As a young boy I spent almost every waking moment playing football

That is real football AKA soccer

In the beginning it was a purely physical game

If I had the ball I ran fast towards the goal

Once the goal was in sight I kicked it hard goalward 

If I was very lucky I scored

If somebody else had the ball I ran towards them fast

As I got close I tried to kick the ball away from them

Often I missed and kicked the other player or they got away from me

I did not score many coals back then

Almost everybody in both teams played exactly the same way

Nobody played in a set position except the goalkeepers

The remaining 20 kids on the field all chased the ball together in a huge huddle

Our team coach spent a lot of time teaching us the right way

We were all given a set position and drilled to stay in that zone

I was a central defender and it suited me well

My job was to guard the middle of the defense and stop the opposing team progressing 

Once I got possession I had to pass to one of our team upfield

Our team became more skilled in moving our players into open positions

I was a good central defender and hoped to become a professional

At the age of 8 I was taught to play chess at school

With 16 pieces on my side I had to out maneuver my opponent

I could put those players in any position I wanted

I could attack or defend depending on the situation

I became the team coach for my 16 players

Of course there is no physical side to chess 

Its a game of strategy, tactics and forward thinking

I became a very successful chess player in my youth

My chess training also helped me become a better football player

I never achieved my dream of being a professional footballer

Hanging up my boots when I was 18

I never became a chess grand master either

Half a century later I rarely play chess but I do watch a lot of football on TV

I can see the patterns in the play and can predict the next moves

I am thrilled when my team pulls of a daring set of passes to score

To the untrained eye its just a bunch of folks kicking a ball around a field

In my mind football is a game of chess played at 200mph

With 2 coaches on the sideline orchestrating the mental battle

After each game I enjoy studying the detailed analysis

Heat maps showing where each player spent most time

Diagrams showing the formations of each team when attacking or defending

Arrows showing how passes led to a goal

football is a fascinating sport to play or watch

I will be forever grateful to the teacher who taught me chess

my chess playing skills morphed in my football playing games

my football spectating era morphed into watching a chess like game