In the stands on a beautiful sunny California Sunday sat a beautiful tapestry of the Los Angeles soccer community - people from all walks of life, families and friends — here to cheer on some of the best players the game has to offer. 

But unlike most fans, Maria’s love of her club didn’t simply end with the men’s first team. The former school teacher was steadfast in her support of Arsenal, attending all the women’s and under-23 matches that she could. She reportedly hadn’t missed any of these matches in years, always remaining positive and backing her beloved Arsenal. Her team.

There have been a few milestones in the four months since her passing that have signaled I may be “getting used” to my grief: when I started sleeping through the night again, or when my appetite went back to normal. But the one thing that has taken the longest to return is my capacity to experience any form of emotion, not just grief or sorrow. How did I know it had started to come back? That’s an easy one.

Over the last few years, the female football scene has hit something of a boom in London. Grassroots leagues are expanding to cater to the increased number of teams all across the capital. But as amazing as it is to see the vibrant football community in London grow, the rest of the country still has some work to do to catch up.  

Beyond football, in other sports and endeavours such as music and art, access and high-quality exposure is a right for the country’s youth. Football’s part in this relationship was succinctly and insightfully revealed to me when Jón summarised the function of Fram to me as “here to serve the community.”

A left-footed defender, he will be remembered on the pitch for his Alessandro Nesta-esque tackles and his incredible work rate, always giving every he could for the team. Davide was a decisive contributor to NY International’s successive promotions and his impact both on and off the pitch cannot be understated.