For The Love Of Sport
Yorke Christy-Parker, England
Goal Click has teamed up with SailGP to capture the spirit of the league through the eyes of its fans to showcase the emotion, energy, and personal journeys that surround SailGP events.
A lifelong sports fan and sports marketing professional, Yorke attended the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Portsmouth to experience SailGP for the first time with his brother.
My name is Yorke, and I am a 24-year-old Londoner who has been obsessed with sport for as long as I can remember. As a toddler, teenager and now as an adult, I have always looked for ways to play, watch and work in sport. I was lucky enough to be a ball boy at Wimbledon, and I still play tennis regularly, along with football, cycling, snooker and just about everything in between. I now work in sports marketing in London and am building a career in an industry that I am genuinely passionate about.
My family definitely sparked my love for sport. They exposed me to it from a young age and made it easy for me to become sports mad, whether that was playing it, watching it, going to matches, or reading about it. As I got older, that passion continued to grow with my friends as well as my family, through school, clubs, and then university. Everywhere I go, sport plays a huge role in the relationships I build with people.
The relationships and sense of connection that sport creates are what make the industry so appealing to me. I love the bond you form with teammates, with other fans in the stands, and even with the players you watch on TV. Sport has a unique ability to bring people together and create connections that might never happen otherwise, and that's what makes it so exciting to be part of.
I had a year off work last year, and spent a month of it sailing a yacht across the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. I cannot take any credit for planning the adventure - my girlfriend was completing an Atlantic crossing, and I joined her for the final leg - but I absolutely loved every minute of it. Being out on the water and experiencing the different pace of life that sailing brings was both brilliantly exhilarating and incredibly relaxing at the same time.
I had only tried dinghy sailing once before, and that ended with me being towed back to shore after capsizing… so crossing the Atlantic and sailing the Mediterranean was really my first proper sailing experience. The thing I remember most was how close to the water we were. You felt every wave and were only ever a step away from being in the ocean. That closeness to nature made the whole experience feel incredibly special.
I was already aware of SailGP as both a sports fan and someone working in the industry, but properly getting out on a boat definitely motivated me to learn more and experience a race in person.
Always Something Happening
Before heading to the Emirates Great Britain Sail Grand Prix in Portsmouth, I mostly knew SailGP through social media and the commercial side of sport. It has a reputation as one of the most successful start-up sports properties of the last decade, and I have always enjoyed its broadcast and digital content. I had also heard it was even better in person, so with the event in Portsmouth I was eager to see what it was all about.
I went with my older brother, who is a huge sports fan and someone I have always shared that passion with. Growing up, we were constantly kicking, throwing or hitting some kind of ball together, and some of my favourite memories are going to sporting events like London 2012 with him and my family.
The sense of connection that I value so much in sport is even more powerful in real life. A TV can only capture so much, but being there in the moment turns sport into a full sensory experience. You can feel the energy of the crowd, spot things the cameras miss, hear every reaction, and even taste the smoke in the air from the fireworks.
Experiencing all of that firsthand is what makes live sport so special. Sharing those moments with everyone around you and feeling the same highs and lows at the same time is something you can't recreate anywhere else. That's what live sport is all about, and SailGP was no different.
What struck me most was just how much racing there was. For a good three hours, the boats were flying past right in front of us, pulling off incredible manoeuvres while the sailors sprinted from side to side as they swung the boats around tight corners before accelerating away again.
There was always something happening, which created a brilliant atmosphere as cheers went up every time a boat flew past, with the loudest reserved for GBR. The team walk-outs really stood out too. Each crew had chosen a song to hype up the crowd, while fireworks in their national colours went off as they sailed past the grandstand. It was a great way to introduce the teams and get everyone excited before the racing began.
A World-Class Day
If I had to describe SailGP to someone who has never been, I would say it has got all the best bits of a day at the beach – the sun, the sea, the wind and the atmosphere – with a world-class sporting event thrown into the mix. I was genuinely surprised by both the size and speed of the boats, and seeing them up close alongside thousands of other fans all reacting to the same moments made for a fantastic experience.
As someone who enjoys live sport, the setting was what made SailGP feel so different. The athletes are competing out on open water, working with the wind while battling the waves in an environment that is constantly changing. It creates a stage that feels much more dynamic than many other sports, where as much as possible is controlled.
Away from the racing, SailGP did a great job of making sure there was always something happening. There was live music as you arrived, fan zones where you could try tying knots, steering a boat or cranking a winch, presenters and interviews throughout the day, and then the racing itself. I also really enjoyed Après-Sail – it is such a fun concept and was great seeing people dancing as the sun set. It felt like a brilliantly curated event that absolutely flew by.
