Most weekends, all across North America, parks and recreation facilities are filled with children from the age of four and above,
playing soccer. Likewise, on the sidelines, their parents and immediate other family members are screaming and shouting at the participants to do better than they could possibly achieve, all punctuated with unsubtle criticism of the opposition.
The expansion of youth soccer can be traced to the mid 1990's. This means that we now have a generation of parents who actually played the sport. The difference is that today, those parents now have just enough experience and knowledge of the game to be would be coaches, despite not actually being asked to do so. Perfectly well adjusted professional people who during the week may make important business and life decisions, feel the need to shout irrational and asinine comments at children and the referees trying to facilitate the game.
Our tale takes place with this as a backdrop to a relationship that begins with two students in London and follows them through a tumultuous relationship that continues in North America where they marry and have a daughter.
Their daughter turns out to be genuinely talented at soccer.
Their differing attitudes to youth sports, along with his career in the money markets which involves him entertaining clients multiple times a week in the bars and restaurants of New York city, sends their marriage to breaking point.
It takes a traumatic event in their lives to bring focus back to their relationship.
