Come Fly With Me
On any given Saturday at 3pm, you are presented with a myriad of options for your football fix. Perhaps one of the stranger options, in the exotic Combined Counties Division, is British Airways FC. The club started out as a works team (an evocative concept - Vauxhall Motors FC, Met Police FC et al spring to mind) in 1947, when BA was known as BOAC. Various mergers and rebrands later, and in 1974, the club as it is today was born, in the West Midlands League. They originally played at the wonderfully named Concorde Centre, but began sharing with Bedfont & Feltham FC when they joined the Combined Counties.
Aeroplanes and airports will always invoke a feeling of anticipation, excitement, serenity and wonder much like football does, so strange bedfellows they may seem, but it works. During a lull in the game, it allows the mind to wander to far flung destinations that feel tantalisingly close, a mile or so next door at Heathrow. At the turnstiles, the equivalent of duty free, it feels delightfully non-league, from a different era. They ‘only charge a pound to cover the printing of the program’.
A strange mix of music, distortedly booming from the speakers, what looks to be a bus shelter, and the main stand with the unmistakable 80s typeface. The guard rails are painted yellow and blue, accidentally Wes Anderson. Roaring engines mixed with dissent and instructions as the players warm up.
Kick off brings an early goal for Woodley United, with the wandering BA keeper caught out in restricted airspace, the away team number 11 is a real chalk on the boots winger. Celebrations just as Gulf Air arrive from Bahrain. The glory is short lived, as a quick fire BA equaliser from a calmly placed free kick on the edge of the area, BA435 from Amsterdam touches down. A Break in play, and LATAM are back from Sao Paulo. It feels a long way from here, Samba and Corinthians, but in many ways, this is just as special.
BA take off down the pitch with neat passing and they finish, incisive from the number 8, who makes it 2-1 with a tap in. On the stroke of half time, Aeromexico arrives, allowing the mind to wander to faraway Guadalajara, Tijuana and Javier Hernandez. This is escapism in its purest form. The Lino even has time for a chat, explaining to all who will listen, the logic behind his decisions, and generally lamenting the state of the professional game, all with a Greek flourish of passion.
The second half begins with new arrivals from Lagos and Islamabad, as the game restarts, with the home sides number 9, Karim Benzema lookalike, Mourad Jarraz, with an incredible acrobatic overhead kick attempt. The constant roaring, coming and going, becomes quite enchanting and discombobulating alongside the natural ebb and flow of the game, as short flights from Aberdeen and Palma make the final approach. Karim/Mourad breaks through the middle and finishes calmly to put the game out of reach for Woodley. Before you know it, it’s 4-1, the perfect landing as the ball spins up after a cruel deflection.
The pain is not over, as it’s a penalty to BA, as the Woodley keeper shoulder barges in the box, penalty converted for the fifth. The keeper then collides with another BA player, gets himself sent off, and it’s handbags. An outfield player is now taking the gloves, a true football unicorn moment. The game is in its final approach and tray tables are stowed, wheels down and it's full time, as an Emirates flight lands from Dubai. The score here is 5-1 to BA, and if you were wondering, BA51 was a flight to Johannesburg.
Non-league football gives you escapism, in much the same way as an airport. The framework and procedures are the same, but the final destination is always unique.
*This article is not sponsored by FlightRadar24
