How to be a great football fan

footballfans
footballfans
Credit: Jon Candy [https://www.flickr.com/photos/joncandy/6789130872/]
Credit: Jon Candy

There are many ways that you can come about being a fan of a particular football team.

Sometimes the tradition is passed down through generations and you are automatically expected to follow the same love of a specific team as your parents, their parents and their parent’s parents or be the butt of all jokes when you’re favourite team is losing or the black sheep when your team is winning.

Sometimes you develop an interest in football from a young age and choose your favourite team from there, developing your loyalty based on the skills or personalities of the players.

And then there are social fans, which choose to support a specific team usually out of convenience. Perhaps their friends all enjoy watching the games and it becomes a social event as well as a support of loyalty.

No matter how you came about being a fan of a specific team, it is great. Teams and players thrive off of their audience and the more you can get into being the ultimate fan, there is a bigger chance you will enjoy each game more and more. Here we have listed ways to be a great football fan.

1) Know the rules. This is an obvious one as well as the most important. You must understand the rules of the game. Other fans won’t respect your opinion if you can’t tell an offside call from a penalty kick. It also makes the games much more fun once you know the rules.

2) Get to know the history of the team. There are two kinds of great teams. The first is the kind that has a great season. Whether it is a surprise or not, it is always exciting when a group of players come together to form a solid unit. It is even better if the team is an underdog. The second kind of great team is the kind that has the legacy of championships. Perhaps ten years back your favorite team lost a tough game to a rival club. With that historical knowledge on hand, you can better appreciate the importance of the rivalry. This also goes for knowing the great players that were once a part of the team.

Credit: Paul Townsend [https://www.flickr.com/photos/brizzlebornandbred/8542579772/]
Credit: Paul Townsend

3) Learn the personal stories of the players. A great player is one thing to appreciate. It is even better when you can learn a bit more about the personal life of the player. Things like where they grew up, if they had specific hardships to deal with, their favorite hobbies, etc. You can then really feel connected to the players, giving it that much more excitement when they succeed. Or you can at least suffer with them when they don’t, like these fans.

Credit: www.bistronovecento.com
Credit: www.bistronovecento.com

4) Have a (or a few) favorite player(s). Once you have a specific player that you really enjoy to watch, it can make the games even more exciting. This also comes in handy for the next step.

5) Wear jerseys to support the team. There are few better and more obvious ways to show support for your team than wearing the uniforms. Having a favorite player makes it that much easier to choose which jersey to wear. It’s always great to have the official jerseys and you can find great selections online at sites like Pro-Direct.

6) Know the schedule. This ensures that you never miss a game, no matter how important it is. By knowing the schedule you can also make predictions on the upcoming games as well. If you can’t be there in person, make sure you know when and where you can watch the game from home or a local pub.

7) Get to the games. Few atmospheres are better than a football stadium. Being a great fan means that you are there to participate live in the triumphs and downfall of your team. It also makes the games even more exciting. There are really great ways to ensure that you can make it to all the games you wish.

Of course if you live in the same area as your favorite team home game season tickets will always ensure that you get to see a ton of live action. But sometimes an upcoming away game is one you simply can’t miss. To try to save a bit on expenses there are some sites like Voucherbox that offer really cheap flights within the UK and abroad.

Here you have some of the basic steps to becoming the ultimate football fan. Though it may not be for everyone, we expect if you’re reading this article you already have taken a liking to the sport, which can only be enhanced when become a bigger fan.

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