As anyone who has ever cheered on an England football team, by choice or by birthright, will know, it's a game of exhilarating highs, and unbearable lows.
You remember exactly where you were at every big game - how you felt (and probably still feel) about every excruciating penalty shoot out, the sweet elation of victory - or the searing gut thud of defeat.
And that's why the acclaimed play Dear England really is a must see for every England fan.
This show is a remarkable exploration of every single one of those emotions that we, as fans, and they, as players and as managers have to go through in support of the national game.
In recent years, we've dared to dream just that bit more with the men's England team's fortunes revived under the calm and careful stewardship of Gareth Southgate, and this inventive and really quite inspiring play explores his time in charge.
The show, which had an original, record-breaking run in the West End in 2023, has now been reworked by writer James Graham to reflect the events running up to the Euros 2024.
And we now have the rather neat conclusion, in theatrical terms, of knowing how things end for Southgate's undeniably mesmerising reign.
I was invited down to London to watch the new producton on its big opening night at the National Theatre in London this month. But in a huge regional exclusive this full production is heading to Salford's Lowry arts centre next for a four week run in May.
And for football, and non-football fans alike, it really is an unmissable piece of theatre.
It boasts a stunning stage design from the acclaimed Es Devlin, with two illuminated spheres circling the stage seeming to represent the centre spot of the football pitch as much as the arches of Wembley.
The action starts with a flashback to Euro 1996, and the young Southgate approaching the penalty spot and.... yes we know what happened next.
We then fast forward to 2016, with another England manager on the way out (Big Sam Allardyce in disgrace after just one game in charge, on stage happy to chirp about his "100 % success rate") and a Football Association desperate for someone to steady the ship. In walks Gareth, initially as caretaker, before impressing enough to fully take the reins.
He quietly and calmly says he wants to do things his way, to restore pride in the team, and to "make it fun again". He brings in sports psychologist Pippa Grange (the excellent Liz White) and we watch as they peel back the layers and instill real change for the team.
The show rattles along at a brilliant pace, with an impressive ensemble cast becoming key members of the England team from the past nine years, including some great comedy moments from Josh Barrow as Jordan Pickford, Ryan Donaldson as Harry Maguire and Ryan Whittle as Harry Maguire.
But the play also doesn't shy away from tackling the big issues that have beset the game too - including the appalling racism young players have faced, and the impact and regular abuse on social media.
It also touches on the impact of the Lionesses gaining their historic victory too - although you are left with the feeling that could do with its own play too.
At its heart though, is a performance of a lifetime from film and TV star Gwilym Lee. Anyone who has seen Mr Lee in action as Brian May in Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody will know what a gift he has for taking on a real life icon and perfecting their every mannerism.
But his Gareth Southgate on stage is really something to behold, from the tiniest shuffle of his feet to the twitch of his eyebrows. It's uncanny.... it's also quite magical, it's quite simply an unmissable performance.
I could not have loved this production more, and I think anyone who has ever cheered on England, moaned about England, cried about England, will love it too. We've got it for four weeks in Salford and it's honestly one you don't want to miss.
You may walk out of this show ruing the missed opportunities, wishing that it had all been so different, willing so desperately that that lovely man Gareth got to lift a trophy at the end with the England team.
Or you may feel, as Sir Gareth himself eloquently questioned at the prestigious Richard Dimbleby Lecture just last week, whether “winning a trophy is the only marker of success”.
The adopted England anthem of Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline has everyone singing: "So good, so good" at games. And I can think of no two better words to sum up this play than those. On repeat.
It's what I heard literally every audience member saying on the way out at the interval (or half time). And the audience get to sing along to that refrain for real at the euphoric end (or final whistle) of this play too.
Dear England heads to the Lowry as part of its 25th anniversary year, and it couldn't be more fitting really with the aims of this cultural hub in "making arts accessible to all".
This show deserves to be seen by the widest of audiences, and I hope football fans who may never have set foot in a theatre before can be persuaded that this one really is worth the effort.
Dear England heads to Salford's Lowry theatre from May 29 - June 29. Tickets are available now from lowry.com
