James Graham’s play Dear England should carry a warning that unless you are a dedicated football fan of a certain age or know a thing or two about the recent history of the ‘beautiful game’, this production is not for you!

Dear England tells the story of Gareth Southgate’s eight-year stint as England manager. We follow the highs and lows of his term and take an in-depth look at how he tried to change the culture within the national team setup.

Reflecting what goes on beyond the roar of the crowd, Graham’s work envelops and asks questions about race, identity and mental health in this highly nostalgic and emotive piece.

Dear England takes its title from the letter that Southgate addressed to the country in 2021 during the middle of the pandemic, which aimed to unite fans. It looks at the team's participation in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and the Euros in 2020 and how the team restored national pride after so many failures that had made it somewhat of a joke.

We see how Southgate encouraged his players to think of the game in a new way. He brought in psychologist Pippa Grange, who succeeded in getting the players to overcome their fears of taking penalties and, above all, trust one another.

At nearly three hours, the play is overly long and seems to struggle and lose its way in the second half. The reason for this may be that Graham substantially rewrote the second act of the play, originally premiered in 2023, to include the 2024 defeat in the Euros and Southgate’s retirement in the revival.

It is also overloaded with politically correct themes, and the inclusion of badly acted caricatures of Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss drags down the performance standards. There are also times when the scenes appear confused and ragged.

Director Rupert Goold’s production is seamless, energetic, fast and furious and dynamic in every way. But it’s the ingenuity and sheer brilliance of Es Devlin’s set, which can only be described as "pure gold," that make this production what it is.

David Sturaker excels in the mammoth role of Southgate. He has the voice, mannerisms and persona of Southgate. His recounting of his missed 1996 penalty, “I knew I was responsible for ending people’s dreams,” was moving and came from the heart.

As psychologist Pippa Grange Samantha Womack is strong and highly believable in her characterisation. So convincing is Womack that you really want her to stay with the team, as you know without her regime they will crumble.

Dear England is truly an ensemble show with one of the most energetic and talented casts I have seen for some time. Cast members double and treble roles sometimes at breakneck speeds.

There are wonderful cameos and characterisations of football icons from Graham Taylor, Gary Lineker, and Sven Goran Eriksson to Fabio Capello and Sam Allardyce, and according to my football-loving review buddy, they were spot on, along with the portrayals of some of the ‘old managers’ of the time.

And as for the actors who are tasked with the players' roles, their turbo-charged energy and physical prowess display an amazing team effort.

Dear England is at Leeds Grand Theatre until Saturday 8th November.