Bobby Moore leading the national team to victory at the 1966 World Cup, Paul Gascoigne’s flood of tears in 1990, one of the many tournament exits on penalties—each English soccer fanatic has a personal moment of joy or more often torment etched on to their psyche. This photo essay by Brooklyn-based photographer Stefan Ruiz, former Creative Director of the seminal Colors magazine, was shot for issue five of The Green Soccer Journal. It features a cross-section of modern England fans, showcasing the diversity of the sport today and interspersed with photos of St. George’s Park, a new state-of-the-art training facility built by the English Football Association to help the national team compete with the best in the world. “We wanted to portray something that felt genuine and honest and Stefan can connect on that level easily,” says GSJ co-founder, Adam Towle. “You only have to reference his previous work to understand. He is able to draw a lot of character from a very simple set-up.” Actor Ed Skrein, comedian Doc Brown and music video director Luke Monaghan make an appearance; also featured are rising figures in British fashion, including Katie Eary and Charlie Casely-Hayford (son of decorated menswear designer, Joe Casely-Hayford). NOWNESS spoke to Towle and co-founder James Roper about the eternal attraction of their national team.

Where did the idea for the One Nation feature come from?
Adam Towle: We approached [new England kit sponsors] Nike with a pitch from the perspective of disillusioned England fans. We wanted the magazine to support this new era of English football but didn’t personally feel connected to the team. We didn’t feel like there was much love for the shirt from both fans and players. It turns out that Nike had similar thoughts with regards to this and for their national campaign, so we set about thinking of ways to reignite a spark.

Do you have any favorite shirts from the past?
James Roper: One of my mine is the one from 1999-2000 which looks very similar to the new kit. I think it was one of the first times it felt quite smart to wear an England shirt. The difference now is that the shirt is very technical and nice to play in, some of the one’s from the 90’s were great but not ideal to run around in for 90 minutes!

What are your most memorable moments from England’s soccer history?
AT: For me it is when England beat Holland 4-1 during Euro 96. It felt like a massive result against a big team at that time, I remember feeling pretty optimistic.

JR: For me I think it must have been [Michael] Owen’s goal against Brazil at the 2002 World Cup. My emotions may have been heightened by the fact it was the first tournament where I was able to go to the pub with friends and skive off from sixth form college—all pretty exciting for an 18 year old in Derby!