00:03Football is played and watched by billions around the world.
00:07It is a sport that touches every corner of the globe.
00:11But where does it call home?
00:15Ask the English and you'll get a definitive answer.
00:20It's coming home! It's coming home! It's coming! Football's coming home!
00:27The earliest attempts to codify the laws of the game happened in England, way back in 1863.
00:37The local governing body assumed such a universal mandate, it is still named THE Football Association, not the English FA.
00:48It's coming! England fans sing about football coming home.
00:55Wembley Stadium is the self-styled home of football.
01:00And there is no modesty when the English talk about the football culture they have exported, good or bad.
01:09England's reward for taking on the role of the game's midwife is...
01:13One solitary major tournament victory for its men's team and regular humiliation.
01:21The slogan coming home is a bit too optimistic and maybe we should go for something different next year.
01:28Perhaps like maybe we'll win or perhaps, perhaps, maybe, perhaps would be a better slogan.
01:38A star-studded England were dumped out of the World Cup on debut by footballing outsiders, the USA.
01:47They were on the wrong end of the most egregious rule breaking in World Cup history, Diego Maradona's handball at
01:54Mexico 86.
01:58Heartbreaking penalty shootout defeats have become part of the national psyche.
02:03We just don't do penalties well, so as soon as it goes to pens, you know straight away that's probably
02:09the end of the line.
02:12But English football has always been about more than the Three Lions.
02:18The FA Cup is the oldest national football trophy.
02:24The Premier League is the most watched domestic competition.
02:27And since its inception in 1992, has revolutionised football commercially.
02:34And from that crucible have sprung the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool.
02:39Clubs that have contributed enormously to how the game is enjoyed throughout the world.
02:44We've got two unbelievable football clubs coming back to Thailand, supported extremely well here.
02:51You know, no doubt, I think they split 50-50 between Liverpool and Manchester United, who they support.
02:58Individuals from Stanley Matthews to Wayne Rooney, Bobby Moore to David Beckham,
03:03have helped make football box office, turning working class athletes into multimillionaire celebrities.
03:12I love working with great brands and great people.
03:16As the largest country in the United Kingdom, England has also played a role amplifying the game in the other
03:22home nations.
03:23There's that word home again.
03:26George Best.
03:28Sir Alex Ferguson.
03:31And Gareth Bale would not be internationally renowned, if not for their border crossings.
03:38Turning inward, England is enormously proud of how football reflects local communities.
03:44And how those expressions of regional pride have been associated with many aspects of the culture.
03:49From politics to music, to embedding football in the national identity.
03:59Stadiums like St James' Park and Anfield are modern cathedrals.
04:03Huge secular testaments to the power of football.
04:09So while England may not have a bulging trophy cabinet,
04:12the country occupies a significant place in football's past and present.
04:19Its status as one of the most important football nations is assured.
04:26If football ever does decide to come home, there's a good chance we know where it's heading.
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