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| Soccer Courses Through a City’s Veins | Soccer Courses Through a City’s Veins |
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| LONDON — There are 270 stations in the subway system here and, on a recent weekend afternoon, many were crowded with a brilliant palette of colored shirts and scarves that seemed to be moving in every direction. | LONDON — There are 270 stations in the subway system here and, on a recent weekend afternoon, many were crowded with a brilliant palette of colored shirts and scarves that seemed to be moving in every direction. |
| Fathers and sons in red headed for Holloway Road. Families in blue rode toward the District Line’s Fulham Broadway station. The colors mixed and melded together, creating the glorious panoply that appears virtually every Saturday in England’s capital. | Fathers and sons in red headed for Holloway Road. Families in blue rode toward the District Line’s Fulham Broadway station. The colors mixed and melded together, creating the glorious panoply that appears virtually every Saturday in England’s capital. |
| For visitors, the sheer volume of allegiances here can be both inspiring and intimidating. While New York is known as a sports hub in the United States because it has multiple teams in multiple sports, the notion that three hockey teams in one metropolitan area qualifies as a lot would be laughable in London. Soccer teams abound in this city of roughly 600 square miles and of 8.2 million residents, nearly all of whom hold a passionate, dedicated and occasionally maniacal fidelity to one team or another. | For visitors, the sheer volume of allegiances here can be both inspiring and intimidating. While New York is known as a sports hub in the United States because it has multiple teams in multiple sports, the notion that three hockey teams in one metropolitan area qualifies as a lot would be laughable in London. Soccer teams abound in this city of roughly 600 square miles and of 8.2 million residents, nearly all of whom hold a passionate, dedicated and occasionally maniacal fidelity to one team or another. |
| Considering the size of the city, the numbers are staggering: this season, 14 professional soccer teams from London competed in England’s Football League, home of the top four divisions in the country’s tiered promotion-and-relegation system. If one includes Watford, which lies on the outskirts on the city, the total is 15, including six members of the Premier League and three teams in the second-division Championship. | Considering the size of the city, the numbers are staggering: this season, 14 professional soccer teams from London competed in England’s Football League, home of the top four divisions in the country’s tiered promotion-and-relegation system. If one includes Watford, which lies on the outskirts on the city, the total is 15, including six members of the Premier League and three teams in the second-division Championship. |
| This Saturday alone, six London teams — four from the Premier League and two from the Championship — will play home games, meaning that in a single afternoon as many as 150,000 fans will attend matches taking place in stadiums that are all less than 10 miles from Westminster Abbey. | |
| “In terms of soccer and, really, sport, there is nothing in the world like London,” said Simon Inglis, a British sports historian. “It’s a university thesis or something, trying to figure it out. In a lot of ways, it’s madness.” | “In terms of soccer and, really, sport, there is nothing in the world like London,” said Simon Inglis, a British sports historian. “It’s a university thesis or something, trying to figure it out. In a lot of ways, it’s madness.” |
| Madness, indeed. Arsenal. Chelsea. Tottenham. Fulham. West Ham United. Queens Park Rangers. Those are just the six London teams in the top division, and the fan bases for the teams below them — even for tiny Barnet or Dagenham & Redbridge — are, in many cases, just as passionate. | Madness, indeed. Arsenal. Chelsea. Tottenham. Fulham. West Ham United. Queens Park Rangers. Those are just the six London teams in the top division, and the fan bases for the teams below them — even for tiny Barnet or Dagenham & Redbridge — are, in many cases, just as passionate. |
| So in an era of growing global popularity for English soccer, how does one go about choosing a team in London? Carefully, most fans say. The team that one supports can say a lot about a person and, in this soccer-crazy city, can be a statement that crosses social, cultural, political or ethnic lines. | So in an era of growing global popularity for English soccer, how does one go about choosing a team in London? Carefully, most fans say. The team that one supports can say a lot about a person and, in this soccer-crazy city, can be a statement that crosses social, cultural, political or ethnic lines. |
| Faithfulness is taken seriously. David Mellor, a former politician who was a member of Prime Minister John Major’s cabinet, was excoriated after accusations surfaced that he switched from being a Fulham fan to a Chelsea supporter for political gain. Inglis, who is the editor of the “Played in Britain” book series on sports heritage, said all Britons constantly gauge the qualities of a stranger based on which team that person supports. | Faithfulness is taken seriously. David Mellor, a former politician who was a member of Prime Minister John Major’s cabinet, was excoriated after accusations surfaced that he switched from being a Fulham fan to a Chelsea supporter for political gain. Inglis, who is the editor of the “Played in Britain” book series on sports heritage, said all Britons constantly gauge the qualities of a stranger based on which team that person supports. |
| If, for example, a plumber shows up to fix a leaky faucet and he is wearing a Brentford shirt, Inglis said, that is a sign that “he is loyal and committed” because Brentford is a third-division club, founded in 1889, and is not a team that so-called “glory hunter” fans would adopt casually. | If, for example, a plumber shows up to fix a leaky faucet and he is wearing a Brentford shirt, Inglis said, that is a sign that “he is loyal and committed” because Brentford is a third-division club, founded in 1889, and is not a team that so-called “glory hunter” fans would adopt casually. |
| “I’m not saying that I would necessarily trust that plumber’s work more than someone wearing a Chelsea shirt,” he said. “But some might. They very well might. It’s something that really impacts how you deal with your fellow man.” | “I’m not saying that I would necessarily trust that plumber’s work more than someone wearing a Chelsea shirt,” he said. “But some might. They very well might. It’s something that really impacts how you deal with your fellow man.” |
| For many fans in London, the choice on whom to love is effectively an arranged marriage. Research by Tottenham’s marketing department has shown that most children settle on the team they will support for the rest of their lives by age 10, and sports allegiance is often part of a family’s lineage: your father’s team — or your brother’s team or your mother’s team or your uncle’s team — becomes your team. For some, this can be a blessing; for others, a curse. There are children who will turn 8 years old this summer who have not yet seen Arsenal win a trophy. | For many fans in London, the choice on whom to love is effectively an arranged marriage. Research by Tottenham’s marketing department has shown that most children settle on the team they will support for the rest of their lives by age 10, and sports allegiance is often part of a family’s lineage: your father’s team — or your brother’s team or your mother’s team or your uncle’s team — becomes your team. For some, this can be a blessing; for others, a curse. There are children who will turn 8 years old this summer who have not yet seen Arsenal win a trophy. |
| But not everyone in London has a birthright to a team here. More than 200,000 people move to London from elsewhere within Britain each year, according to the Office for National Statistics, and as recently as 2011, statistics showed that one in three London residents was born outside Britain. Those newcomers, naturally, must select a team to cheer on their own. | But not everyone in London has a birthright to a team here. More than 200,000 people move to London from elsewhere within Britain each year, according to the Office for National Statistics, and as recently as 2011, statistics showed that one in three London residents was born outside Britain. Those newcomers, naturally, must select a team to cheer on their own. |
| Geography has traditionally been a prime factor. The London teams are scattered throughout the city, and the lower-profile clubs have more local bases. West Ham, despite its name, is a prime club for fans who live in east London. Crystal Palace and Charlton are in south London. | Geography has traditionally been a prime factor. The London teams are scattered throughout the city, and the lower-profile clubs have more local bases. West Ham, despite its name, is a prime club for fans who live in east London. Crystal Palace and Charlton are in south London. |
| “The smaller the club, the more attached it is in the community,” said James Doe, who operates The London Football Guide, a popular Web site that he designed primarily as a resource for visitors to the city. | “The smaller the club, the more attached it is in the community,” said James Doe, who operates The London Football Guide, a popular Web site that he designed primarily as a resource for visitors to the city. |
| “I became a Q.P.R. fan because it was the first match I ever went to, and now you see a lot of the fans there interacting with the club outside of games,” he said. “It feels part of the neighborhood.” | “I became a Q.P.R. fan because it was the first match I ever went to, and now you see a lot of the fans there interacting with the club outside of games,” he said. “It feels part of the neighborhood.” |
| The personalities of the clubs, which are generally rooted in the historical reputation of each team, can also be the appeal. South London’s Millwall, for example, has a longstanding connection to the dockworkers of the city and is known for a certain grittiness among its fans, which is symbolized by their popular chant, “No one likes us, we don’t care.” | The personalities of the clubs, which are generally rooted in the historical reputation of each team, can also be the appeal. South London’s Millwall, for example, has a longstanding connection to the dockworkers of the city and is known for a certain grittiness among its fans, which is symbolized by their popular chant, “No one likes us, we don’t care.” |
| The club also has a reputation for fan violence, a label that was not helped by an in-stadium brawl that marred the team’s recent F.A. Cup semifinal. Devoted fans, though, frequently say that they are, as a rule, misunderstood. | The club also has a reputation for fan violence, a label that was not helped by an in-stadium brawl that marred the team’s recent F.A. Cup semifinal. Devoted fans, though, frequently say that they are, as a rule, misunderstood. |
| “We’re really a fun lot,” one Millwall fan, Jack Fitzgerald, said as he stood outside Wembley Stadium recently. “The violence is overplayed. We’re creative. You even hear it from other supporters now. ‘Oh, if you want to have fun and have a laugh, go to Millwall.’ ” | “We’re really a fun lot,” one Millwall fan, Jack Fitzgerald, said as he stood outside Wembley Stadium recently. “The violence is overplayed. We’re creative. You even hear it from other supporters now. ‘Oh, if you want to have fun and have a laugh, go to Millwall.’ ” |
| By comparison, Fulham — which is in southwest London — is known as the kindly club. The team’s stadium, the poetically named Craven Cottage, sits by the River Thames and is a charming place to spend an afternoon. There are almost always empty seats available for purchase on the day of a match, in contrast with the home stadiums of many London teams. | By comparison, Fulham — which is in southwest London — is known as the kindly club. The team’s stadium, the poetically named Craven Cottage, sits by the River Thames and is a charming place to spend an afternoon. There are almost always empty seats available for purchase on the day of a match, in contrast with the home stadiums of many London teams. |
| Yes, Chelsea is a natural rival for Fulham (the clubs are a little more than a mile apart), but even that is hardly a blood feud; typically, Doe said, most fans have a soft spot for Fulham because it is essentially the Switzerland of the city. In fact, in a country where dividing home fans and away fans is standard practice, Craven Cottage is the only major stadium in England that has a dedicated section in the stands for neutrals. | Yes, Chelsea is a natural rival for Fulham (the clubs are a little more than a mile apart), but even that is hardly a blood feud; typically, Doe said, most fans have a soft spot for Fulham because it is essentially the Switzerland of the city. In fact, in a country where dividing home fans and away fans is standard practice, Craven Cottage is the only major stadium in England that has a dedicated section in the stands for neutrals. |
| Richard Lander, a Fulham season-ticket holder, said many Fulham fans find that general characterization of their club “slightly patronizing,” but added that it has some truth to it. Lander’s attraction to Fulham is not unusual; he grew up a Manchester United fan but wanted to be able to go to games after moving to London, so he and his son gravitated to friendly Fulham. | Richard Lander, a Fulham season-ticket holder, said many Fulham fans find that general characterization of their club “slightly patronizing,” but added that it has some truth to it. Lander’s attraction to Fulham is not unusual; he grew up a Manchester United fan but wanted to be able to go to games after moving to London, so he and his son gravitated to friendly Fulham. |
| “We still cheer for United when they play here once a year,” he said. “But otherwise, we just enjoy coming to the games. On a sunny day, it’s a lovely place to watch a game.” | “We still cheer for United when they play here once a year,” he said. “But otherwise, we just enjoy coming to the games. On a sunny day, it’s a lovely place to watch a game.” |
| Not surprisingly, many of the labels once associated with clubs are not necessarily valid anymore. Tottenham, which has a north London rivalry with Arsenal, used to be known as the favored club for Jewish fans, and many of its fans still refer to themselves as the Yid Army. Now though, Inglis said, “you see Afro-Caribbean Spurs fans wearing a Star of David even though they don’t know what it means.” | Not surprisingly, many of the labels once associated with clubs are not necessarily valid anymore. Tottenham, which has a north London rivalry with Arsenal, used to be known as the favored club for Jewish fans, and many of its fans still refer to themselves as the Yid Army. Now though, Inglis said, “you see Afro-Caribbean Spurs fans wearing a Star of David even though they don’t know what it means.” |
| More to the point these days is that the most recognizable teams in the Premier League — Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham in London, as well as Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool — are increasingly going beyond the standard marketing techniques and thinking globally. The London teams, in particular, have embraced the large number of tourist fans who flock to England in hopes of seeing quality soccer. The teams all hope to establish roots throughout the world. | More to the point these days is that the most recognizable teams in the Premier League — Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham in London, as well as Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool — are increasingly going beyond the standard marketing techniques and thinking globally. The London teams, in particular, have embraced the large number of tourist fans who flock to England in hopes of seeing quality soccer. The teams all hope to establish roots throughout the world. |
| According to Emma Taylor, the head of marketing at Tottenham, less than a quarter of the fans who go to Spurs matches at White Hart Lane are from an area within 10 miles of the stadium. With social media allowing teams to communicate with fans all over the world, the most attractive clubs are finding that their audience is increasingly outside the city limits. | According to Emma Taylor, the head of marketing at Tottenham, less than a quarter of the fans who go to Spurs matches at White Hart Lane are from an area within 10 miles of the stadium. With social media allowing teams to communicate with fans all over the world, the most attractive clubs are finding that their audience is increasingly outside the city limits. |
| “We have recently also launched Chinese social media channels on Sina and Tencent,” Taylor said. “The way we engage our fans locally and globally may be different, but our aim remains consistent: to bring all our fans closer to the club and make them feel a sense of belonging and pride.” | “We have recently also launched Chinese social media channels on Sina and Tencent,” Taylor said. “The way we engage our fans locally and globally may be different, but our aim remains consistent: to bring all our fans closer to the club and make them feel a sense of belonging and pride.” |
| Impressive as the expansion of the Premier League footprint may be, the lifeblood of English soccer still lies in its local passion, and nowhere is that more evident than in London. Beyond the 14 clubs in the Football League, Doe estimated that he compiles information about roughly 100 other soccer teams in the greater London area, which he defines as anywhere within a reasonable train trip from the city. Support for these nonleague teams, as they are called, is often passionate, and the atmosphere at the smaller grounds can be fascinating. | Impressive as the expansion of the Premier League footprint may be, the lifeblood of English soccer still lies in its local passion, and nowhere is that more evident than in London. Beyond the 14 clubs in the Football League, Doe estimated that he compiles information about roughly 100 other soccer teams in the greater London area, which he defines as anywhere within a reasonable train trip from the city. Support for these nonleague teams, as they are called, is often passionate, and the atmosphere at the smaller grounds can be fascinating. |
| With so many options, it seems only reasonable that many English soccer fans have a primary club they support and also take on a “second club,” which is usually in a different division than the primary club lest there be any internal awkwardness should the teams meet. | With so many options, it seems only reasonable that many English soccer fans have a primary club they support and also take on a “second club,” which is usually in a different division than the primary club lest there be any internal awkwardness should the teams meet. |
| Doe, the dedicated Q.P.R. fan, recalled a close friend who has been a longtime backer of Liverpool. In part because of his relationship with Doe, the friend adopted Q.P.R. as his second team, which was no problem because Q.P.R., until recently, did not play in the Premier League. | Doe, the dedicated Q.P.R. fan, recalled a close friend who has been a longtime backer of Liverpool. In part because of his relationship with Doe, the friend adopted Q.P.R. as his second team, which was no problem because Q.P.R., until recently, did not play in the Premier League. |
| Once Q.P.R. earned promotion, however — and would be competing against Liverpool — Doe said that his friend’s demeanor toward Q.P.R. (and him) quickly changed. (Though it is headed for relegation after this season.) | Once Q.P.R. earned promotion, however — and would be competing against Liverpool — Doe said that his friend’s demeanor toward Q.P.R. (and him) quickly changed. (Though it is headed for relegation after this season.) |
| “All of a sudden he told me that he didn’t have a second team anymore,” Doe said. “If Liverpool wasn’t on, he just wanted to go watch nonleague football, and that was it.” | “All of a sudden he told me that he didn’t have a second team anymore,” Doe said. “If Liverpool wasn’t on, he just wanted to go watch nonleague football, and that was it.” |
| Doe paused, then shrugged. | |
| “It could have been worse,” he said. “There are a lot of fans in London who don’t even support a London team at all — they just say that their favorite team is Manchester United. Nothing’s as bad as that.” |