ON THE TEAM OF SENDERS FC

PhotographyEditor:Charlotte Davies

Tristan Sharman

Back in September 2021, when I was first invited along to watch Senders FC play a match of Sunday League Football, I would not have labelled myself as much of a sports fan I also held the belief that I was more deserving of the title of ‘friend with a camera’ than I was of ‘photographer’ Nevertheless, I saw a low-stakes chance to get back into photography, my hobby that had fallen to the wayside since coming to university. So, I agreed to come along, and to my surprise really enjoyed myself. Sure, Senders FC endured a crippling 4-9 defeat against Bayern Bru, but I admired the team for remaining undeterred and keeping a strong sense of comradery and fun Beckett, who was the Senders FC left-back, social media manager and friend who had invited me, loved the photos I had taken. He proudly shared them with the team, who were grateful and eager for more. So, it came to be that the following Sunday I returned to take more. Then as best as I could arrange, I would take Senders FC photos again, and again, and again! At present, I have covered almost a dozen matches, and can confidently claim that I’ve taken the most shots of anybody on the team! I’m proud and grateful that with each match I have been able to improve my photography, whilst also feeling increasingly like one of the team. Has this given me the urge to drop the camera and lace up some football boots? No, not yet. That said, Senders FC has taught me that opportunities to practise skills and feel part of a community can come from unlikely sources, and that those opportunities are always worth a shot!