You, soccer and your girl- She doesn’t have to hate it

Too many women are not only completely disinterested in the English Premier League or UEFA Champions League or all those other leagues that light your weekends and some weekday nights – they see them as an enemy to your relationship. You know this all too well from the way she reacts when you say you can’t hang out with her on a Saturday afternoon because there’s an important match you have to watch.

It really doesn’t have to be that way. Whether you will end up with her by your side at those match-watching sprees or still alone but fighting less about it, you want as peaceful a relationship as you can get. Here are a few things to consider for your peace:

Talk

Do not assume that she knows how important it is for you to watch that match. She also doesn’t know that the way she acts every time you say you’re going to watch a match does not auger well with you. Make it clear that you feel bad about her disregarding your love for football. At the end of the day, you might just become subconsciously more assertive about football, which will elicit more annoyance from her and the vicious cycle continues. The power of clear communication is likely to be underestimated in situations like this where there are general assumptions such as women not liking football just because men love it so much.

Invite her to watch some matches with you

Once communication has done its trick of changing both your attitudes towards the subject, let her know that you wouldn’t mind her watching football with you. It might sound impossible but you will be amazed that the impossibility of it was cemented by your rigid perspectives of the same. An open mind and honest communication can work miracles. If she still isn’t interested, don’t hold it against her- it is your hobby, not hers. You can always find peace about it without necessarily having her like it.

Be patient, she actually doesn’t know

If she ends up by your side during those matches, and she asks something like ‘Which is the team in Red?’ please be patient. Bear in mind that she is actually clueless and sitting there without knowing what exactly is going isn’t going to encourage her to watch another match. The more she understands, the easier it is for her to plug in during the next one.

Find a balance- What if the lights went out when there’s curfew?

Open your mind to the fact that it is not a must that you watch all those matches that you really want to watch. If circumstances beyond you prevailed, like a blackout, you wouldn’t watch and life would go on. Sacrificing a few matches to be with her will go a long way in convincing her that she is still very important to you.

This article was written in 2020 by Ann Muitiriri

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