Premiership Football: The Experience of a Lifetime

Everyone has that one experience they’ve always dreamt of and waited what seems like their whole life for. No matter what I’ve seen or done, there has always been that one experience missing from my life. On Saturday I finally realized that dream: watching a live English Premier League match.

Being such an avid English football fan, it would be the world’s biggest crime if I went the entire semester in England without witnessing a live match. Thankfully I made sure that wouldn’t happen by attending the Fulham vs. Everton match at Craven Cottage in south London on Saturday, which, in all honesty, was nothing short of a dream come true.

The day started off with an hour train ride to London before proceeding to head to the city’s Underground. The tube, as it is known by most locals, can appear somewhat terrifying. With so many routes, so many trains, and so little knowledge of where anything in London is, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t slightly nervous about reaching my destination. Thankfully the Tube is not nearly as complicated as it appears and in fact, traveling to south London was much easier than I anticipated.

Upon arrival, I immediately stumbled upon a pub called Eight Bells. I walked in hoping to get a much needed bite to eat and to be able to converse with locals about the big match. To my surprise, the pub offered very little to eat and was filled with supporters from Everton who had traveled down from Liverpool to cheer on their beloved club. The countless stares I received because of my jersey encouraged me to search for another pub with more options for food… and more importantly, more Fulham supporters. Wearing a Clint Dempsey jersey in these parts is very much a common site. Wearing a USA Clint Dempsey shirt? Not so much. After all, he is the one who scored against England in the World Cup!

I walked along the Thames River looking for a pub when I found something else I never expected to see: Six Americans who flew in from Dallas that morning just for the game. Talk about dedication. It was nice to meet some other American Fulham fans, as well as some people who were as clueless as me about where anything in the area was. With the help of a few locals, however, we made our way to the King’s Arms Pub. The sign on the door said: Fulham and foreign supporters ONLY. We were definitely in the right place.

With just under three hours until kick-off, I was amazed at how packed the pub was. Everywhere I looked I saw people wearing Fulham jerseys, both men, women and children, all talking football and drinking pints of beer (except the kids of course). I talked to a handful of die-hard Fulham fans, some of who had only missed five home matches in the last 36 years. Now that’s really dedication.

As it neared closer to kick-off, the pub slowly began to empty out as everyone, including me and my fellow American fans, made our way down the street to Craven Cottage. There was no need for directions anymore. All we had to was follow the thousands of people heading for the stadium. And if that wasn’t enough, we could even hear the noise from the supporters who were already in the stadium. I looked at my watch and there was still 30 minutes until kick-off! Not too long later, I was inside the Cottage and walking down to my seat in the third row in Hammersmith End – the northernmost stand in the stadium and the home of the more vocal Fulham fans. Definitely the ideal place to sit for one’s first Premiership match!

Anyone who saw me could probably tell it was my first match. After all, if my eagerness to snap away at anything and everything with my camera didn’t make it obvious, the star-struck look in my eyes certainly did. In my defense though, Clint Dempsey, who is one of my all-time heroes, plays as a striker for Fulham, and is adored by their supporters as much as he is by me. I even heard several chants about him during the match, confirming my beliefs. Seeing all the players who I watch play on TV every weekend and being less than twenty feet away from some of them was absolutely surreal.

Once the match got underway, the noise only amplified and the excitement of being there only increased with every minute of play. The noise level created by the fans may have fluctuated throughout the match, but the passion of both sets of fans was there for all to see. And despite the match ending scoreless it was still a fantastic match and a phenomenal experience, every bit as amazing as I had hoped it would be. It’s an experience of a lifetime, especially when you’re a die-hard football fan.

After getting my first taste of English football, I already can’t wait to go to another match. With that in mind, I guess it’s a good thing I bought tickets for the West Ham vs. Fulham match this coming Saturday! If I’m in England, the birthplace of football, I might as well make the most of this opportunity and experience as much as I can of the sport most people in this country love more than anything.