Pay:
We pay to get mangled and broken
bones shattered and muscles torn
our brains shaken
We pay to get ran ragged on Sundays
midweek we run in the dark, avoiding potholes
otherwise we work alone
We pay for coaches to take us up and down the country
to play on pitches with one goalpost, hills and valleys
but no fans
We pay to sit on the bench and watch all year
waiting for a chance to prove ourselves
if it comes, when it comes
We pay to test ourselves against fellow players
to impose ourselves and to be beaten
to learn and improve
We pay to get burnt in the scorching sun
to get soaked in the rain, damp in the snow
ground into the mud
We pay because otherwise
we couldn't do what we do
