For content creator Maya Campion, a football has never just been a piece of sporting equipment – it has been a universal passport.
Having moved across Japan, Oman, Thailand, China, and Qatar all before the age of 16, Campion used the beautiful game as a constant anchor to build immediate connections across diverse cultures without ever needing to speak the same language. From her upbringing in a passionate Manchester United household to playing for the Qatar national team and college soccer in Miami, her journey eventually led her to digital storytelling.
Close-Up Culture’s James Prestridge sat down with Maya (@maya.pitchside) to discuss the transcendental power of World Cups, navigating identity beyond the pitch, and the exact “pinch-me” moment that proved her content creation journey was just getting started.
James: What role has football played in your life, and how has it helped you connect with people and different cultures?
Maya: Growing up, I moved across Japan, Oman, Thailand, China and Qatar, all before I was 16. As you can imagine, that was quite challenging and required me to adapt a lot.
Football was my constant. Despite everything changing around me, football gave me an opportunity to connect with people so quickly. You don’t even need to speak the same language. The majority of the friends I’ve made have been through football. You just need a ball, and kids can get along and make friends so easily.
It allowed me to connect with so many different people, regardless of all the external differences between us. I’m incredibly grateful because it gave me friendships that I still have to this day, but it also provided some structure while I was moving between countries and experiencing very different cultures.
I always had training, and my brother, who also plays football, was someone I could always have a kickabout with. We could find a ball and play outside. It was one of the most enjoyable parts of my childhood.
James: It’s a beautiful thing. I imagine you feel that particularly at a World Cup. What makes those tournaments so special?
Maya: I think World Cups are incredible for that reason. You don’t necessarily have that same deep club rivalry, so it’s lovely to see people from different clubs coming together to support their national team.
Some of the most incredible games I’ve been to have involved smaller countries that you might not expect to be there, doing amazing things. You can see how much it means to their fans and how much it means to the country.
I went to a Bosnia and Qatar game, which was particularly special because I spent many years living in Qatar and now live in Slovenia. The support for Bosnia here is huge, and the Balkan support for the team, particularly after they knocked Italy out, was incredible.
You could really feel what it meant to them. The diaspora for Bosnia is huge, particularly in the US, and the stadium was so loud. They sang throughout the entire game. It was such an incredible experience.
James: How did you first get into football, and what was it about Manchester United that made you fall in love with the club?
Maya: I think a lot of people can relate to this, but I wouldn’t say I had much choice in which team I supported. It’s quite generational. My dad is a huge United fan, his dad was a United fan, and it’s been passed down through the family.
My mum is a Tottenham fan, although we’re slowly converting her!
Football has been a huge part of my family for as long as I can remember. My dad used to roll the ball towards my left foot because he wanted to develop it and turn me into a left-footed footballer. Unfortunately, I’m right-footed, so that didn’t work too well!
We were around football my whole life. We went to World Cups, and I was even at the 2002 World Cup in Japan when I was just a few months old. My parents took me along, and most of my childhood photos are of me wearing Manchester United shirts.
So, I didn’t have much of a choice, but I’m glad I was converted into a United fan. I was introduced to the club during some incredible years, which makes things a little tougher now because I know the potential we have.
James: Do you think your experiences growing up across different countries have influenced the way you see and tell football stories?
Maya: One hundred per cent. Growing up across different countries and cultures, as well as studying intercultural psychology, has equipped me with the tools and curiosity to understand football from a deeper perspective than just the result.
I think every supporter has a story, and some of the most interesting parts of football happen off the pitch.
You can speak to almost anyone about football and discover how it’s been part of their family for generations, how it’s shaped their weekends or how it’s helped them build connections with other people.
For many people, going to a stadium or watching football is one of the most enjoyable and stress-free parts of their week. Well, perhaps not if you’re a Manchester United fan at the moment!
Football has such a huge impact on people’s lives because it has the ability to transcend borders and connect people from all over the world. That’s why I’m so passionate about the impact football has had on my life and the impact it can have on others.
It’s also contributed hugely to my identity. No matter where I moved, I always saw myself as a footballer. That was the first thing I would tell anyone about myself. I always wore football shirts in my school photos.
When I finished playing football professionally and at a higher level, I went through a period of questioning who I was without football. I think that’s quite difficult for people who have played continuously throughout their lives. Suddenly, you’re without a club or dealing with injuries, and you start questioning what other parts of your identity are interesting beyond being a footballer.
I think that naturally led me towards football content creation. It gave me the opportunity to remain involved in football without necessarily being on the pitch.
James: That leads nicely into my next question. How did you make the transition from playing football to content creation?
Maya: I played for the Qatar national team before moving to Miami to play football while completing my degree.
The training schedule for university athletes in the US is incredibly rigorous. You might be lifting weights in the morning, doing agility work, training later in the day and then playing games at the weekend. It’s a lot.
Between that schedule and the different coaching styles, I started to lose some of the love I had for football.
After graduating, I decided I wanted to move to another city with a strong football culture. I’d also never lived in Europe before, despite having European heritage, so I moved to Lisbon.
I started playing five-a-side and futsal there, and I enjoyed it so much. It brought back my love of playing with other people and connecting through football. It reminded me why I enjoyed the game in the first place.
I knew I was going to the World Cup and, having attended the majority of World Cups and European Championships with my family, I wanted to take the opportunity to create content in the build-up to the tournament.
I was living in Barcelona for a while before moving to Slovenia. As I mentioned, the support for Bosnia here is huge, and I became really interested in hearing those stories.
You always hear about how Argentina, Germany or England might perform, but I wanted to explore the perspective of Bosnian supporters and what it meant to them to be represented at such a huge tournament. For many of them, simply being there was an achievement in itself, regardless of how the team performed.
I started creating content around three or four months before the World Cup. When I was there, I continued making content and co-hosted some episodes of a podcast where I shared predictions and some football analysis ahead of each game.
Football is so unpredictable, so you never really know what’s going to happen. The tournament produced some really exciting results, which gave us plenty to discuss.
Most importantly, it gave me the opportunity to connect with other people and have those open conversations about football.
James: You’ve already had some brilliant experiences through your social media and content creation. Has there been a particular moment when you’ve stopped and realised how far you’ve come? A real pinch-me moment?
Maya: I’m still quite new to the football content creation scene, so there have already been a few exciting moments.
About a month ago, I received an email from Nike. I saw the name and immediately thought, “Wow!” They invited me to watch England play Czechia at Wembley.
That was a huge moment for me because they wanted me to be there and experience the FA lounge. I was actually in Serbia when I received the email, and I immediately booked my flight to London.
I was there for 24 hours before heading back, but I couldn’t miss the opportunity.
Growing up, I didn’t get to attend many games in England because I was living in other countries. So whenever I get the opportunity to visit Old Trafford or Wembley, it’s incredibly special.
Watching England at Wembley was quite surreal, and it was also a brilliant opportunity to meet other people working in similar areas, including people involved with sports charities and the wider sports industry.
It was a really exciting experience.
James: Do you have a vision for where you’d like your career to go? Are there any particular goals or experiences you’d love to achieve in the future?
Maya: I’d love to interview footballers. That would be an incredible experience.
We don’t get to see enough of who these players are as people. Interviews that go viral often give us a glimpse of their personalities outside football. For example, I saw one recently with Morgan Rogers, and it showed just how funny he is away from the pitch.
It gives supporters a more personal connection with the players they’re watching week in, week out. I think having the opportunity to showcase that side of footballers would be really special.
I also think we sometimes forget that footballers are human beings. Often, it’s only when a player comes forward and speaks openly about their struggles that people realise what they’ve been going through. Dele Alli is a good example. His experiences came as a huge shock to many people, but it highlighted the immense pressure players are under.
I’d love the opportunity to get to know footballers, managers and other people working in football on a deeper, more personal level and help tell those stories.
James: I think that’s a brilliant ambition.
Thank you so much for your time, Maya. It’s been a pleasure hearing about your journey and your relationship with football.
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