By Ammar Mirza CBE
Every two years something remarkable happens.
Streets become quieter. Pubs become louder. Living rooms become mini stadiums. Complete strangers suddenly become experts in formations, substitutions and refereeing decisions. Hope rises. Expectations soar. Hearts inevitably race.
And, once again, we all start singing, “It’s Coming Home.”
Whether England ultimately lift the trophy or not almost becomes secondary. Football has an extraordinary ability to unite generations, communities and complete strangers in a way that very few things can.
Yet as I have found myself watching the World Cup unfold over the past few weeks, I have also been reflecting on something much closer to home.
Last month, whilst walking through Sunderland in my role as High Sheriff of Tyne and Wear, I stumbled across one of the most fascinating plaques I have ever seen.
It commemorated Charles William Alcock.
Born in Sunderland in 1842, Alcock went on to change football forever.
He organised the very first official international football match between England and Scotland in 1872.
He was also the driving force behind creating the FA Cup, arguably the greatest domestic cup competition anywhere in the world.
Think about that for a moment.
Every year millions of people watch the FA Cup Final. Hundreds of thousands of clubs across the globe now compete in knockout cup competitions inspired by the very format that Alcock pioneered. Football has become a universal language spoken in virtually every country on earth.
And the architect behind much of that story first opened his eyes in Sunderland.
We often hear debates about where football was truly born.
Sheffield rightly celebrates the world’s oldest football club. Others point to Cambridge, Nottingham or public schools that helped shape the early rules of the game.
But when it comes to the FA Cup, international football and much of the organised structure that transformed football from a pastime into the global phenomenon we know today, the North East has every reason to stand proudly alongside that history.
It reminded me of something I have written about many times before.
The North East has always punched above its weight.
Whether it is engineering, shipbuilding, mining, science, innovation, music, sport or entrepreneurship, this region has consistently produced ideas and people that have shaped the world, often without receiving the recognition they deserve.
Sometimes we become so familiar with our surroundings that we stop noticing the extraordinary stories beneath our feet.
A simple plaque during a walk through Sunderland became a powerful reminder that history is often hiding in plain sight.
As England continue their World Cup journey, perhaps it is worth remembering that a small part of every international tournament can trace its origins back to our own region.
The first international fixture.
The oldest national cup competition.
A vision that changed global sport forever.
Not bad for a lad from Sunderland.
Football has always been about far more than ninety minutes. It creates friendships, strengthens communities, teaches teamwork, resilience and belonging. It gives children dreams, volunteers purpose and entire towns something to rally around.
Those values resonate far beyond the touchline.
As High Sheriff, I have seen firsthand how sport brings together people from every background, every faith and every generation. It creates healthier lives, stronger communities and opportunities that extend well beyond the final whistle. In many ways, football embodies exactly what our region is capable of when people come together with a shared purpose.
So, as millions once again sing, “It’s Coming Home,” perhaps we should pause for a moment and smile.
Because in one very important respect, it already did.
Long before football conquered the world, one of its greatest pioneers began his own journey here in the North East.
Sometimes the greatest stories are not found in the stadium.
They are found on a quiet street, on an overlooked plaque, reminding us that history, quite literally, began at home.
High Sheriff of Tyne and Wear, Ammar Mirza CBE, is Chair and Founder of ABConnexions & Executive Chair of the AmmarM Group. He also serves as Honorary Colonel of the 101st (Northumbrian) Regiment Royal Artillery and holds a range of roles across the public and private sectors as a leader in inclusive innovation, investment and internationalisation.