Getting social and sporty: joining a new club

New country, new hobbie.

Salsa, yoga and spanish topped my list before my arrival but all of these have been quickly kicked aside for football, aka soccer.

In a bid to make new friends and get stuck into my shiny New York life I followed all the advice and took up a new, and surprising, sport.

A Wednesday meeting on a local soccer field, mixed gender, has now turned into a weekly highlight. I've met new people, embarrassed myself fully and learnt a new version of footsy.

This is what I've learnt so far:

- trying to look good doesn't earn you any points, get muddy!

- when people know that you're english, they have high football expectations, distance yourself from these as quick as possible

- forget the urge to stick to one particular spot and move around

- laugh off all the missed kicks and wrong moves, it's all for fun

- boys take it far more seriously than girls, shrug off their aggression

- stick at it, you'll get better