I am very happy to share my blog and project with anyone that comes across it. I am just another football fan from America that wants to share her love for the game. More information about me and why this blog was created can be found on the pages of this website. It’s going to be a fun journey sharing my experiences. When I write about something I love, I write a lot!
I once had a friend, who supports Manchester United, tell me “if you don’t love Fergie, you don’t love football” in reference to legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
As this person I was talking to is a big Manchester United supporter, one would normally know that a United fan would automatically agree with that statement. The work that Ferguson did with Manchester United was incredible from the 1999 Treble team to being the first manager to make Cristiano Ronaldo a star. Multiple Premier League Championships and Champions League wins. It is no wonder why Sir Alex Ferguson was knighted. The Scottish legend managed some of the greatest Premier League teams in history and worked with some of the greatest players to have played the game of football.
However, many Manchester City fans wouldn’t really think to appreciate what Sir Alex did for football. For most of Sir Alex’s reign at United, City lived in the shadow of United. There was nothing more frustrating for City fans than to watch their team in the Championship and League one, while their neighbors were one of the top teams in Europe. In fact, many City fans wouldn’t dare to compare Pep Guardiola to SAF.
I write this because I appreciate what Sir Alex has done for the game of football and respect him, despite being a Manchester City supporter myself. I’m a very opinionated person when it comes to football. Some of my opinions are based off the fact that I support Manchester City, so they may be a little bit more biased. Others are based off my love for the game in general.
Normally, I see a lot of football related opinions shared and debated on on the subsection of Twitter called Football Twitter. Sometimes, people can be ridiculed for certain opinions they have. Maybe because said opinion is very unpopular in the football community, or maybe it is because someone is complimenting a player on a rival team. The fact of the matter is that most of the Football Twitter community is either in their teens or university student age. People may be set off by certain opinions, and sometimes, it can be hard to express an opinion you may have, because of the ridicule you could possibly get from fellow fans.
Before I get into my personal experience, let me say that as a sports fan in general, sometimes you have to look at said sport as a whole. To appreciate a sport, one should appreciate more than just their own team. It is recognizing the legends of the game and giving them respect that makes someone a fan of the game in general. It is easy to recognize that Messi and Ronaldo are currently the two best players in the game and are going to retire being considered the two best players to have ever played it. It is hard not to agree with that statement. Most people believe one is better than the other. Not many people take a step back from the debate of who is better and realize that we, as the football community, are more lucky than we realize to be witnessing both of these players at the same time. Typically, it would be hardest for a Barcelona or Real Madrid fan to accept how good the other’s biggest legend is. There is so much bias. Both of these players have contributed so much to the game that they both need to be appreciated, regardless of what team you support or which one of them you like better. Personally, I prefer Messi, but I respect Ronaldo too and can see why people may prefer him over Messi.
In football, there are so many footballers and managers that should be appreciated by the community as a whole. No one has to necessarily like every one of the legends to have graced the game, but there should that common respect for someone that has made a huge impact on the game. Currently, the biggest managerial debate is whether Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola is the better manager. As a Manchester City fan, I automatically would say Pep, because of what he has done in his time at City. He transformed a squad that had an average age of over 30, brought in some fresh young blood, and has dominated English football by rewriting the record books and turning players such as Kevin De Bruyne and Aymeric Laporte into World Class stars. However, as a football fan, it’s hard not to respect what Klopp has done with Liverpool. He made Liverpool’s front line to one of the best in the world with Salah, Firmino, and Mane, and transformed their defense from one of the worst to arguably the best in the world after signing centreback Virgil van Dijk. Two seasons in a row Klopp led them to a Champions League final and won one of them. The truth is, Klopp and Guardiola were the masters behind one of the best Premier League title races that went all the way to Championship Sunday. Each manager has their strengths and weaknesses, but currently, they are the two best in the world and as the fan of the game, one should recognize that.
Sometimes as a fan of the game, you can’t help but really admire a player that plays on your rival club. Maybe you liked that player before they joined said club. Maybe not. There is just something about said player that you really admire, and it’s admiration for the same kinds of reasons you would have for your club’s players. Maybe it’s their style of play. Maybe it’s their character. Maybe it’s their passion. Perhaps it’s all three. The truth is, you like that player a lot, and in some cases, you’re afraid to express admiration for that player, because they play for a rival club.
For me, my favorite player outside of my beloved Manchester City plays for the team we share the city with. In fact, he’s the captain of Manchester United. Many like to call him Slabhead, but some just like to call him by his actual name, Harry Maguire.
I can’t even remember how many times I’ve told someone that I am a Harry Maguire fan and their reaction has been: “why the hell do you like Slabhead?”
Well, it’s time for my personal story.
As an American, I was able to cheer for whoever I wanted during the 2018 Men’s World Cup, as the USMNT could not qualify. I did not necessarily have a set team. I was going to be happy if any of the Manchester City players won it all, especially David Silva because of all he had endured during the 17/18 season with the possibility of his son dying from being born very premature.
England had been doing particularly well, and I had appreciated that considering Raheem Sterling, John Stones, Kyle Walker, and Fabian Delph (now on Everton) were City players representing England for the tournament. I think one of my top City moments of the World Cup, besides Kevin De Bruyne’s screamer against Brazil, was when John Stones scored a brace against Panama.
In fact, John Stones played so well at the World Cup, one of the Manchester City news sites picked him as the best City player at the tournament. Below is City Watch’s reasoning for ranking John Stones as City’s best player at the World Cup.
Did you notice something? If you read the second to last sentence, you know what I am talking about. Stones played really well alongside Harry Maguire, and I took notice to that as I watched England play. I was really happy to see Stones have a great tournament, considering his luck with injuries, and playing alongside Harry Maguire is what caught my eye. I thought to myself, “hey, this Maguire guy is pretty good too. He seems to have been playing well with both Stones and Walker.” Then there was that famous goal against Sweden in the quarterfinals that made the nickname “Slabhead” famous.
It was that moment that changed my plans of getting a Belgium Kevin De Bruyne shirt to getting an England Harry Maguire shirt. Trust me, it was hard to find, so I ended up having to get it personalized.
So I started following Maguire on social media and watched more videos of him just to get a glimpse of who this guy that’s now famous for a meme based on a picture with his fiance and for that goal against Sweden.
Here’s the meme, but I made it about myself.
So carrying on, I looked into Harry Maguire just to see if I would like him for more than the player he was at the World Cup and the fact that he played really well with a couple of City defenders. Turns out, I would end up really liking his character. I found him, in my opinion, to be humble and seemingly nice guy. He seemed like he was easy to interview as he didn’t seem stuck up, but he’s also seemed to appreciate where he came from and not forget about where he started, and that’s why I think of him as a humble person. He just seemed to be like the type of guy that has his teammates backs and always showed love to those he cares about. Now can I guess everything off social media and interviews? No. I don’t personally know the real story of Harry Maguire, but from what I’ve seen online and on tv, there’s really no reason for me not to like the guy. He doesn’t seem to have a bad bone in his body.
When it comes to his time at Leicester City, there’s one goal I really love and appreciate. You’ll probably remember it very well if you support Leicester, Manchester City, or Liverpool.
As a Manchester City fan, how could you not love this goal? It was my favorite goal of the 18/19 season that was not scored by a Manchester City player. Partially, it was because it was scored by Harry Maguire, and at that point, I was already a big fan of him, but I also loved that it helped Manchester City in the title race, because that game ended in a draw.
So let’s fast forward a bit to the summer transfer window. Vincent Kompany had just left Manchester City, and we were in need of a new centreback, because we only had Aymeric Laporte, John Stones, and Nicolas Otamendi. At that point, Harry Maguire was our number one target for a centreback.
In that point of time, I was one of the only City fans that wanted him. I remembered what he was like at the World Cup and thought to myself, “he would be a great addition to City.” I knew he would pair well with John Stones during times Aymeric Laporte would not start, and he would also play with Kyle Walker. Having experience with Pep’s defenders before, I don’t think it would have taken much time for Maguire to adjust.
Unfortunately, I was ridiculed by many City fans over my advocacy for Maguire to join City. The price was too high for him, because his price tag was higher than Van Dijk’s and the only reason he was worth so much was because he’s English. Well, I see why people had an issue, but we’re Manchester City. We could have easily spent the 80 million pounds on him, but unfortunately, we weren’t the only ones in need of a new centreback.
Manchester United arguably needed him more than City did, and they beat City to him. Did I cry over it? Yes. My boyfriend was gonna buy me a Harry Maguire shirt if he joined City, and I was very much ready for that.
It really sucked seeing one of my favorite players go to United. I wanted him at City so bad, and I knew it was gonna bite City in the ass that we didn’t buy him, especially since we did not spend on a centreback at all.
So the season rolls around and Aymeric Laporte gets injured. Bad news, because he’s easily our best defender. John Stones also had frequent injuries throughout the season. So guess what happened? City had plenty of issues at the back and fell way behind Liverpool in the title race. While City were still ahead of United, United’s defense had improved and kept more clean sheets.
Also, Manchester United captain Ashley Young left in the middle of the season, and who was his successor? That’s right, Harry Maguire! Guess what another issue at City was? The lack of leadership since Vincent Kompany had left.
I’ve had a few City fans that may or may not have ridiculed me for my admiration of Maguire tell me, “you were right about Slabhead.”
Of course I was right, but that is besides the point of this story I am telling.
My parents, who are also big sports fans including City, told me that I can’t love a player less because of the team that they are on. They grew up as Chicago Blackhawks hockey fans and have always respected rival players like Gordie Howe, Maurice “the Rocket” Richard, and Bobby Orr, because they loved the game of hockey and not just the Blackhawks. When it comes to football, my mum really loved Sir Alex and what he did for football and has loved Harry Kane, despite being a City fan. Not only have they seen Manchester City play, but they went to a Sheffield Wednesday game just to a famous football stadium and to appreciate football culture and history. Their last holiday included tours of FC Porto’s stadium and Camp Nou.
My point is that you should not be ashamed of admiring someone if they play for your club’s rival, and you shouldn’t let others ridicule you for it. Be a fan of the game and admire whoever the hell you want. Others may not agree with your opinion, but that is them. Appreciate the game of football in whatever way that you want. I’m not telling whoever reads this to go and support multiple teams, because I believe that we should pick a club and stick to it, but I’m saying that you should admire the players that you admire without people trying to tell you otherwise. What fun is it to enjoy football when you’re overly biased towards your team? The reason some football fans get along with fans of other clubs is because we all appreciate the game of football for what it is and the legends that have graced the game. We’re able to share views with those supporters of other clubs and have meaningful discussions and conversations with them. Sure we don’t agree and sometimes we argue with others, but that is a part of the rivalries that come along with it.
So yes, I am a Manchester City fan that is a huge fan of Harry Maguire, and do I really care that other City fans may hate that I admire him? No. I’m not just a City supporter, but a football fan in general and I like who I like. If Harry somehow ends up reading this, well then here’s to him. It’s still a big dream of mine for him to join City one day, but that may not happen. I’m not gonna like him any less, except when he plays against City of course. I will always admire and respect him and will cheer for him if Liverpool continue to be City’s title rival and the United-Liverpool game is on and when England plays in Euros next year. Other than that, City comes first. So thank you, Harry, for helping me appreciate the game more.
I hope this was able to open a lot of eyes.
In a lot of countries around the world, sports are a huge part of the culture. Sports shape the lives of many people around the world. It has a huge part of their daily lives. Some countries, like the United States, have multiple sports that each make up a good part of the sports culture. In England, however, there is one sport that makes up for the sports culture and that is football (what Americans call soccer).
Football affects the lives of all that live in England, no matter whether someone may watch the beautiful game or not.
While research on sports culture is not a huge thing, it is still a research topic that people discuss. Not much research has been done on football fan culture. In most research, the same points have been brought up. These points include: football is a part of the national identity in England and people have different subidenities based on what club they support. The research is repetitive and does not give a specific enough answer. Thus, the research question is: what experiences does a football fan have in England and how do they experience them?
For the research, multiple settings, such as games, stadiums, museums, and pubs were observed at to determine the answer. Ultimately, the answer to the question is that fans can go to games, museums, stadium tours, football pubs, and even experience culture on social media. However, while some experiences may be the same for all fans, some experiences in England can be different depending on what team someone supports and where they come from. As an American, there are some experiences that change
Written reflections of experiences as well as pictures have been shared throughout this blog.
To begin, the pubs will be discussed.
One piece of previous research that was found was the idea that pubs are a place where people who live in other countries can get together and support an English team together. This results in a community of fans in that country.
What lacks from this information is how big the football pub culture is in England.
It is a place where supporters go to before matches. Usually, a city hosting a football match will have different pubs designated for supporters of each respected club playing. The pubs can get really crowded before and after a match. People can get really chatty in the pubs and at times a little obnoxious. It is a place to calm the nerves before a big match and to either celebrate the highs or wash away the lows of a game.
Pubs are also a great place for people to watch matches when supporters cannot make it to the match. Depending on the match and the importance of it, multiple pubs in a city can be open for the match viewing party. They can get really crowded and loud at times, just like before and after games in a host city. For a game like the FA Cup final, the pubs get packed and really loud. Not many people are able to move easily in such crowds. If it is a smaller game, like a lower tier football league game, there may be a more tame atmosphere.
The verdict is, the pub is one of the homes of English football fans on match day, no matter who is playing.
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of a football fan’s experience is the connection to their favorite club team. Previous research has stated that football has subcultures consisting of supporters of each club showing their loyalty and support towards their club. Besides game day, a part of the fan’s experience can be touring the very place where their favorite players and coaches walk through on match days.
The experience of a stadium and team campus tour allows supporters to feel what the players may feel on a match day as they walk through the stadium. The other benefit is that tours allow fans to learn more history of their club and more behind the scenes action.
Each team is unique and has their own experiences. For this part of the study, a tour of the Etihad Stadium and Campus, where Manchester City play, was taken.
The beginning is a history lesson about Manchester City Football Club as fans get to learn more about anything revolving around the club from its beginnings in 1894 to the modern-day record setting teams under manager Pep Guardiola. It is here that any supporter can view artifacts from the team’s history and learn about the ups and downs of the club. They can learn about club legend Colin Bell from the 1960s, the struggles City later had with being relegated to the lower tiers of English football, and the rise of City back into top flight football starting with the 1999 Second-Division Playoff win that would promote them to the second tier of football and pave the pathway to get back.
The artifacts symbolize a time where City struggled, but the fans still supported them. For English City fans, this can be a time where they reflect on something that may be significant to their families. For City fans from other countries, it allows them to learn more about the dedication of the fans and more of the team’s history.
After the museum part of the tour, the tour guide took the group that I had been a part of to the outside part of the stadium. She explained a little bit of history behind the stadium. The Etihad Stadium was built in the early 2000s, but did not earn its name until 2008 when Sheikh Mansour from the United Arab Emirates bought City. One unique feature of City is the amount of money the club gets from the Sheikh. The common misconception is that the money was it was made just to make the senior men’s team successful. As I learned, it was explained that City was invested in by the Sheikh because of City’s involvement in the community. Long before the Arabian take over, Manchester City were invested in letting football into the community and for it to be for everyone in the community. The Sheikh admired that and invested in the club to increase the involvement of all people in the club. As the academy tour was the second part of the tour, it was easy to connect the ideas that the Sheikh wanted the new state of the art facilities built for the benefit of young players in City’s academies and both the men’s and women’s teams. The involvement in the community is a large part of the Manchester City identity.
After the little bit of history, the tour group I was in was taken into the stadium for the main part of the tour. To enhance the experience for all of the fans on the tour, there were video and sound effects that took place in certain areas. Everyone got to experience where the players walk in on a match day and walk to the noises and cheering that go on. We all got to experience the home dressing room and even got a video of what game day may look like in there. There was the experience of walking down the tunnel and up onto the pitch where thousands of fans would great all of the players. Of course, everyone can see all around the stadium and see what the players see. Anyone can imagine how nerve-wrecking, but exciting, it must be for players to experience the atmosphere every home match. Not only do they get the player experience, but they get the manager/coach experience of the press conference room. They can imagine what it may be like for manager Pep Guardiola to be faced with multiple questions after a match. Below are photos of what someone will see on the Etihad Stadium Tour. It also gives an idea of what a fan from another team’s home stadium tour would look like.
As the women’s team stadium and the academy facilities are on the other side of the Etihad Campus, no pictures were to be taken as it was a community area that people work and live in. A lot of that part of the tour consisted about learning about the use of the academy and just about how much work is put into each match day at City.
For many people, being able to explore the place themselves and the players they love call home means a lot to them. It gives them a chance to connect with their teams and learn more about the identity of the club as well as feel a little bit more connected to the club they love.
Outside of London, the biggest city for football in England would be Manchester. Manchester is the home to two of England’s top club. It is the home of Manchester United, the historically most successful club, and Manchester City, the most successful in recent times. Football is one of the things that defines the city of Manchester.
One place Manchester is home to is the National Football Museum. It is a place where any football fan can come in and see various items from years past in English football history for both the men’s and women’s side of it.
As its significance to the football fan culture of England has not been stated in previous research, its importance was explored as I walked through the museum.
Each fan can get their picture with replica versions of the Premier League trophy and the FA Cup right after they walk in if they choose to, before going upstairs to the beginning of the exhibits.
The first thing that appears when someone walks into the first part of the exhibit is a wall with a statement shown below.
In the statement on the wall, it is implied that football is for everyone and it brings people together. However, each person has their own football story that is unique to their lives. At the end of the day, every football fan has the same experiences as other fans, while having their own. The museum is a place where people can learn about the history of what has gone on in England with football in past years. However, the museum is tailored so that everyone can connect with various objects and stories that are shown there.
For an American, there is so much to learn at the National Football Museum as football is not a huge part of the American sports culture. It can be seen as a long history lesson for football fans in America. It can also be a time to reflect on how it connects to American sports culture. Thus, this adventure is through the perspective of an American that may not have as much of a background on football history as Englishmen.
As people can learn at the museum, there are various topics within football presented within the museum.
Like all sports, football has its own competition and trophies. What makes it unique is that it has multiple trophies to play for.
In football, there are so many competitions to play for. At the football museum, supporters can learn about the FA Cup, one of the large honors of England. What is also talked about is the Champions League, the honor among the most prestigious teams in Europe. Depending on each fan’s interest, they can take the time to learn about each of the trophies played for and why they have significance. For example, the Champions League represents dominance in not only domestic competition, but also foreign competition.
Aside from competitions, people can learn about the significance of various players in English football history and what they mean to each team. Tailored to my own experience, I decided to look into the players that had an impact on Manchester City.
Walking through and reading about what players had done for their clubs in the past makes people understand why a player may be hailed as a club legend. When learning about Bert Trautmann’s decision to continue playing with a broken neck during the 1956 FA Cup final shows the perseverance that people admire. Fans that lived for that game will always admire that.
Continuing to learn about players, fans can also go through and explore issues that revolve players that may be unique in certain aspects.
As racism is still an issue in all sports, not just football, it is a good idea to learn about how much race issues can have an effect on the culture. In England, many players of color deal with race issues still today, and even if they are fantastic players, they may not be loved because of their color. The section of race can allow people to understand more about these issues. It can help understand that the game is for everyone.
The museum shows that the game is for people of all races and genders as well. Thus, the inclusion of a section for women’s football as well.
Fans learn that women’s football was once banned in England, but it recently has emerged as a growing sport in the world. As the England ladies are one of the women’s football powerhouses in the world, it may start to become more and more important to be more informed about the women’s side of the sport. Many women do love the sport, and the ability to play only opened up many more opportunities. The women’s section of the football museum allows fans to see why this part of the sport may have a large impact on England one day. It helps empower women. As a female athlete myself, this part of the museum was something that I admired a lot.
Ultimately, the museum ties up all of the exhibits together into one theme: football is a place where people can feel like they belong.
One of the only things that previous research stated about football fan culture is that it brings all people together no matter what class they are in and where they come from. The National Football Museum is the one place that reiterates the sense of belonging in football fan culture, and fans can carry that idea on after visiting.
Nothing screams football culture more than match day. Match day is where every football supporter in England stops what they are doing to watch their favorite team play. Some make it a day at home. while others may head to their local pub. However, the best experience of match day is going to a football match itself.
No matter what football match it is, match day is an all-day occasion, especially when the match is in the middle of the afternoon. What is surprising, however, is that none of the previous research about football fan culture has mentioned match day and the significance it has to football fans in England
For my all day experience, I went to the Manchester City-Brighton match at the AMEX Stadium in Brighton on the 12th of May for the last day of the Premier League season.
What was special about that day was that it was Championship Sunday, the last day of the Premier League season. That final day of the season can be the deciding factor in which team wins the Premier League, what teams qualify for European competition, and which teams get relegated to the Championship (the second tier of English football). Sometimes, all three of these can be determined before Championship Sunday, but a lot of times, at least one of the three is not determined until the last day.
With the Brighton game being one of the determining factors in whether or not Manchester City won the Premier League title or not. As someone who supports City, the nerves were high. If City did not win the game and Liverpool were to win, which was expected of them, then Liverpool would get the title. It was a scenario that many City fans did not want to think about.
From the moment I got on the train to Brighton, I was nervous. As I traveled down to Brighton, I had thoughts of both the best and worst case scenarios. The anxiety about the worst case scenario were going through my head.
Even as I arrived in Brighton with a smile on my face, I still felt nervous. Of course, there was so much excitement about the game. Seeing an English football game live is one of the best experiences, but wanting the team you love to win something big makes it more of a nervy experience.
Even with the sunshine that day, the nerves were high. I still kept a smile on my face as I walked down the streets of Brighton with a smile on my face.
Fans were buzzing around the city of Brighton during the late morning/early afternoon of that day. The pubs, including the one I had been in, were crowded and filled with people ready for the match. Anyone would be barely able to move in those pubs and barely hear themselves think. The people were alive and well in the pubs. Much was to be discussed during that time and anyone would be able to feel the energy that was going around.
Even going to the game, there was a mix of excitement and tension. In Brighton, the best way to get the AMEX Stadium is by the rail system. People piled onto the trains a couple of hours before the match. As I traveled, I spoke to other City supporters, I learned I shared the same tensions they did. They were as nervous as I was, but they also loved the fact that an American was going to the game and were interested to know.
However, I went on my way once I got to the stadium as I wanted to make my experience for myself.
Before I went into the stadium, I took a walk around it. So many fans from both sides were standing around and mingling as they got ready to go in for the game. The Brighton fans seemed to be more relaxed as their team was already safe from relegation, but the City fans seemed more nervy.
One of the most unexpected parts of my little journey around the stadium was when the Manchester City bus came rolling in. I felt such a rush of excitement as I followed other City fans to see all of our favorite players come out of the bus. It was exhilarating to see some of my favorite players up close, despite having a limited view with the crowd, and being able to cheer as they came off the bus and went into the stadium.
The next part of my adventure consisted of the game itself. For me, I had to watch as a neutral fan. The ticket I was given was in the Brighton section, so I could not externally show my support for City. I even had to put on a neutral hoodie to cover up my City shirt that I had worn. It was rough, especially with how much I had been shaking the whole time.
The plus of it was the view of the pitch I had. To say the least, my seat allowed me to get the energy from both sets of supporters.
The view for the match was beautiful. I could see both ends of the pitch clearly which led to being able to see the goals.
Yet, it was still nerve-wrecking as the game started. The moment that kickoff occurred, I started shaking for awhile. I could not sing along with the City fans, and I did not allow myself to join in with the Brighton fans. I was just a nervous wreck, but I could not show it.
It made me over the moon happy to see City play, but like a lot of the other City fans, I was nervous.
The worst moment was when the first goal was scored in the middle of the first half. It was a Brighton goal. I remember everyone around me jumping up and yelling while my heart just sank. I feared the worst and was already holding back tears. For a few moments, it was like the world crashed down.
Luckily, it only lasted a few minutes. To a Manchester City fan, there’s nothing like a goal from star striker Sergio Aguero when City needs it most and that calmed the nerves just a little. Soon after, City had gone up 2-1 with a goal from star defender Aymeric Laporte. The first half ended 2-1. At that point, I had felt a rollercoaster of emotions. I was still nervous at the end of that first half, especially with what had gone on at the beginning of the game. I was afraid of it happening again.
With the second half, the nerves just kept lessening and turned more into excitement. City had scored two more goals. One had been a beauty from Riyad Mahrez, and the other was a freekick from Ilkay Gundogan. The excitement only built up as the goals kept coming. It was exhilarating to see the players get so excited for winning the Premier League the second year in a row and to hear the fans get louder and louder as the second half went on.
All while the goals were happening, the Brighton fans had been respectful. Some booed City defender Kyle Walker, but other than that, they respected . City’s clinch of the title. Brighton were already guaranteed safety from relegation, so the game did not mean as much to them. They even applauded Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany when he was subbed off. It showed that supporters of other clubs can have respect for a team’s players, especially when that player is loved.
Along with the respect, the excitement only got greater when the final whistle blew. Manchester City became Champions of England once again, but as they did not win the league at home, there was so much that had to go on before the City celebration.
As it was the Brighton captain’s last game ever, there was a ceremony for him. With the respect that Brighton gave for City captain Vincent Kompany, it was only fair to give the same respect to Brighton captain Bruno. When a player leads their team for a long time, they deserve the respect when they leave. Bruno was applauded by all supporters in the stadium. It felt special to see. The Brighton players also did a lap of appreciation for the home crowd as it was their last game of the season.
At this point, I had taken off my hoodie as the game was over and it was almost time for the presentation of the Premier League trophy. As people noticed I was a City fan, they congratulated me for the win of the league. Many of them decided to stay and watch the trophy ceremony.
Once the presentation had started, the City fans got louder and I finally got to start singing along with them as it did not matter anymore as the match had ended.
As it was for all City fans, it was exhilarating to sing the various songs made up for each player and see them be able to hold up the Premier League trophy. For all of us, it was relieving as we were able to keep the title from Liverpool. Everyone felt very happy to sing the song “Championes” at this time. What was even more beautiful was to see the shared happiness that the players had as well.
The trophy only enhanced the experience. As the day kept going, it got even better.
As that ceremony had ended, I stuck around to see if I could catch any of the players. Then again, I had more interactions with some Brighton fans. One had commented on the respect I had for the home side and the fans and condemned me for that as well as congratulated me. It was all in good fun.
Lucky for me, I got to sneak a picture with Manchester City Player of the Year Bernardo Silva.
They say good things come to those who wait, and this was one of the best. I was satisfied after that and had decided to leave the stadium after that. I had to take the train back to Brighton to get a train back to London.
The train back to Brighton was packed with fans from both sides. The energy was so high as both sides sang, especially the City fans. Never had a train ride been so much fun before. It had felt like I had belonged there. Even as I had gotten back to London, I felt like I had belonged, City fans getting off the train had been singing once again and I had joined in with a large smile.
There was so much that was special about that day. It even showed as I was applauded by random people walking down the streets of London.
It was the real experience of a football fan with a bit of a twist.
A huge gap that needs to be filled when discussing football culture is the topic of women’s football. No previous research about football fan culture touches on women’s football, thus the need to talk about it. Despite it not being as popular as men’s football, it has been growing slowly in England with the England women’s national team being ranked top 5 in the world for women’s teams. With the women being football powerhouses like the men, they deserve to be talked about as well.
Luckily, I was able to attend the Manchester City women vs. Arsenal women’s match at the Borehamwood FC stadium, just outside of London, to experience this side of football.
Overall, the experience of a women’s match seems to be a toned down version of a men’s match.
The stadium in Borehamwood was much smaller compared to the large stadiums of the Premier League. It can easily be concluded that these games are played at smaller stadiums because of the smaller audience that women’s football normally gets.
As I have been to football matches before, I felt more relaxed walking in. Unlike at a men’s game, fans could sit wherever they wanted to. There were not any assigned seats. So, I walked over to the section where I spotted the other City fans. I felt a little relieved when I saw them there. It shows that women’s football games still have a home and away support.
Despite the smaller crowd, there was still a pretty noticeable atmosphere that was created from the supporters that were at the match, especially since the stadium was almost completely filled as well. Every City fan was welcome to take folded up cardboard that were decorated to City. During the match, they were used to make more noise during the chants and songs that were sang during the match.
As there is singing at the men’s football games, there was singing during the women’s games. Like any football team, there the City women’s supporters. What was really interesting was the presence of a drum that was banged during some of the City chants. As this is something not normally seen at a big men’s team match, most likely because of rules and regulations at the larger stadiums, more additions to the chants could be something special added to the women’s team match atmosphere, especially when there was only a little bit of noise coming from the Arsenal women’s supporters.
Of course, the most noise came from when a last minute goal was scored by Arsenal. While it was sad to see a personal favorite team of mine lose, the match experienced was overall very enjoyable.
As an American, there is always a little bit of a different experience. From past experiences, if a football fan were to mention they were coming from America to watch, the English fan would get excited to meet someone coming from a country where football is not a big part of the sports culture.
Being an American, one interaction led me to being interviewed for a podcast for the Manchester City Women’s Supporters Social Media pages. As another fan, I was happy to share my experiences and thoughts.
Some may wonder why would someone talk about women’s football as a part of the football culture in England.
The answer would be that the women’s side of the sport is gaining popularity. As the men are, the women are ranked high in the world rankings and have a large shot to win the Women’s World Cup. If they were to win it in France this year, there could be a new sense of pride in England.
Something that surprised me when looking up previous research about football fan culture was the lack of talk about Wembley Stadium as a symbol for English football and its fans. As I looked at other research about football culture, the previous writers all said that football is a large part of the national identity in England. If football is a part of the national identity, then Wembley Stadium be considered one of the symbols for that identity. I had always had an interest in visiting Wembley, but what really intrigued me was finding a claim that all fans should take a “pilgrimage” to Wembley when visiting London. If Wembley means so much to English football, then it is a place that needed to be looked into more. To find out more about Wembley, I decided to take a tour of the famous stadium as one of my first methods of research.
Wembley is more than just a football stadium. It is famous for big rugby matches and even concerts, but for the sake of research, my focus will be on the football aspect.
The image above is self-explanatory: Wembley is a place where English football fans can experience a wonder of emotions, whether it’s through their club team or the England National Team. The Wembley that exists today is the second version of the stadium built in the 2000s, but it holds the same purpose as the original Wembley that was built after the first World War: to provide a place where the people of England can be entertained by the country’s beloved sport.
In its history, Wembley hosted the 1966 World Cup, in which England won. For me, it was really interesting to learn about such a vital part of football history in England as it has a large significance to the country.
97,000 people. To be a part of that crowd in 1966 to experience what the English call “football coming home” would have been exhilarating and breath-taking at the same time. For that World Cup to be won in their own country must have really developed the national identity of football being a part of the people in England. For those who were too young to remember the 1966 World Cup or were not even born yet, walking through the first part of the Wembley Tour. In one of the research articles I read before coming to London, one researcher claimed that iconic moments, such as the 1966 World Cup victory, have helped shape the national identity. To reiterate, the Wembley tour allows people to learn more about why and experience that.
As learning about the history of Wembley was the self-guided part of the tour, going through the stadium itself was guided by one of the tour guides that works at the stadium. For me, a tour like this allows all fans to walk through where their favorite club team may have played a final or have seen their beloved national team play and experience what players and coaching staff get to walk through. What I think people may forget sometimes is that professional footballers are human as well; their experiences may differ just a little bit from ours. The chance to walk through where they walk through gives fans a chance to feel what the players may feel whether they are a Premier League player, a women’s team player, or from League Two.
It is an honor to fans to be able to walk in the footsteps of their favorite players and to some, there is a huge personal meaning. My tour guide told me that Tottenham Hotspur played at Wembley as their home stadium, many Korean people came to see where Heung-min Son’s shirt was hung as he is a sports hero in South Korea. Even though I am an American, I have taken an interest in the England National Team, especially with multiple Manchester City players playing for England. I absolutely loved seeing where players like Raheem Sterling and John Stones have been for friendlies and such.
One thing about the dressing rooms in Wembley is that they were all built equally for all teams. It is a neutral and international stadium, so it was built to suit all teams’ needs. Thus, every team gets the same experience, whether they play in the highest or lowest tier of English football. Thus, any fan of any club can walk through and feel the same as anyone else. It does not matter what level of professional football is being played at Wembley, because it is an honor to play there either way. It is an honor for all fans to be able to walk through there.
Away from the dressing rooms, there is also the tunnel that players come out through. On my tour, we got to walk through the tunnel with our guide playing through the sounds of what it would sound like to walk out to the pitch with 90,000+ fans chanting and singing.
Despite the stadium being empty at that point, it was wonderful to see and feel and imagine what the players that walk through there feel. With part of the men’s European football Championships taking place in 2020, the experience can be further enhances, especially if England ends up winning.
Here’s to you, Wembley.
As a preparation for my project, I was assigned to do an annotated bibliography of articles related to my project topic. Of course, it was difficult to find many articles that spoke about football fan culture. Luckily, I found enough to complete and get a good grade on the assignment. One thing that stood out to me in one article was the idea of football fans discussing over chat forums over the internet as a way that football fans from around the world connect. With the birth of social media, chat forums seem to be a thing of the past. Today, we have Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and other various platforms. A lot of teams connect with their supporters through each of these platforms. However, what seems to be the most common way that supporters connect is through Twitter. There are so many supporters that have Twitter accounts that the term “Football Twitter” has been coined to distinguish football supporters from other people on Twitter. Here’s my take on it.
Football Twitter (FT for short) is where fans from all around the world can connect with each other. The following information presents how a normal FT account would be formatted. Your username usually revolves around your favorite club or a player from your club that you want to represent. For example, your handle could be something like thfctoby or VitalVVD. Your avatar is usually either the player you represent or something related to your club, while your header is the same thing. Your display name can be anything that you desire it to be.
Before I go more into what I have observed on FT myself, I would like to share some responses I have gotten from some of my followers have provided in response to the question: what do you see FT as and what are your thoughts on it?
The answers that I was provided sum up basically how I feel about FT. Football fans are able to discuss all of the games, transfers, transfer rumors, and anything that is going on in that moment in time during whatever part of the season it is. It is also full of a lot of banter and memes. This is what I usually enjoy about FT. I like reading a lot of the non-biased opinions. It’s wonderful to see fans of rival clubs acknowledge the talents your club have and admire it. I once tweeted something about what level of ability the players of Man City belong in and a Liverpool fan quoted that it was unfair how much squad depth we have because of how I placed each player. As much as I hate Liverpool, there is no doubt that they have world class players. Simply, I had to respond with that they have one of the best front three’s in the world, the best centreback in the world, and one of the best left-backs, right-backs, and goalkeepers in the world. One of the reasons that the Premier League Title Race has been so close is because of the talent that both teams have. Sometimes, you cannot help but acknowledge the talent. Virgil Van Dijk deserved the PFA Player of the Year, so I acknowledged that. It’s only fair as it is perfectly okay to acknowledge that. To me, it earns respect from fans of other teams when you tweet something like that. It is perfectly normal to see fans from other clubs having civilized conversations on Twitter and getting along. From my personal experience, I have enjoyed talking to a lot of Chelsea fans as well as some of the Chelsea and Arsenal fans. At times, even talking with Manchester United fans have been decent to discuss with.
There is also a side to Football Twitter that consists of memes, banter, and plenty of insults. With rivalries, you expect Twitter to get very angry and mean at times. Sometimes, it is good to have a good laugh about the failures of your rival clubs. To me, what has been funny is how Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, and even Tottenham Hotspur did not seem like they wanted the last two spots for Champions League play next season as all four teams were shaky towards the end of the season. Before the Premier League season ended, I had seen a lot of angry tweets about how the first three teams I have mentioned have no hopes of Champions League football next season. To be fair, all of the Big Six should be playing in Champions League next year, but only four can go, unless either Chelsea or Arsenal get 4th in the league and the other wins the Europa League. It makes me question: why only the top 4? In reality, all 6 should go and Wolves, Leicester, and Everton can have the Europa League. That is something I would like to discuss on FT.
At this point, I have realized how I went on a little bit of a tangent and went off topic, I need to keep discussing the more toxic side of FT. As I was saying, with rivalries come a lot of nasty words. As someone who supports a Premier League team, a lot of the arguments I see are between fans of different Premier League teams. As a Manchester City fan, my timeline throughout the 18/19 season was sometimes filled with a lot of Liverpool-Manchester City related arguments. Sometimes, my mentions can be invaded by Liverpool fans that do not even follow me with some sort of snarky response to a post that I may have posted to make fun of Liverpool for whatever reason.
Traditionally, Liverpool and City have not been rivals. In the past, they were two teams whose fans shared a hatred for Manchester United. However, within the past year, since the 2018 Champions League Quarterfinals, there has seem to be constant turmoil between the two fanbases on social media. While it all may seem like fun and games to many people, it can result in a lot of anger and numerous names on the blocked list. Although both sides may deny that there is a rivalry, it definitely seemed like there was one throughout the 18/19 season. For those who are unfamiliar with FT, you would normally see responses like “obsessed” and “try not to start a rivalry” when one fanbase posts about the other team. Normally, you would see “rent free” as well, but that could apply to a lot of FT. One way or another, you’ll see another version of Allez Allez Allez pop up after one team suffers a big defeat in an important competition. Coming from a City fan’s perspective, it’s nice to see some mutual respect coming in the picture. At the end of the day, there will always be some banter and hate of the other club, but both sets of fanbases have been able to acknowledge how well fought the Premier League title was this season.
Part of FT can be anyone attacking a club, even if that person is not from a rival club. As a City fan, I see a lot of the same stuff regarding my club. You would normally see stuff like: “your club would be nothing without oil money” “your club was established in 2008” “you have no history!” My response is: can’t you all be a little more original? It’s ironic to see on the club’s badge that the club has the year 1894 on it and we won our first major trophy in 1904 which was before any of the top 6 clubs have. It is in the nature of Twitter to be original though. Arsenal and Manchester United are currently labeled as the banter clubs as they have fallen from their grace of the first decade of the 2000s. Liverpool has been made fun of for not winning any Premier League titles as Tottenham is made fun for not winning any trophies. In reality, all of these teams are class in their own rights and for their own reasons, but it is Twitter we are talking about. Twitter was not made to be sunshine and rainbows, especially not Football Twitter.
At the end of the day, Football Twitter is a platform that allows us to share our love of football. Some days, you can be on there forever interacting with other football supporters. Other days, you just need a break from it. Football Twitter: it’s a blessing and a curse for the fan culture.
Surely, it’s much different supporting a European team from across the pond. Never have I been asked why I don’t support my local team instead of supporting Manchester City.
Coming from the United States, we have Major League Soccer. I cringe at the word soccer, but of course, football is known as American football here. I feel like football is done wrong here and is too Americanized. The format of the MLS, in my opinion, is wrong compared to European leagues, hence why I called it Americanized. It has two different conferences in the top flight with separate divisions in each conference and there are playoffs to determine the winner of the league. There are also lower flights of football in the US, but there is no relegation of MLS teams to the lower flights or promotion of lower league teams to the MLS. Also, how come the MLS season does not lineup with Europe’s? I just do not find it as exciting or as high-level as the European Leagues. If it were like Europe, I feel like the USMNT would be on a higher level. That is just my opinion though. You do not have to agree with me whatsoever.
Anyhow, as I am going to be sharing a journey about a football supporter in England, I thought I would share what it is like watching the European Leagues in the States.
Depending on what team you like and where you live, you may have to get up really to watch your favorite team. The English Premier League usually starts their coverage early in the morning on Saturdays, usually around 6:30 am Eastern Time and the first game being at 7:30. For someone living on the West Coast, that is a very early wakeup call to watch their team. People do wake up that early, but they probably need a lot of coffee!
When I am home from school on breaks, we do not just watch City. We watch any and every Premier League match on. The Premier League is so fun to watch, because you can have a team like West Ham beat Manchester United and everyone’s minds would be blown. It’s competitive between all teams.
A weekend of Premier League football in my house looks like this: my dad would wake up early and make a big pot of coffee. He then would be on NBC or NBC Sports, depending on the channel the first game was on, and watch the pre-game coverage and eventually what we call the “early game”. If City were playing, I would willingly be up and ready to go, while my mum would most likely be watching the first half in their bedroom. If City were to play in the next game (usually 10:00/9:00c) on Saturdays, I would wake up a little later. The same applies if City were playing on the 12:30/11:30c game. It is a lot of fun, despite that sometimes I get really nervous or upset watching City (that is normally rare, but losses do happen). Since there are a lot of games at 10:00 am on Saturday mornings, my dad always likes to put a game on the tv, then one on his iPad, another on his computer, etc. We like to see what is going on, but if City is on, they are the focus.
It is surprising how wonderful the coverage of the Premier League is in the United States and how it seems to be better than the coverage in the UK at times. I get baffled at times, because I’ll see City fans on Twitter asking if anyone has a stream for the game when I can easily just watch on the NBC Sports Channel or use the NBC Sports Gold stream online. I have also seen complaints about the commentary in the UK. I would like to brag and say that the US has an amazing studio team and commentary for Premier League football.
For those not from the United States, NBC Sports’ studio team for football consists of leader Rebecca Lowe, Robbie Mustoe, Robbie Earle, and Kyle Martino (the lone American in the crew). They do an incredible job of covering the Premier League and put a lot of passion into what they do. They take a really good look into each of the games and have thoughtful discussions on the performances of the teams and players and what each team may or may not do in the future. You can that they love what they do. One thing that I also see complaints about is bias in the UK. There never seems to be any bias towards any team when the studio team is discussing. For example, it is known to some that Rebecca Lowe is a huge Crystal Palace supporter, but you would never know by the way she talks in the studio. It is all professional and all based on how she sees what is going on with each of the teams. The same applies for the other three studio members.
What also is a plus is the commentary during the games. Everyone who watches the Premier League knows who the Big Six are. One Big Six game each on Saturdays and Sundays always gets commentated by Arlo White who is usually joined by Lee Dixon and Graeme Le Saux. They do a fantastic job at covering big games such as the North London Derby, the Manchester Derby, the Merseyside Derby, Manchester United vs. Liverpool, and any of the big games you can imagine. One of my favorite commentary moments was Arlo White’s call on Kevin De Bruyne’s outside of the box screamer at Stamford Bridge during the 17/18 season. The goal still gives me the good kind of chills, but the way White called that goal. I can still imagine him saying, “Left-footed…… WHAT A STRIKE! KEVIN DE BRUYNE, ONCE AGAIN!” Like the studio team, you can really hear the passion he has for the game in his commentary, and Dixon and Le Saux add to it with their analysis. It truly makes the games even better to watch when you have commentary that good. The truth is, they are all just football fans like the rest of us.
NBC Sports also brings some humor to the Premier League. Normally after a weekday match and the post-match analysis, NBC Sports airs a show called The Men In Blazers show hosted by Roger Bennett and Roger Davies. The truth is, you don’t even need to watch football to find it funny. They call themselves and their show crap, but the truth is, the “proud purveyors of all things suboptimal” are far from crap. Rog and Davo, as they are known as, bring the light-hearted and fun out of the Premier League. Think of their show as a funny highlights show. They talk about each of the games, but they make humorous commentary on the goals, celebrations by the managers, and something like a squirrel or a supporter running onto the pitch. They take pride in being bald and even called City’s win of the Premier League “Pep’s Bald Revolution” because he is the first bald manager to win the Premier League. Not only that, they have a catch phrase “balds win!” coined on their show after the first Manchester Derby of the 2017/18 season when David Silva, who had a shaved head at the time, scored the first goal. They give nicknames to players and managers, such as the Teutonic Carebear to Jurgen Klopp, and just make the league even more fun. At the end of their show, they always predict the big game of the next weekend of Premier League football by biting into pies. The pies always tell them what to think the scores are going to be.
While the Men in Blazers are humorous, they also have their serious side. Their show always consists of a special guest, someone famous, to come and talk about their love of football and favorite team with Rog. Some of the guests that have been featured have been comedian John Oliver, hockey player Alex Ovechkin, and television host James Corden. However, some of these special guests have had their own episodes dedicated to them or have been featured the whole episodes. Arlo White, Rebecca Lowe, and even Wayne Rooney have been full episode guests. Rog and Davo also have their own podcast that is aired on a regular basis. Rog also hosts some episodes of Inside the Mind, a show on NBC Sports that features an interview with either a Premier League player or manager. Arlo White has also hosted episodes of Inside the Mind.
Overall, there cannot be enough words to describe how wonderful NBC Sports covers football. In the future, I would love to see them cover the Champions League and hopefully the World Cup one day. There simply is not a network that does it better.
However, I would also like to pay homage to BEINSports’ coverage of La Liga football. In my family’s house, we love Saturday and Sunday afternoons of La Liga football after the Premier League has finished for the day. Of course, it’s amazing to watch the talents on FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, but what makes it even better is the commentary team of Ray Hudson and Phil Schoen. If a person could define the passion for football, it would be Ray Hudson. Some people get annoyed by his commentary, but my parents and I absolutely love listening to him and Schoen together. No one could love the game more than Hudson. He is most known for his love of the great Lionel Messi and his very colorful commentary, but he loves players such as Keylor Navas and Marcelo. There’s nothing like watching a game and hearing phrases such as “cleaner than Neutrogena, the man from Argentina!” El Clasico day during the Cristiano-Lionel era was always the most exciting. You knew it was going to be an incredible day of Ray comments when the match was between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Personally, I prefer Real Madrid over Barcelona (I respect both clubs, rivalry set aside), but one of my favorite Ray El Clasico moments was when Messi scored the winner in stoppage time at El Santiago Bernebeu. It was that a goal that exemplifies Ray Hudson at his best with his quote “Messi! You could drop a tarantula into his shorts and he’d still be cool!” We love a weekend of La Liga football in the house, because we love watching the magic of Barca and Real , but we love the laughs Ray gives us. In fact, the Men In Blazers “knighted” Ray at their convention a few years back. He is loved by the football community, but how could he not be? He loves football more than anyone else in the world.
Besides the wonderful coverage of league football we have in the states, we have our supporter clubs and gathering as well. However, that is something I have not much experience with yet. What I want to experience with watching City is going to an American pub dedicated to football. In Chicago, we have a place called AJ Hudson’s. It is a football pub for Manchester City, Liverpool, and if I am right Tottenham fans. My parents went there to watch what I thought was a disaster of a first leg in the 2018 Champions League Quarterfinals against Liverpool last year, but they absolutely loved it. The City fans were outnumbered by Liverpool fans, but my parents had a great time with both sides and got me a City banner out of it. It is somewhere I would love to go one day. Meeting other City and football fans from my home area would be a lot of fun for when I am home for breaks during the season. I could talk football for hours with people, sometimes I get a little heated but its all a part of the the fun. Sure it won’t be the same as in England, but it is still a lot of fun just to meet people and talk with them about a sport we all share a passion for.
The experience is never the same as anywhere in England, but I say we make it pretty good here.
The Beautiful Game's American Fanatic 