Posts Tagged ‘Football Fanatics’

Football is a game that is famous all over the world. It is a craze among the football fanatics to procure football tickets and visit the stadium to watch their favorite game of football live. Others who are not so lucky watch it on television. Football or soccer is played at a professional level all over the world. It stirs up tremendous passion among its fans and among the nations. It is considered one of the most popular games among all age groups.

About The Game

Football is played between two different teams each having eleven players. It is played with a ball on a rectangular field having goal posts on both the sides. The main objective of the players is to take the ball into the opposite goal post. The more number of times you can maneuver the ball in the opposing goal post, the more you get to score. A referee supervises the game. The decisions taken by him are final. A single match is divided into two halves of forty-five minutes each. One player tries to prevent the ball from reaching the goal post. He is called the goalkeeper. At the end of the game, the team with the highest number of goals wins. However, if both the teams score the same number of goals then it is a draw. To resolve a draw, the duration of the game is increased. A penalty shootout is declared if the results continue to be drawn. Procuring football tickets for matches are a craze among the fans.

The game of football is supervised and governed by the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA). The most popular football match held at an international level is the World Cup. More than 190 countries participate in it right from the qualifying rounds. The whole world is united during this time. The thrill can be seen in everyone’s face. The fans exult throughout the event. Then you must see the craze for football tickets for the game. There are various rules that govern the game of Soccer. The most common among them is that none of the players of either team is allowed to hit the ball with their hands or arms except the goalkeeper. The others can use their legs, head or any other part of the body excepting arms and hands to push the ball.

Procuring Football Tickets

It is very difficult to procure football tickets of any important match. Nevertheless, football fanatics are least bothered about the hardships. You can buy it from the stadium counter. However, that would require you to really stand and wait in long queues facing the extremes of weather. It would also include hustling and jostling.

Another more comfortable option is to sit at home and contact a ticket broker for football tickets. The staff there is highly competent and can help you purchase as many football tickets you want. You can even have the football tickets delivered at your doorsteps. You can simply relax and wait for the big day!

It will be a great match that you can enjoy and many football fanatics are waiting for it passionately. Arsenal got disappointment in the premium league matches this season as they need to perform well in this coming match if they want to fulfill the expectations of their fans. While Fulham seems confident to get more points to enhance their level to top position, do not miss this excited match that will be watched on the coming Saturday 28th February at 15:00 GMT.While reviewing past performance of Arsenal, it is thought that Arsenal needs to perform well in the coming match if they hope for league title. But they were held frustrating in their last match against Sunderland where the results of match remained draw 0-0 despite of their best efforts of getting lead over their opponents. As a result of this match, Gunners are placed at the 5th position of the premier league chart, and sits 6 points back from the 4th position currently held by Aston Villa. Anyhow, recently they possessed 45 points that are product of their 9 draws, 12 wins and 5 losses with 38 goals and 25 conceded. This week, Eduardo Da Silva, Tomas Rosicky and Cesc Fabregas will miss the match due to injury problems. That will not prove good for the Arsenal but they need to make such replacements that will fulfill the compensation of their experienced players nicely.The visiting team Fulham faced striking victory in week 26 with 2-0 lead over West Brom at Craven Cottage. With this win, the coach of Fulham Roy Hodgson is focusing on hard work as his team will be good performer for the coming match. Their last victory placed them on the 8th position at the premier league with 33 points that make them to get 33 points behind the 7th position. These 33 points are gained due to the product of 9 draws, 8 wins and 8 losses with score of 24 goals and 22 conceded.It is good news for Fulham that they are not facing any injury problem from the side of their players. That would bring positive results for their players and increase their confidence. To review more details, you can check football news to get latest information about your favorite team players. While taking into consideration about the past performance of Arsenal, it seemed that this match can be proved difficult for Arsenal at home as Fulham are preparing with great enthusiasm to defeat them at any cost. Many sports critics are also favoring this idea that Arsenal performance may seem weak as compared to the Fulham. But the real fact will disclose on the coming Saturday 28 February.

INTRODUCTION

The fans of the South Eastern Conference take their college football very seriously. Year in and year out they lead the country, dominating overall attendance records. In 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 the conference drew more than 5.5 million fans at its home games; a national record for a conference. Football Fanatics, you bet, and they wear the badge proudly.

I on the other hand reside at the other end of this spectrum. My parents were not sports people and it simply was not part of our family structure. I would half-heartedly follow our local sports teams but only if it was convenient. If the game was on and I happened to be sitting in front of the television then great, or if there was a radio handy I might tune in. Never in my wildest dreams could I have envisioned the journey on which I would embark with my own child.

TYPICAL PARENTS

Like most baby-boom-era parents my wife Stacy and I were determined to expose our children to everything we could from sports to music to dance to theatre to whatever. Following the generational trend, we wanted to afford our kids those things that we simply did not have available to us as children. It is amazing how much has changed over the course of only a few decades. What really accentuated this point was one Christmas when Santa brought a Game-Boy for Willy, my eldest of three; while he was sitting there on the floor playing Ninja Turtles he looked up at me and asked if I played Game-Boy when I was little? That simple, innocent question tells the whole tale. Game-Boy – PS2 – Xbox 360 – Wii, heck, all I had access to was Pong which came onto the scene when I was about eleven years old; my cousin had one so the only time I was able to play it was when I went to visit him. I try to explain to my children that the first time I had access to a computer was in college. We had to sign up for computer time which often was in the wee hours of the morning. They look at me, while texting a message to their friend, as if I am speaking a foreign language. Even our vocabulary has changed; is texting a proper word?

Growing up in the inner city during the late sixties – early seventies the only organized sporting activities available to me were baseball, basketball and football. Tennis and golf were primarily for those belonging to a country club, hockey and soccer simply did not exist and opportunities for swimming, track, wrestling and volleyball were not available until high school. Today children have instant access to the world and exposure to almost anything; baseball, soccer, tennis, basketball, swimming, scouting, piano, you name it. I told my children early on that they could participate in anything except football and boxing. My wife and I were determined that our children participate in something; what they chose was for the most part up to them. The risk of chronic and even severe injury from football is just too high and boxing is just plain lunacy. Had Extreme Fighting existing during that time it would have been prohibited as well. Everything else was fair game.

WHO KNEW?

Jump ahead about ten years. Alex, my middle child, came home from school one day and told me that he had joined the football team, catching me off-guard and momentarily speechless. He knew the rules, football was off limits. ‘Really, what position?’ I asked. I’m going to kick, he explained, assuring me that it is the safest position on the roster; kickers never get hurt. I then asked how this came about. Alex’s gym class was outside on the football field where he and a few of his buddies, who were already on the team, were goofing around kicking field goals. As it turns out Alex was popping them through the uprights, with ease, from thirty five yards out so his buddies suggested he try out for the team; the coach obviously liked what he saw and Alex became the starting varsity kicker his senior year.

WE’RE FOOTBALL PEOPLE NOW

The most ironic part of this journey is that prior to Alex joining the football team I had never attended a high school football game as an adult and attended only a handful as a student. Perhaps if I had friends on the football team when I was in high school or dated a cheerleader the Friday night games would have drawn my interest.

For all practical purposes high school football was a new experience for me so naturally I had no idea what to expect. I figured that my family and I would attend the games, watch our son kick a few balls and enjoy an evening out. My wife on the other hand jumped in with both feet and did not look back. From the very first game Stacy looked and acted like a veteran football mom. She wore the traditional red, white and black scarf displaying the school colors along with the big button proudly pinned to her chest showing off a photograph of her son in his football uniform. Number fifteen, that’s MY child. The photo-button is the official badge of honor for all of the mothers with children who are members of the team, the various cheerleading squads and the marching band. It truly is a beautiful sight to look into the stands and see a wall of moms sporting big photo-buttons accented with red, white and black scarves. Simply put, football is addictive. There is so much emotional purity involved at this level that you cannot help but get caught up in all the excitement. I think the reason for this is that the fans are more vested than at the college or professional level; the high school setting is much more intimate. Parents are obviously going to cheer for their children regardless of level or venue, but the true difference rests with the kids in the stands. They are rooting for friends that they grew up with, friends whose birthday parties they attended and sofas they slept on. These are the same kids who were lab partners in science class and were teammates on the recreational soccer team. The kids on the field and the kids in the stands have literally known each other all their lives. This depth of connection on such a wide scale simply cannot occur at the college or professional level. The kids being raised within the same community is what makes high school sports so special and unique.

From the time my children reached middle school my opening line when I got home would be the same; “How was school, do you have any homework?” Now though, now that we’re football people there is an added wrinkle. When I speak to Alex it is, “How was school, do you have any homework, how did you kick today?” Like I can advise him if he proclaims that he did not kick well in practice? The only piece of advice I would be able to give that made any sense at all would be to keep your eye on the ball; how profound and utterly obvious. But it was important for me to get a progress report. I wanted to be involved; I needed to be involved, for we’re football people now.

DEJA VU

My parents lived ten to fifteen minutes from us yet, when our children were little it would take us forty five minutes to get everyone situated for a ten minute ride. Attending our son’s football games resulted in a similar ordeal. We graduated from a checklist of formula, diapers, toys, snacks, juice bottles and extra clothes to stadium chairs, blankets, gloves, hats, umbrella and directions. The one constant was that someone always had to use the restroom at the last minute just as we were ready to walk out the door. A few things in life transcend gender – religion – geography – nationality – economic status – education and language; having a family member run to the bathroom just as you are ready to leave the house can be deemed a universal truth.

THE PORK PIE HAT

When my children were old enough to attend school I went out and purchased a black leather Pork Pie hat which I would dutifully wear to all of their outdoor events. Initially, I wanted to wear a Dr. Seuss hat but my wife said I looked silly; my kids thought it was funny. The Pork Pie is a cool looking hat which I still wear to this day. The main reason I bought it was so my children could easily find me in a crowd. If we ever got separated, just look for the odd looking hat. In a sea of baseball caps my Pork Pie hat stuck out like a sore thumb. It worked well and my children got used to the idea. As they grew older and started playing organized sports they would use the hat to easily find me in the stands. Alex tells me he still looks for the hat while standing on the sideline. Old habits die hard.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

Being a disciple of the ‘Just in Time’ theory the parking lot is already packed as we approach the stadium, so once again I am relegated to waiting in line to drop off my family at the front entrance then park the car. Most nights, the nearest parking spot is a quarter of a mile away which is not a problem unless it is 30 degrees and windy or pouring rain. Unfortunately, I got to experience both. As I make my way to the field I pass a used car lot full of automobiles neatly arranged on the grass between the ‘No Parking on Grass’ signs. The scope of influence the football program has on local law enforcement is impressive. I purchase my ticket and call my wife to find out where she is sitting. Thank heaven for cell phones, without them I may not find her until halftime when the stampede occurs to line up for pretzels, hot dogs and the all important restroom.

A high school football game is a roller coaster of emotion and excitement from waiting for the team to run onto the field through the tunnel of cheerleaders, crashing through the home made banner – to the halftime show featuring both high school marching bands – to the end of the game when the entire football team runs over to the stands in front of the marching band to pay homage to one another as the band plays the school’s fight song. I have come to realize that this spectacle simply has to be experienced first hand to be appreciated and understood. The electricity and energy of a live high school game is invigorating. Boys without shirts, chests painted all screaming at their counterparts across the field – the opposing bands dueling back and forth, these kids were having the time of their lives and it was easy to get caught up in their drama. It made me wonder what I had missed when I was in high school; perhaps Alex, by being a part of the football team is affording me the opportunities I missed out on when I was a student? Maybe it is better this way, as an adult I appreciate it more.

V.I.P.

A dominating high school team brings a celebrity status not only to the players but their parents as well. All of a sudden people I had known only in passing were stopping to partake in detailed conversation with me; at the gas station, the grocery store, and coffee house. Alex is really kicking well, have any colleges approached him yet? Wow, Alex is having a great season I didn’t know he could kick like that. Truth be told, I didn’t know it either? He must have inherited it from his mother. It is a great feeling being the parent of an athlete. You cannot help but stick out your chest with pride when you hear others in the stands cheering on your son and yelling his name. It turned out to be an experience I never could have anticipated. I savored every minute. In addition I had the good fortune by sheer happenstance, of experiencing events a-typical to a normal football season like watching Alex set a new school record by booming a 48 yard field goal with one second left in the half to helping his team win a State Championship posting a flawless 16-0 record; moments like these are indeed rare.

PRICELESS

Alex told me the highlight of the season was playing the conference championship game at Heinz Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. I cannot imagine how cool it is to play in a professional football stadium, I can tell you though as a parent of one of the players, it is an awesome experience to watch. To sit in the stands and watch your son on that field, kicking up the same dirt as Hines Ward and booming field goals through the same uprights as Jeff Reed is surreal. Ticket to the game – $10, soft pretzel with mustard – $4.50, hot dog and drink – $7.50, watching Alex, larger than life on the Jumbo-Tron, running off the field pumping his fist after burying a field goal – priceless.

As impressive as watching Alex play at Heinz Field was, the highlight for me came several months later at the Pennsylvania East-West All Star Game. When I saw Alex run out of the tunnel onto the field my jaw literally dropped. I was stunned, almost paralyzed from the sharp chill piercing through my body; I was covered with goose bumps. There it was, as plain as day sprawled across the back of my son’s shoulders; ROMANIAS. His name, my name was on the back of his jersey. I was overwhelmed; I never saw my name on the back of a jersey before yet there it was staring at me, taunting me, seducing me. Seeing my name on the back of that jersey was a profound experience. It caught me completely off guard; it was phenomenal. Several times during the course of the game I would lean over to remind my wife just how cool it was to see my name on the back of that jersey.

WHAT A RIDE

Who could have imagined that kicking field goals in gym class for fun would have resulted in such a magical journey? Prior to this season the last high school football game I attended was in 1978 when I was a junior. Now, we’re football people.

Next stop, college; I guess Stacy will have to get another big photo-button and a new scarf while I dust off the Pork Pie hat. Thanks for the ride son!