5 Days, 3 Matches: Reflections on my First Soccer Trip to England
You’d think I would've learned after the third time I bought sparkling water instead of still. But here I was, at a café in Brighton, sipping on sparkling water, forcing myself to enjoy flavorless carbonation. It was the final morning of my trip: One that took me from the capital, to quaint Oxford, and down to the south coast. Although it was quick — a mere Wednesday to Sunday (with a flight before the sun rose on Monday), I felt like I learned so much about a country I knew so little about.
My exposure to England had been limited to two British friends, the television show Endeavour, and of course, soccer. I could go back to the first Premier League match I watched and pretend like that’s when I started loving the game. There is a semblance of truth to that — Brentford 2, Arsenal 0 is a result I will never forget. But in reality, I think it happened that day in Brighton. The American Express Community Stadium is the personification of a club and its support being fully aligned. With Tony Bloom’s gamble, a community that believed, and the power of Lewis Dunk, Brighton successfully made it from “Withdean to Wembley.” And if you‘re unfamiliar with the Withdean, you’re not missing much — Shaunee Smith from Heed Hopper called it “one of the most unpopular grounds to have ever graced the Football League.” But it kept the club alive. From there, the legend of Brighton & Hove only grew to become what it is today. Although a relatively insignificant match, one with few moments to remember, my experience will be marked not by Pascal Groß’s cross into the box leading to an own goal, but rather the people that helped welcome me to the Amex.
Okay, well, that’s a lie. The first welcoming I got was not by a person, but instead a flying ball right into the side of my head. I wasn’t hurt, and it was a good start to some conversations with my seat neighbors. I learned about the fans who show up every game, how long they’ve been attending matches, and so much more. As the Premier League banner was unraveled, I realized how much of a privilege it is to play in the top league in the world. In America, there is nothing like this — in soccer, or sports in general. No team is excited each and every game that they get to play in the NFL. Maybe the players individually are, but that doesn’t resonate with the fans in the same way. At the Amex that day, everyone was aligned. I could say it felt like a movie. But I think the QPR match is the more apt comparison for that.
I had arrived at Heathrow at noon on a Wednesday. I took the £25 (ouch) Heathrow Express into the city, where I then had nothing to do for a solid 2 hours until my AirBNB check-in. So I did what any logical person would do after a ten-hour flight: I took the tube to Tottenham, found a luggage storage place, and did a tour of the remarkable new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. (I highly recommend this tour by the way, you won’t regret it. At the very least, it’s an extremely fun club shop to explore.) By the time I arrived back at my Paddington AirBNB, the time had come for my first non-American soccer match: QPR vs. West Brom, as a complete neutral. The only reason I went to this game is because I could. As I approached Loftus Road, I felt like I was in a movie. My only exposure to this environment, as previously mentioned, was the internet. I was inside the internet for the night. Through the turnstiles and past the concessions line, everyone I saw had the same green bottle of beer in hand. At QPR, on a Wednesday night. I guess that’s how they do it in England, huh? I sat in the Bhatia stand, across from the Stanley Bowles stand. Bowles had passed away a week prior, so the club and fans honored him with cards spelling “BOWLES 10” and numerous tributes throughout the night. 16,818 fans, both home and away, clapped during the 10th minute.
This being the first of my three games was a bizarre one. It was the only night game of the three, and it ended in some controversy. Most importantly, however, this was the first time I learned about having coffee at halftime. By the time I noticed that this was a common thing, I was frozen, and the timer to the second half was nearly complete. It was too late. The action was hot on the field, however. Michael Frey had a horrendous penalty saved, an obvious handball was missed, and an 81' equalizer sent the QPR supporters home happy with a 2–2 draw. Hearing them after the game was a whole new experience in itself. Talking about the club’s relegation chances, ranting about the referees. This is what English football is about. It’s the closest I’ve ever felt to the “Mane Is The Best Footballer In The World” interview.
If you want an actual review of the experience, QPR-West Brom was the most exciting game I saw. The away fans impressed me as well, they were probably the best across the entire trip. Sorry Forest. My seat, although being one of the most expensive and supposedly “best” in the stadium, did feel cramped though. Not sure I would voluntarily go to QPR again. No offense.
After doing some standard London tourism activities, it was time to head to Oxford. My lovely time in Oxford concluded with a… game of soccer. It’s hard to add other adjectives here. The Oxford community is very real. Watching kids play outside of the Kassam prior to the United-Cheltenham Town game was fantastic. It was Blue Light Day, honoring the police, first-responders, the military, etc. What I saw was a fun community event. What match attendees saw was something different. Talking to fans in the ground, I got the idea that this was all a distraction. The Kassam Stadium is rented by Oxford United, and the team is trying to leave.
OxBlogger described a local forum among community leaders saying, “Then talk turned to the new stadium, everything is in ‘stacks’ these days, there were talks of ‘debt stacks’ and ‘funding stacks’, at work we talk about ‘technology stacks’. Businesses are just stacked full of stacks.”
Many clubs would love to have facilities at the level of Oxford’s current home, but the atmosphere was simply disappointing. There’s something missing from Oxford United. Is it proximity to the city? I’m not sure about that. Is it a lack of team success? Maybe. But at the end of the day, the fans are what matter.
“Don’t talk to me about funding stacks and give me more fun stacks; get those right and we’ll all be happier.” — Oxblogger, 2024
The difference between Oxford and QPR, though, is that I actually have a vested interest in Oxford United Football Club. Remember those two British friends? Well, one of them is from Oxford. So, for a little bit over a year, I have been following and watching their matches. It’s cool to see how quickly a fanbase of a club this size turns on a player or manager. It’s a different world compared to the likes of the Premier League. The game was about what we have come to expect from Des Buckingham’s U’s. They seem to forget how to play from 1–0 up, and you could see Cheltenham’s 80' equalizer coming from a mile away. Luckily, Owen Dale and Greg Leigh connected for an 88' winner to make the trip all worth it. Also, sidenote — Cam Brannagan is amazing. It would be a disservice to him as a player if he remains on the team next year.
This fanbase deserves better. You can blame injuries, but that only gets you so far. You can blame the manager for leaving, but that’s the way of the road. You might get a Cam Brannagan. You might get a Liam Manning. But how does an EFL club maintain success? Is it as easy as looking at what Brentford, Brighton, and Luton have done and replicating it? Should I stop asking hypothetical questions and start giving answers? I don’t know the answers.
Maintaining success is hard. Oxford would lose 5–0 just three days after the match I attended.
There I sat at the Amex at halftime with a hot chocolate in hand. I had learned since that night at QPR. Other than some substitute shenanigans and a VAR check, there wasn’t much second-half action. 1–0 Brighton it finished. As I mentioned, not a thrilling game by any sense of the imagination, but a fun one nevertheless. I would recommend checking out a Brighton match if you can. The Amex is dope.
So what did I learn about England? First off, that the street names are on buildings. I don’t get it. And the sparkling water obsession makes no sense. Other than that, I learned the impact that a community has on a team. As R.M Clark says in his novel Winner Stays On: England with The FA Cup for a Compass, “There is a difference between who owns a club and who a club belongs to.” Each team I watched, all six of them, are in very different places. West Brom looks set to challenge for promotion. QPR and Cheltenham are barely keeping their heads above water in their respective leagues. Oxford is in the middle of nowhere. Forest is awaiting a point deduction. Brighton are suffering from numerous injuries and reflecting on a “What could have been?” European campaign. The clubs all had a community, and that sense of community is what keeps them going through it all. All it took for me to realize this? 5 days, 3 matches, and 3 sparkling waters.
Notes:
Read The Ox Blogger!
And if you are a neutral American and are looking for a third-tier English football team to support, Oxford fans have been extremely welcoming to me, and surely they would love to have other Americans on board!
Winner Stays On: England with The FA Cup for a Compass
Read R.M Clark’s Book! The author travels to all 14 rounds of the FA Cup, and I genuinely believe it is the best book I’ve ever read. I might have to write a separate article about this book because there’s so much to go into, and I love it so much.
Direct from Publisher: https://www.pitchpublishing.co.uk/shop/winner-stays
Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/0qN4sOp
