Introducing myself would probably be an ideal start to this, so that’s exactly what I’ll do. My name’s Tom, I’m an aspiring sports journalist and I’m a 17 year old Manchester United supporter, born in Romsey BUT DON’T STOP READING YET! This isn’t going to be a blog about United, it’s going to be a blog about football in general. I know, “what a glory hunter”, but honestly from birth I never had a choice. United has been in the family for nearly eighty years and it’s ingrained in every family member, whether they’re blood or not. I never used to be obsessed, it was only really after my first game back in July 2009 that I became slightly interested. Then slightly addicted.
I held a Season Ticket at Old Trafford from July 2013 – July 2016, attending around 55 games. I know, what an unfortunate period to choose, however again, it wasn’t my choice. It was the man who really set the MUFC ship sailing in my family; my fantastic Grandad. Born and raised in Manchester, he attended his first game when he was 10 and has been hooked for the last 66 years. I’ll write about him more in future posts. The reason we didn’t renew the tickets for this season was due to the fact that he simply couldn’t make the drive anymore. It was too much for his back and it tired him out, and even if there was a way for me to still make games, it wouldn’t be the same without him.
Being a football fan is something we all experience in different ways. There are those who never miss a game, and have the ability to see their team in the flesh on a match day. Every match day. Then there are those who rarely go to games. Some people come home after work and will indulge in football, whether that be through catching an episode of Football Gold on Sky Sports, playing a few matches on Football Manager or simply checking the latest transfer gossip for the first time all day.
Without making any generalisations, you do get a lot of abuse from match goers for being an “armchair fan”, especially when you’re a fan of a more recently successful club. You hear so much about what it means to be a “proper supporter” that you actually wonder whether you are one or not. Being a football fan is more than being on the terraces. If that wasn’t the case then we wouldn’t have a Premier League, because you’d better believe that the big money flows from TV remotes, not the so called “true fans” as they’d have us believe.
Now this all may be coming across in a slightly bitter way, but it isn’t the case. Take Stoke City for example. Rarely on TV, simply because they aren’t a team that you turn the telly on for (unless they’re playing one of the “big six”). Their fans are the heart and soul of the club. Yes they get a slice of the huge pie that is the Premier League TV deal, but it’s minuscule compared to what the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea receive. I’ll always respect a loyal fanbase. I just feel like people who don’t attend match days deserve to be recognised for the contribution they make towards English football.
When I regularly attended games, I gained a sort of ego. It was like I had some sort of privilege that other people didn’t. I wouldn’t say it was anything nasty, I’d say it was more a case of taking it all for granted . Going to watch Manchester United at Old Trafford is a dream for millions of people around the world, but for me, it was just another weekend. When I walked out of my last game, I had no idea it would be exactly that. The 1-1 draw against soon to be champions Leicester City was meant to be the penultimate game of my season, however sadly that wasn’t true. Driving back down the motorway after our final game of the season against Bournemouth was postponed, I realised that that would be it for quite a while. Now, I find it practically impossible to get my hands on a ticket and even if I did, the cost of the day is hard to match. My bubble has well and truly burst. I am, once again, an armchair fan.
Football seems to be just about the only thing that I don’t get bored of. That I don’t give up on. I’ll always come back to it, despite the mixed feelings it gives me week in, week out. It’s not so much a hobby as a way of life. There are many parts of my life that would genuinely be viewed as vital that I could genuinely live without. I couldn’t live happily without football.
This blog will be what it will be. A load of football related posts created from the thoughts and opinions of a complete armchair fan. Any contact and suggestions are welcome and I would be delighted if readers could share my work with others, it would mean a lot.
Thanks a bunch, and I hope this isn’t a complete trainwreck.
By Tom Benoist.
The Views of an Armchair Fan 