An American’s Guide to Attending an English Soccer Game

You’ve seen the step-by-step guide for international fans attending an American sports game, now it’s time to flip the switch. Now, it’s time to give Americans an insight into watching the national game of England, soccer as it is known in the U.S. and football as it is known over there.

To see the dos and don’ts of attending an English soccer game as an American, make sure to read on.

First and foremost, do not call it soccer!

English football grounds on a match day can be very tumultuous places (more on that later), and you would make it more tumultuous by calling the game you are watching soccer, instead of football. Yes, that might be what you call it. And yes, football to you might be the NFL. But, over in England (and pretty much everywhere else in Europe) the beautiful game is known as football.

Do not upset the fans you are sitting with

As mentioned, English soccer stadiums on match day can be very tumultuous places. And the main reason for their tumultuousness is the fact that the soccer teams induce a feeling in their fans that make them somewhat territorial. Yes, this feeling of territory and the need to defend it may not be as bad as it was in England during the 1970s and 80s, but it is still evidenced slightly today. And, if you were to upset the fans you were sitting with (the stadiums never allow for areas that mix rival fans up) you could find yourself at the centre of a barrage of abuse. And, the most important thing to do in order to not upset your fellow supporters is to never switch allegiances during the game. Oh, yes, that’s a big no-no!

Learn the lingo

The lingo used by soccer fans in England is different to the lingo used by sports fans in America. First of all, you should get to grips with calling the field that the players are competing on a ‘pitch’. Second of all, you should know that it isn’t overtime that’s played at the end of the game, it’s ‘extra time’. Third of all, you should definitely try to learn a few of the songs that the supporters that you are to sit with sing and chant prior to your arrival at the stadium!

Make sure to buy tickets reputably

As with any sport played anywhere in the world, to enter the soccer stadium of your choosing you need to have a reputable ticket. You need to make sure that the ticket that you buy is officially sanctioned by the team you are going to watch play. If it isn’t, then you won’t be allowed in the stadium. So, make sure you are using a reputable ticket seller, such as TicketOffices who have a reputation for providing quality and genuine tickets, when you come to sourcing yours.

And to get an even better insight into what it might be like to be an American who attends an English soccer game, make sure to give Green Street a watch!

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