{"id":2645,"date":"2026-06-13T20:33:23","date_gmt":"2026-06-13T20:33:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2645"},"modified":"2026-06-13T20:33:23","modified_gmt":"2026-06-13T20:33:23","slug":"boston-police-officer-goes-viral-for-showing-off-soccer-skills-at-fifa-fan-fest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2645","title":{"rendered":"Boston police officer goes viral for showing off soccer skills at FIFA Fan Fest"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<div>\n<p><span>A Boston police officer has gone viral on social media for showing off his soccer ball juggling skills to a group of World Cup fans at Boston\u2019s Fan Fest on City Hall Plaza.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2643\">Maddy Karlon, Maynard hold off Hopedale to claim first Division 5 softball title<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>In a video that has quickly spread online, Connor Hardy, a 14-year veteran of the Boston Police Department, juggles a soccer ball in front of an excited crowd Friday night. At the end, the group rushes in towards him, cheering him on for the display.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Hardy told reporters at the FIFA Fan Fest on Saturday he\u2019s had some practice. He played soccer in high school and at Saint Anselm College in Manchester, New Hampshire.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p><span>\u201cI had a little background,\u201d he joked, while standing inside the FIFA Fan Fest on Saturday.<\/span><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p><span>Hardy said he decided to join a crowd of American and Scottish fans playing soccer together. The group was getting \u201crevved up\u201d for the match later in the day between Scotland and Haiti, he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cWhen I went over there, I think they originally thought I was gonna steal the ball and be the fun police,\u201d he said. \u201cI actually just kind of did my thing with them, and it was fun, and it turned out funny.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2641\">Division 1 girls\u2019 tennis title was nearly 50 years in the making for Newton South<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>Hardy said he never expected to go viral. The video of him showing off his juggling skills before getting swarmed by fans has garnered millions of views on social media. A Barstool Sports post featuring the video had racked up more than half a million views alone.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cNever something I thought would happen,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s all good fun though \u2014 it\u2019s great, the World Cup here in Boston.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The Boston Police Department celebrated the interaction.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>\u201cCommunity policing looks a bit different when the @FIFAWorldCup is in town! Our officers celebrated alongside fans, both international and local, during Day 1 of @FWC26Boston Fan Fest on City Hall Plaza!\u201d the police department said in a social media post of the video.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>The video took off online during the first weekend of FIFA World Cup games in Boston. Thousands of fans are expected to pack Boston Stadium in Foxborough for Scotland\u2019s 9 p.m. matchup against Haiti.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Those who can\u2019t make the game have a chance to watch it for free at the City Hall Plaza Fan Fest.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=2639\">Photos: First gameday of the 2026 World Cup in Boston<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a video that has quickly spread online, Connor Hardy, a 14-year veteran of the Boston Police Department, juggles a soccer ball in front of an excited crowd Friday night.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2645","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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