As somebody who isn’t usually football’s biggest fan, and who was somewhat forced by their brother to go to the Prince Edward Theatre in London, I actually did really enjoy the Dear England play. What appealed to me was how the play really took a broader view on the highs and lows of sport in general, following the football team’s dynamics with humour, yet focusing on the issues that surround mental health in team sport.
Dear England is a play following the growth and development of England’s National Men’s football team, as Gareth Southgate (portrayed by Joseph Fiennes) is taken in to make a change to England’s pattern of loss. Gareth Southgate’s game for change is followed by three stages in his plan: firstly, qualifying for 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, secondly, persevering through the EUFA Euro 2020 and finally testing their luck and all their work at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022. Throughout these stages, the team’s relationships and struggles are put to the test, and the psychology and mental health due to the pressures of elite team sport are explored. Gareth Southgate also traverses his own past, growing personally, and comes to important realisations in order to bring his team to success.
The play is a fictionalised account, however based on extensive research and interviews, featuring characters inspired by real-life individuals such as the England National Team and Arsenal F.C player, Bukayo Saka, played by Denzel Baidoo. Some composite characters are also completely imagined by the author.
Furthermore, the play touches on the racist abuse explored by players on the England Team following the loss to Italy in the Euro 2020 final in 2021. Staggering stage effects are used to display the detrimental ramifications to the players due to racist hate. In the play, Southgate brings in psychologist Pippa Grange to help with training sessions, encouraging players to face their fears by keeping journals and talking about them. This demonstrates the importance of team connection and how that can assist a sports team to develop.
Olivia Dalle said that she “enjoyed how the play showed a different perspective to football in England, compared to what we only see online and on TV”. The Dear England play provides an insight into how the attitude towards men’s and women’s football needs to be changed as we learn more about team sports in the future.
