Whilst the Olympic Games kicked off in style in the Far East, this weekend also saw the start of the 2008-09 football season.
Don’t get me wrong, I genuinely have a strong interest in sport. I work in the industry, I read the back pages on a daily basis and will more often than not choose to watch live sports coverage over the nightly ritual that is EastEnders or Coronation Street. But even I was taken to another level this weekend. In danger of being a football widow, I not only found myself joining my other half at one live match of the opening weekend – but two!
First up was a trip to Charlton, my adopted ‘local’ team in SE London, where The Valley welcomed the newly-promoted ‘boys from the valleys’ – Swansea City. Nicknamed ‘The Real League’, it really is true-grit football. Sitting in the stands with 21,000 others, in the pouring rain that defines August in this country, I was again hit by the dedication and passion of all the fans that follow their team, week-in, week-out. It is something that astounds me everytime I go to a match. However many times I experience it, it never fails to amaze me.
This was the first match of the season and it was a true portrayal of the optimism that every club has at the start of a new year. Charlton, vying for a place in the Play-Offs at the end of last season, were back to an even playing ground. Forgotten was the disappointment of the spring months, when they realised that getting back up into the Premiership was not going to happen this year. Fans and players alike are back with high hopes for the next ten months. This optimism is even reflected in the early-bird discount for season tickets ‘Buy your season ticket before the first weekend, and if we get into the Premiership next year you’ll pay the same price for your ticket’.
Next up was a trip to Wembley Stadium for what is traditionally known as the curtain-raiser of the football season – the Community Shield. A showpiece match, this was altogether a different picture – well apart from the rain, which followed me all weekend but what else would you expect!
Wembley, the national stadium, was hosting the reigning European club team, Manchester United, and the proud victors of the legendary FA Cup, Portsmouth. However, whilst there may have been four times as many people, numerous footballing legends in situe (Geoff Hurst represented McDonald’s, the FA’s Presenting Partner), and inflated prices at the concession stands, the underlying themes amongst the fans were still the same as the day before. Passion, pride, commitment, belief. This was demonstrated to me as we were leaving. Following a penalty shoot out, Manchester United were victorious once again. As we were heading down the stairwells, I overheard a voice of a young boy telling his dad, “It doesn’t matter that we lost. We were the better team”. This just about summed up my experience over the weekend.
The Greatest Show on Earth may be taking place in Beijing. But for the hundreds and thousands of football fans who turn out of their homes on a weekly basis to follow the highs and lows of their team, one thing is absolutely certain. Football in this country really is ‘the beautiful game’, and it is refusing to be overshadowed by the Olympics.
By Sara Wilson on August 12th, 2008
Tags: Barclays Premier League, Beijing 2008, Football, Olympics







