twofootedtackle.com is well known for its support of English football outside the Premier League, and for good reason, writes Kirsten Schlewitz: lower level football is not only intriguing, but provides the opportunity to actually connect to the nearby team that you’ve chosen to support.
But what of Americans – or anyone outside England, really – following lower league football in England? Is there a point? After all, we’re not able to go to the matches, the merchandise is almost impossible to buy, and we certainly don’t contribute to television revenue. Without any sort of financial contribution, it seems that there is no reason to encourage those outside England to pay attention to any clubs outside the top flight.
Some would argue that, no matter what country you’re in, it’s best to support the club closest to you. Well, I’m a Seattle Sounders supporter that has moved to Portland, and let me tell you, there’s no way I’m changing my colors. As for lower level soccer, the only team in Oregon are the PDL side Portland Timbers U-23, which, clearly, is not an option either. I could head out to watch college soccer, seeing as the majority of players who get drafted into Major League Soccer are funneled through the university system, but that’s an entirely different proposition, and one I don’t feel inclined to support.
However, after being dragged to various exciting towns in England, including Horsham and Southend, I do consider myself a supporter of lower league, and even non-league, English football. It was impossible for me to resist the lure of Tooting & Mitcham United after watching one of the players ask the assembled away support if he should take a corner with his left or right foot. That’s the sort of quirkiness that will never occur when kept back from the pitch by a fence and security guards.
Exeter City, too, have captured my heart, even though they nearly broke it losing to Brentford last week in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy semi-final. At least their cup run afforded me the chance to watch Exeter, an opportunity that occurs rarely, and never with Tooting. Yet I persist in keeping as close an eye on the teams as I can, even if at times it’s near impossible.
While it may seem pointless for an American to bother with the likes of such clubs, I’d argue that there are two very valid reasons to support football outside the Premier League (besides the indie band analogy of having everyone think you’re cool for supporting a club no one’s ever heard of).
The first is a variation on “all publicity is good publicity”. I might be a fairly weak voice shouting in the sea of soccerdom, but even causing just a few more people to pay attention to the likes of League One feels like a victory. In this tiny world where international travel seems like such a breeze, millions travel to England and take in matches at Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge, and more. A passionate supporter of clubs outside the Premier League can convince travelers to England to include visits to other football grounds, letting them know that the atmosphere of those places will give them a totally different perspective on the sport.
Which brings me to my next point: Americans taking an interest in lower league football can help improve the game in their own country. It’s nearly impossible to go to a match that features interaction with the players, balls nearly hitting your head because you’re standing so close, and half time score reports relayed by the players’ cellphones, and not want to claim it as your own.
Seeing players as humans rather than elevated deities breaks down an invisible wall, and keeps fans coming back for more. Just a taste of that sort of interaction could provide the impetus to promote soccer on a different level in the United States. There are so many working so hard to promote the sport in the country, but when most people live at least an hour’s drive from a club, it’s sometimes hard to form an attachment.
While it’s not necessary to model the US system on England’s (there’s no way I’m getting into a promotion-relegation argument here), taking inspiration from lower league, and non-league, football can only be a positive. The founding of new, smaller clubs will create more fans and generate more support for soccer in the States. It’s going to be a long process, and I’m not naïve enough to think it’s going to be a simple one, but it’s certainly a reason to believe that there’s a point to supporting clubs outside the Premier League, even from overseas.
I’m a Leicester City supporter since 1996. And with FoxSoccer.tv and other sites, I’m now able to watch several LC games the last two seasons, something I was almost never able to do before after their relegation out of the Premier League. But one of the difficulties in supporting a team from League One or below is that you simply are never able to actually watch them on TV. It’s hard to really feel connected to a club if you never see them.