The British/European football experience

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

As an American fan of sports in general and (among others) soccer in particular, I’m curious about the experience of going to the games over on the other side of the pond.

So, European Dopers (that means you, Brits! although I’m just as curious about other European football scenes as well):

How often do you go to the games?
How much does it cost to get a decent seat?
How much does food and drink cost at the games?
Can you bring your own food and drink? (Both from a ‘following the rules’ standpoint and from a practical standpoint–that is: is it allowed, and if not can you get away with it?)
How many people do you know who go to the games?
How many people do you know who follow the sport?
Do you go with your SO, your buddies, yourself, or a big traveling crew?
Do you follow your team around to other stadiums? Do you know a lot of people who do?
Is there a significant college footy scene in your country, and do you or anyone you know go to the games?
How much influence does college football have on the professional leagues? That is, do the professional players come from the college ranks like here in America, or do people work their way up through club teams etc.?

2

Oh, and how many Americans are on your local team, and where are they from?

3

Blackburn Rovers has an American Goalkeeper.

(Brad Friedel)

Cacey Keller (sp?) also plays for a British team. Not sure which.

4

I rarely go to matches, partly due to several years away from home, and mainly due to the cost. It’s £20-30 for the cheapest regular tickets. And that’s only for the Championship, not the Premiership (ie second division - off-topic rant: it’s still a fucking annoying name)

Food and drink - you don’t buy at the match. You go to the pub before, and you go to the pub afterwards.

How many people I know? Probably many many people, but I wouldn’t see them or arrange to meet them. I know which pub I can be sure of meeting a few people, and that’s fine by me.

How many people follow it? How many people don’t? :smiley: (Especially when Town are doing well, like at the moment)

Nope, I don’t go to away matches, that’s for the really dedicated fans.

There’s no equivalent of ‘college football’ US-style. The football clubs here run their own ‘youth academies’ etc., which take 16-year-olds who show potential, and put them through intensive training. This is productive for the club when they stay on and become decent players, or profitable when they’re sold to other clubs after a few years.

5

I’ve zero interest in soccer, so I’m not going to answer most of your questions, but concerning this one :

There’s no sport culture in colleges/universities in any way similar to what exists in the USA.

Universities certainly have teams, but it’s more or less as significant as the university stamp collector’s association. I think most college student wouldn’t even know whether or not there’s a soccer (or whatever other sport) team in their university.

For instance I think there was one in the first university I attended, because I remember having paid something to fund the sport association, and I think there wasn’t any in the second one, but I couldn’t tell for sure.

The games between college teams are essentially only relevant for the gamers themselves.
Professionnal players come from soccer training schools, often after specialized secondary studies, mixing general education and a lot of sport practice. You won’t find someone intending to make a career in soccer in an university.

Generally speaking, sports don’t play any important role, not even socially, in the education system. There’s PE in high school, teams for people who enjoy playing soccer or whatever else in universities, and that’s all. Sport and tertiary education are two totally separate worlds.

6

Oh, and no, I don’t think Ipswich have fielded an American yet.

(And yes, I suppose we should all identify our allegiance, as well.)

7

How often do you go to the games?
Not often, twice a year maybe.
How much does it cost to get a decent seat?
Premiership seats start at around US$60
How much does food and drink cost at the games?
Cheap, but horrible. Maybe US$3 for a burger
Can you bring your own food and drink? (Both from a ‘following the rules’ standpoint and from a practical standpoint–that is: is it allowed, and if not can you get away with it?)
Yes, but no alcohol in the seats
How many people do you know who go to the games?
A dozen.
How many people do you know who follow the sport?
Most males follow it.
Do you go with your SO, your buddies, yourself, or a big traveling crew?
Buddies.
Do you follow your team around to other stadiums? Do you know a lot of people who do?
No. I will travel far for a good game I can get tickets for though. For a top game you will struggle to get tickets unless you are willing to pay very top dollar.
Is there a significant college footy scene in your country, and do you or anyone you know go to the games?
No.
How much influence does college football have on the professional leagues? That is, do the professional players come from the college ranks like here in America, or do people work their way up through club teams etc.?
Next to zero. Most top players will be signed up by a professional club when they are a teenager. Of course, most of those who are signed up will never make it.

8

I follow my local team, Bohemians, as well as (Glasgow) Celtic. I’ll answer for both:

How often do you go to the games?

Bohs: Every home game, and a lot of away games
Celtic: Every weekend home game, if there’s a bus going to it (more on which later). No more than one or two away games per season.

How much does it cost to get a decent seat?

I have season tickets for both. The Bohs season ticket costs €300 and I can sit wherever I want. My decent seat at Celtic Park costs me €800.

How much does food and drink cost at the games?

Bohs: Never buy food, the ground’s around the corner from my house so I just eat at home. A drink in the bar is around €3, which is cheap by pub standards here.
Celtic: £2.40 for a large cheese pizza slice. They don’t sell alcohol and I don’t get soft drinks there.

Can you bring your own food and drink? (Both from a ‘following the rules’ standpoint and from a practical standpoint–that is: is it allowed, and if not can you get away with it?)

No idea if either are “allowed” but I could easily get away with it.

How many people do you know who go to the games?

No way I could count.

How many people do you know who follow the sport?

In this country, people who don’t are the exception.

Do you go with your SO, your buddies, yourself, or a big traveling crew?

I go alone to Bohs but I always sit with a bunch of friends. I travel to Celtic games on the bus and ferry with a Celtic Supporters Club.

Do you follow your team around to other stadiums? Do you know a lot of people who do?

When I can, which is reasonably often in the case of Bohs and rarely in the case of Celtic. I know a lot of people who do.

Is there a significant college footy scene in your country, and do you or anyone you know go to the games?

Not in the sense there is in America. University College Dublin’s team actually plays in the Irish Premier League.

How much influence does college football have on the professional leagues? That is, do the professional players come from the college ranks like here in America, or do people work their way up through club teams etc.?

Club teams.

9

No Americans on either of my teams BTW.