ended abruptly, and in 2017 he founded Impact Football Academy. I joined the committee and my love for the game continued to flourish. At 22, I started playing 5-a-side football. I have been on international trips with our grassroots club and featured in campaigns with Umbro, Volkswagen, Hoodrich and BT Sports. 

Impact Football Academy encourages and enables boys, girls and women to play sports by providing grassroots football training for all. It was founded by Jonathan Muleba and Alfred Mugabo - both ex-professional footballers from Hackney, who wanted to make a difference in the lives of local young people by giving them access to high-quality training. We currently have over 400 players across two locations, Hackney and Harlow. The club is accredited by England Football and our players range from age four to thirty-four. 

The annual ESF Butlins Tournament trip and international football trips (Belgium 2023 and Barcelona 2024) stand out as shining examples of the club's commitment to broadening horizons. For many children who attend, opportunities for travel and exposure to different cultures have been limited. 50% of the children we took to Belgium had never left the country. 

Football has opened doors that I did not think were possible. It has enabled me to provide opportunities for young people and women throughout London. 

Embracing Pub Culture

Growing up, I watched England with my dad. At university, I embraced the football pub culture and this continued as I began to work in Education (teachers do enjoy summer evenings in the pub). 

When I think about football pub culture, the word universal springs to mind. I love that you can walk into almost any pub and enjoy watching a game with strangers or loved ones. Pub culture is the cheers as the team you support scores and the disappointment that echoes throughout the room when they miss. It is the tension that builds if a game goes to penalties. All those emotions are shared by every person in the room and that is truly magical. 

I found myself glued to the Euros in 2021 and I travelled up and down the country watching games with my friends and family. We watched England vs Ukraine in Bournemouth and the heartbreaking final in Watford. I have also enjoyed watching the Lionesses and had the opportunity to meet a few former Lionesses in recent years.  

On And Off The Pitch

I have been an Arsenal fan from age ten, much to the disdain of my dad because he is a massive Liverpool fan. I bought my first football shirt in 2005. Looking back at the 2005 Arsenal squad, I loved the diversity. I remember being able to name all the players in the team, but seeing multiple players who looked like me and my family made a difference. Representation matters. 

At the same time, Anita Asante was playing for the women's team. Although I gave up on the dream of becoming a footballer at thirteen, these role models shaped my love of the game. Young girls battle with so much, especially around puberty; your body changes and the thought of running around in shorts is something you start to think about. This, along with the lack of equality in the women's game, caused me to not see a future for myself in the game. It is now my mission to encourage girls to keep playing. I am fortunate to be able to achieve this through the work I do with the London FA and Impact Football Academy. 

My journey with football has been an interesting one, a big highlight for me was scoring in my first five-a-side game at 22. I had not played in almost a decade, but that feeling of being back on the pitch and not looking too out of place was wonderful. 

Football is more than playing or watching. It has truly become a part of our everyday lives, especially when it comes to fashion. Arsenal releases multiple shirts throughout the season and every time I wear my Arsenal x adidas by Stella McCartney shirt, I receive so many compliments - even from non-Arsenal supporters. 

Traditions New And Old

I try to make moments around England matches memorable for the young people and parents that I work with. I have organised watch parties and coordinated replica tournaments in my school. This Euros we go again! Every match that is played on TV, we play in the school playground. Our Round of 16 and Final may look a little different, but these experiences do bring the sport to life for my school community. We will kick off the Euros with all students and staff wearing football shirts to school on Friday, 14th June. 

During the Euros and World Cup, it is mandatory that I watch at least one game with my family. We all live in different places throughout the UK but we come together for it. This Euros will be even more memorable, as I start a new tradition as a new mum and this will be our first Euros as a family wearing the England kit. 

This summer, I look forward to beer spilling as we celebrate England’s victories in the pub! The cheers, the smiles and hugs from random strangers; there is something special about watching the national team in the sunshine.