Football
Football was a popular sport played on Earth. A team game, the object was to advance a ball, called "a football", into the opposing team's net or goal. A single individual stood within the goal and defended it against attack when the opposing team attempted to kick the ball into the net. As the name of the game implied, the ball was typically advanced with the feet.
The Doctor and football
As a player
The Doctor had some personal experience playing the game. During World War I, the Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler participated in a German/English football match on the front lines at Christmas. (COMIC: The Forgotten) Later, the Tenth Doctor lived with Mickey Smith for a short period of time and played on Mickey's local team. (COMIC: The Lodger) In a similar circumstance, the Eleventh Doctor played football with Craig Owens for his pub's team, the King's Arms. Oddly, this time the Doctor seemed unfamiliar with the game. He asked Amy Pond if it was "the sport with the sticks". Despite this, he proved to be an excellent player, pretty much winning the game single-handedly. (TV: The Lodger) While spending "about an hour" being busy while Amy and Rory watched the mysterious cubes that had just arrived, playing football with himself in their garden was one of several activities he did to keep busy. (TV: The Power of Three)
As a spectator
His eighth incarnation was a positive fan of the sport. He once got involved with a mystery at the stadium of Delchester United that involved star Roy Hobbs. After solving that mystery, he happily set down in the stadium and enthusiastically cheered United on, even joining in with the typical human use of a football rattle. (COMIC: Doctor Who and the Nightmare Game) On another occasion, and much to Charley's disdain, the Eighth Doctor enthused over Italy's 3-1 World Cup victory over Germany and briefly joined in the public celebrations in the Italian village of Ferrara. Unbeknownst to the revellers, however, Ferrara (and the world beyond) was being invaded by the Threllips. As part of the subterfuge to end the invasion, the Doctor convinced the Threllip that the jubilation in Ferrara was actually a sign of an illness called "World Cup Fever", to which the Threllips were also susceptible. (AUDIO: Living Legend) He also once claimed encyclopaedic knowledge of Liverpool F.C., and lamented the dismal quality of the 2013-2014 squad. (AUDIO: The Next Life)
The Fifth Doctor, though obviously a bigger fan of cricket, was at least a conversant fan of the sport. Soon after meeting her in Lanzarote, he took Peri to the 1936 FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. There, they watched Arsenal take on Sheffield United. The Doctor tried to educate the young American in the sport of football. (PROSE: The Church of Football)
Other incarnations were perhaps a little less enthusiastic.
The Ninth Doctor admitted wearily to Mickey Smith that the TARDIS scanner could tune into football matches. (TV: Aliens of London) Mickey, in fact was a big fan of the sport. He suggested to Rose Tyler after Henrik's blew up that they go to a pub. Only when pressed did he admit to wanting to go there because there was a match on. (TV: Rose)
Much earlier, the First Doctor had an unpleasant brush with the World Cup. A "Blessing Star" buried by Susan at I.M. Foreman's junkyard in 1963 was found by a rag and bone man in 1966. After defeating WOTAN, (TV: The War Machines), the Doctor took advantage of being in London again by trying to find the alien jewel. Unfortunately for the Doctor, the man was using it while watching the 1966 World Cup Finals. Somehow, the thoughts of all of England focused through the Star. Though the Star helped England get a crucial goal over Germany, it exploded because it overloaded. The Doctor was highly displeased to have lost the jewel over the match. (PROSE: The Rag and Bone Man's Story)
Football and humanity
Football was popular among the general population, specifically males, and notably in the United Kingdom. (TV: Rose) It was not always played professionally, as K9 found out when a number of youths began kicking a football at him in the streets. In response he stunned several of them and set the football alight with his photon beam. (PROSE: The Old Rogue) Indeed, football was often an extra-curricular activity provided by schools like Park Vale Comprehensive School. Sarah Jane and Clyde once interviewed Steve Wallace about clowns, while he was practising on the school's football pitch. (TV: The Day of the Clown)
By the 347th century, football had been long forgotten. The rules were uncertain. Some scholars believed the players were killed. (PROSE: The Slitheen Excursion)
Behind the scenes
- The airing date of The Lodger, in which the Doctor plays football, was two days into the FIFA World Cup 2010. As the episode finished, the first England/USA match started on ITV.
