Become a Soccer Fan

For the entire month of June and into the first week of July, sporting fans around the world will be glued to TV screens in homes, sports bars and town plazas to watch the grandest sporting event in the world: the World Cup. If you feel left out because you're not a soccer fan, here's your chance to become one.

Steps

  1. First things first. European fans don't call it soccer: To them it is 'football.' Recognize which is meant, but don't get stuck on wording. The important part is the sport - not the name.
  2. Watch a lot of soccer on TV. Latin European or Latin American matches are most prominent, but remember there are different leagues out there, with totally different styles of play. Have a look at Scottish and English leagues, in which the physical side of football is more featured.
  3. Choose a team to support and learn all you can about the club you choose.
  4. Go to local college games if you live near a college, or if your hometown has a pro team, go to those games. Read up on the team you're cheering for. Know the players, the coach, the team record and why they're better than any other team.
  5. Watch the MLS Cup which is played every year as the final game of the season, recognizing the champions of Major League Soccer in the US. The MLS consists of Western and Eastern Conferences. There are 19 teams currently. Another option is watching the Primera División (Mexican League), which consists of 18 teams. The best are Monterrey, Santos, Tigres, and Toluca.
  6. Learn the rules of the game, including offside, corner kicks and more.
  7. Join (or start) a recreational league and play some soccer yourself. Dribble the ball around in the grass, bounce it off walls, learn to juggle with your knees. Move your feet and your heart will follow. Love of the game makes you a soccer fan.
  8. Participate in fan initiatives, especially when crazy face-painting jobs are involved.
    • Don't call them cleats, they are called boots. (You can also call them studs). Also, it's not called a field but a pitch.

Tips

  • Oh yeah, do not forget to wear team colors. Carrying a flag with your team logo is another way of showing loyalty.
  • Even if you are only watching a game on TV, make sure that you pick a team to root for. Nothing is more boring than watching a soccer game when you don't care who wins; nothing is more exciting than one where you do.
  • Soccer is a relatively inexpensive sport to watch and play. For a game of street soccer you need a ball and a bunch of people who want to play. Pick teams, agree upon pitch boundaries, mark each goal post with anything available (a pile of coats) and you are ready to go. Even if the ball, the pitch, the goals and the teams are all non-regulation you can still have a good game. This is how most the soccer fans grew to love soccer - by playing it.
  • Soccer is popular in Africa, Europe, Asia, South America, and, in the past two or three decades, has taken North America by storm with many young players opting for soccer rather than baseball, basketball or American football.
  • When going to pro or college games, equip yourself with noisemakers: Fill a two-liter pop bottle with small pebbles or marbles and shake, shake, shake for ninety minutes.
  • Full body paint is ultimate.
  • If you do not love the sport, do not pretend to or go to great lengths trying to learn to love it. If you are a soccer fan you will know it, and if you aren't that's okay too.
  • Start collecting soccer items. Several good stuff to collect are your favorite club jerseys, balls, etc.
  • Don't support a team just because they have trophies support a local team if you want to and follow some of your family because is support a team that my whole family supports.
  • Dont try to act like you love soccer to impress someone else. If you dont that is okay, there is a good sport for everyone. Just be yourself!

Warnings

  • In most countries in the world, except the United States, soccer is known as football, or "fútbol" (Spanish).
  • European soccer fans are rowdy and a match is a grueling ninety minutes and can go into several overtime periods only to end in a draw.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

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