At the schools football tournament

Ukraine v England.  For months the embassy has been preparing for the Ukraine-England game in Dnipropetrovsk on 10 October.  We're expecting a couple of thousand England fans, so our No.1 priority is to ensure that they arrive and make their way to the match in maximum safety; enjoy the game; and travel home OK.  The process starts by ensuring that the travel advice on the FCO website is as full and accurate as possible.  The "know before you go" campaign has been a big success, giving travellers heading out all over the world sensible advice not only about conditions in the country they're heading for, but also about insurance and other key preparations (hint: IF YOU'RE TRAVELLING, GET INSURED!!).  The embassy also liaises with the Ukrainian authorities and the UK police to make sure that everyone concerned is as well prepared as possible for the arrival of the fans, including the stationing of visiting British police officers, and consular teams from the embassy (beefed up with visiting consular officers from other posts - thanks, everyone) in key sites across eastern Ukraine.  Even as we complete a final preparatory meeting for the consular arrangements on 7 October we hear that a first fan has lost his wallet and passport on his way from the airport.  The first car-load of staff leaves Kyiv for the 6-hour drive to Dnipropetrovsk on 8 October.

The other side of the game is public diplomacy work with a football theme.  In the weeks running up to the match we and the British Council have organised radio quizzes about football and a series of events around Dnipropetrovsk including a press breakfast on British fan culture and a fan-friendly match between British and Ukrainian supporters.  My first job on arriving in town on 9 October is to attend the final of a school football competition for 9- and 10-year-olds in which each of the teams represents a different European country.  The final is between "Kazakhstan" and "Belgium", with the former scooping the trophy after a hard-fought 1-hour game.  There are hundreds of spectators, many from teams already eliminated, and the electric atmosphere is boosted further by the presence of Ukrainan football  superstar Andriy Rusol   and several teams of cheerleaders.  I make a short speech about how football can contribute to diversity and tolerance, then hand over the massive trophy to the diminutive captain of the winning team.  From there, it's on to a lunch with British fans, then a Q+A session at the Dnipropetrovsk Mining University, where I'm impressed by the high quality of questions, all in English, from the several hundred students. As after my recent meeting with students at Taurida University in Crimea I leave the room in an optimistic frame of mind. I then meet the Governor of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and the Mayor of the City for a dinner on the newly-redeveloped embankment of the mighty river Dnipr.

The morning of the match dawns clear and bright.  We start the day by laying a wreath, along with fans, at the Memorial of Eternal Glory, which commemorates the freeing of Dnipropetrovsk in 1943.  It's a moving ceremony attended by WW2 veterans bedecked with medals.  Then there's a match between British and Ukrainian fans at a nearby stadium, where I and the deputy mayor present the prizes to the two teams; and a late lunch with leading football figures from the UK and Ukraine including Lord Triesman, chairman of the English FA and  Hryhoriy  Surkis, head of the Ukrainian FA. There's much talk of the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 and Ukraine's preparations to co-host Euro 2012, before we head off to the Dnipr Arena Stadium for the match.  Yet again I'm impressed by the power of sport: the list of those present in my bit of the tribune reads like a who's who of Ukrainian leaders.  So although I'm disappointed when England lose 0:1, I have the compensation of being able to congratulate all of them on a crucial victory for Ukraine's World Cup qualifying hopes (England having already qualified); and all of them, in turn, are delighted with the outcome.  So if there's such a thing as a win-win in football, maybe this is it.