I was born in England, in another world, another universe even. Wartime rationing was still in place. That didn’t end until 1954, so my sister was spared the ignominy of sitting in her pram while Mum queued up for the butcher, the baker, or even to buy some sweets.
Those were the days. But to relieve the austerity there was always football. Yes. Football. Not “soccer“. Association Football.
It was inevitable that one day, I’d be wrapped up warm, go through the turnstiles, get a lucky programme and a mug of boiling hot Bovril and be initiated into the nation’s, indeed the world’s favourite game. Imagine a game bigger than the “World Series”, SuperBowl, and even the entire Olympics all added together, with more national representation than the United Nations. But I didn’t really know that when I went to my first game and sat on me Dad’s shoulders.
As I recall, it was Plymouth Argyle v. Chelsea. You always remember your first, huh? Yes. Plymouth, a surprisingly large and industrial, military city situated far out in the southwest of England, and still the largest naval base in Europe, where over 400 years ago, the Pilgrims set sail into the sunset on The Mayflower and landed at Plymouth Rock, surely one of the biggest coincidences in history. But you’ve never heard of Plymouth, Devon, UK, right?
Chelsea, of course, went on to become a huge multi-billion (substitute your favourite currency here) business on the European and world stage. Of course, there were those oligarch roubles too which turned out to be problematic but didn’t stop the team from being called Chelski by every fan of football, except Chelsea fans obviously.
But back to Plymouth Argyle, known as The Pilgrims to its fans… Now it’s impossible to disguise my origins here in the US so I’m often asked which soccer team – more about “soccer” in a minute – I support. Most people who think to ask are pretty familiar with English football but are flummoxed when I fail to say something like Arsenal, Man United, or Liverpool, but say, “Plymouth Argyle… The Pilgrims… The Greens!!!“
The thing is, most football fans support one of a multitude of teams you have never heard of, which float around in the lower levels of the English leagues, sometimes rising to the top of their division, often dropping out the bottom. But that is the reality of being a true football fan, sitting or standing on a freezing and rainy terrace watching your team being beaten by Accrington Stanley or Port Vale, then catching the bus home. Having said that, Argyle did once make it to The Championship, the league just below the world-famous English Premier League – EPL – and in my humble opinion the division where the best games are played.
So that brings me to Red Bank where I’ve taken to watching Monmouth FC. Okay, maybe not supporting because, you know… Argyle!!! But their games are pretty good. I’ve paid to see much worse back in England I can tell you. Try it. You might like it.
And so, I never got around to my pet peeve… “Soccer”. Nor have I explained why it’s the English football league, or what the UK is, or Great Britain. I’ll leave all that for another day.
*Monmouth FC first home game:
Sat, May 7 6pm vs NJ Copa FC (pre-season friendly – free access)
