When people talk about West Ham United’s tradition of “cultured football” they are usually referring to the the London club’s great players, who include the 1966 England World Cup-winning trio of Bobby Moore, Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst.

But the phrase will take on a different meaning with a performance that has seen the West Ham Foundation and professional dancers team up with dozens of fans and refugees, all aged between five and 80, to create a new contemporary dance work.

‘Home Turf’ is an hour-long show being premiered on Saturday at London’s Sadler’s Wells theatre exploring “the highs and lows of football”.

While some see the arts and sport as being at the opposite ends of a spectrum, for composer Murray Gold they have plenty in common.

“For me, sport and drama is very much the same thing,” the 47-year-old, who grew up watching football in his native Portsmouth on England’s south coast, told AFP in an interview before a dress rehearsal.

“When I watch a football match, it’s the most dramatic kind of drama when you don’t know even how anything’s going to end.

“If you watched Manchester City play Bournemouth a couple weekends ago, Manchester City under (manager) Pep Guardiola looked like a ballet team.

“The movements were so precise, the choreography was perfect.”

– ‘Unifying’ –

For Gold, best known for his work on several British television series including Doctor Who, working with a mixed-ability cast of differing ages has been an intriguing experience.

“What I love is that one minute you can have on the stage this group who is clearly amazing and technically brilliant.

“And then the next minute you have for example 25 men and women who are in their 70s, who are not as agile as the young dancers but there is something about the participation and seeing them on stage which is very moving, very touching,” Gold said.

The performance doesn’t shy away from some of football’s darker issues such as hooliganism.

West Ham’s move to their new home at the London Stadium has been overshadowed by crowd control problems which saw some supporters brawling with visiting Watford fans and even with each other during a recent defeat.

“Every club has at some stage had some problem with hooliganism,” said Gold. “I find football very unifying.

“I can go anywhere in the world and talk about football to most strangers.”

While performing on a stage is nothing new for the members of the National Youth Dance Company in the cast, it certainly was for Saadia Abdullah, a 21-year-old refugee from Eritrea now living in London.

“It is my first time on the stage, I’m a little bit nervous,” she said.

“When you start dancing as child it’s easier. For us now it’s harder, but it’s never too late to be a dancer.”