Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with soccer

Catching el clasico soccer game in DC?

uk_giffo — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:50:59 -0800

Where in Washington DC will I be able to watch el clasico (Barcelona v Real Madrid) this Sunday afternoon at 1pm? I don't have cable so I want to get out to a good bar or cafe to watch the soccer game. Can any locals recommend somewhere? Anywhere metro-accessible I suppose, but the more central or NW the better. The Washington Redskins and a ton of other American football teams are playing at exactly the same time so I don't think I'll have much luck seeing it at the traditional sports bars.

As a cheeky bonus question (sorry!), are there any useful DC-centric general forums? I'm looking for an online space where I'll be able to ask these kinds of local questions and others. The forums I've found seem to lean quite heavily towards discussing politics on the hill (understably so).

"I've never regretted taking the train set"

galaksit — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:26:29 -0800

Apart from the Dennis Bergkamp cheese-packer one, what were the other Reebok "other career" adverts that ran on UK television in the late 90s, and where can I find them? These adverts potrayed famous footballers in alternative lives where they have mundane and/or stereotypical careers, recounting how they turned down a childhood birthday present of Reebok football boots for a different toy, the implication being this decision stopped them from going on to be successful players. For example, Bergkamp tells how he opted for a train set and that he's never regretted it, pictured awhile working in a Dutch cheese factory.

I've got a memory of there being a Peter Schmeichel one where the Danish keeper is portrayed as a pig farmer (Danish bacon being famous in the UK).

Were there any others? My Google/YouTube efforts have failed.

Was it a different campaign from which I remember a sequence with Ryan Giggs as a road-side flower seller, or something like that?

Arsenal Streaming Audio Options

boombot — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:53:51 -0800

What's the best way for me, in the U.S., using 3G, not wi-fi, to stream audio of Arsenal games to my iPhone?

Help me find an intelligent soccer forum

deern the headlice — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:17:15 -0800

What comes the closest to being "the Metafilter of football/soccer"? You might remember I asked awhile back about about keeping up with games - thanks again for the answers. I've got a good list of news sources, but nowadays I mainly want to find decent interactive discussions...

I've got plenty of the obvious news sources to check for EPL and La Liga games (Guardian, ESPN, Football365, etc), but I'm curious about forums. All the ones I've found seem to be populated with high school kids or just really bad writers. I would love some funny, smart, substantial, balanced dicussions without silly meltdowns.

Thanks in advance!

Where should I buy a ticket for in Camp Nou?

ascullion — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 05:05:38 -0800

I'm going to Barcelona in October and am going to take in a football match at Camp Nou. Tickets are currently freely available in the stadium - is there a particuarly good or bad place for a neutral/tourist to sit?

How can I watch Championship League Football... from Oklahoma?

brownbat — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:06:08 -0800

How can I watch the Cardiff City, Newcastle United match this Sunday... from Oklahoma? I'd like to watch the Cardiff City, Newcastle United match this Sunday, but I'm in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.

What are my options?

1) I don't have cable, but will Fox Soccer Channel carry it? If so, maybe I can find a nice sports bar or nice friend who would let me roll in at 8am... actually that's not very likely.

2) Is there a way to watch the match online?

3) Is there a way to listen to the match online?

4) Is there a site that will provide a play by play in realtime?

I know basically nothing about football, but I know I like to drink beer and shout profanity with people wearing team colors

little e — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:19:15 -0800

Help a clueless American attend a football game in Europe!! I'll be travelling in central and eastern Europe approximately October 21 through November 10. I just up and decided to take this trip a couple of days ago, so I'm still in the very early planning stages. I am tenatively thinking I'll begin in Amsterdam or Berlin and end up in either Athens or Istanbul. Intermediate locations under consideration include other parts of Germany and Greece, Kraków, Prague, and Budapest. Or whatever looks exciting when I go look at all the pretty pictures in the travel section at the bookstore. (Yeah, I just listed half the continent. But it all sounds exciting, I want to go everywhere and I can't make up my mind!! Anyway, my intent is to actually spend several days in each of four cities with some sightseeing in between.)

I would like to go to a football game while I'm there. I know basically nothing about it, but I know that I like to drink beer and watch sports and shout profanity with people wearing team colors. For someone who's not supporting a particular team, where in this part of the world would be fun to go to a game? I'm more concerned with having an interesting experience than with seeing, y'know, a really good team or a big matchup. I'd prefer not to spend a ridiculous amount on the ticket. Is it feasible to buy a ticket the day of the game, or would it be easier to buy one online ahead of time? (I'm assuming based on my American football experience I can buy tickets online, so correct me if this is wrong.) What else do I need to know? Thanks!

Faith, Hope and Charity

jadepearl — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:59:52 -0800

FootballFilter: This is a question of loyalty and etiquette and is aimed to all football (soccer) fans. At what age do you “choose” your team? Is this considered a life long loyalty or are you allowed to switch allegiances when you move to a new locale? How do football club loyalties work between generations? I ask this question because during a conversation in the UK I had with a group gentleman in their late 50’s-60’s they commented about a person using this sentence, “Born in Liverpool but a Chelsea man now” with everyone but me clued in on the nuance. Also, some griping about the younger generation not being “loyal.” Its been months since the conversation but I figure the green could help me understand the culture of football and loyalty/fandom.

How can I be the best pee wee soccer coach?

AgentRocket — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:27:26 -0800

Help me be a good Pee Wee Soccer coach. I signed up to coach my 5 year old's pee wee soccer team and our first practice is next week. I want to plan practices and interactions in such a way that the kids will have a lot of fun and come back next year. I understand that the key is to not overcoach a pee wee team and that our overall team strategy will be "KICK THAT BALL!" but I'd like to at least foster some basic dribbling/passing/kicking skills.

Coaches and parents of pee wee kids - what are some practice drills/games that have resonated with your kids? What advice do you wish you had received (or given your kid's coach)?

Bonus questions:

(1) one of my players has a severe nut allergy. In dealing with parent sign-ups for snacks/drinks after practices and games (this is apparently a time-honored tradition) should I request that they be entirely nut-free or should I independently prepare a nut-free alternative myself?

(2) one of the common complaints I heard from parents who had kids in the program in years past is that the kids didn't really get to know each other. One thought I had is inviting parents to stick around with their kids for a half hour or so after practice at the playground adjacent to the practice field. I think this would be good for the kids' socialization and it would be totally optional but don't want parents to feel like this is an extra chore or a strange solicitation. If your pee wee coach said "my kid and I plan to play at the playground for a bit after practice; anyone is welcome to join us," would that be weird or welcome?

BiH vs Iran.

acidic — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:03:50 -0800

I am thinking of attending a Bosnia & Hercegovina - Iran football match in Sarajevo. What should I know first? I am not much of a football fan but this seems like too interesting an opportunity to pass up! So I am interested in football facts as well as more social facts about the teams, history etc. I assume there are no safety concerns in attending such an event (a friendly) but if there are please tell!

Looking for resources on UK/European fútbol.

bamassippi — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:58:07 -0800

Looking for resources on UK/European fútbol. Recently began to appreciate the sport of soccer. Looking to learn more about the English Premiere League and Champions league, and UK & European soccer in general.

Looking for resources which cover everything from the basics ("everything you need to know about ___") to daily sources (fan blogs, websites) to more unique and historical (how different clubs/fan are perceived/reputations).

Help me find good international music

rollbiz — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 18:15:04 -0800

I'm responsible for providing music for a local soccer tournament styled after the World Cup. It is a celebration of the various cultures of the immigrant communities here, and I'd like to play as much music from the participating countries as possible. Can you help? I have asked the team captains to help out, but I don't want to rely on them as they have many other responsibilities between now and the weekend. The countries represented in this year's tournament are Columbia, Macedonia, Ecuador, Ireland, Brazil, Iraq, Jamaica, Guatemala, Iran, Liberia, Albania, Togo, Ghana, and El Salvador.

It's non-profit and I'm a volunteer committee member, so free music would be wonderful. Music available via Amazon, iTunes, and emusic would otherwise be preferable because I have accounts on those sites already.

Name of the 80s soccer arcade machine?

n3rt — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:59:44 -0800

Does anyone remember the name of the 80s soccer coin-op arcade machine? It was of a similar size to a Gauntlet box, was up to four player and was a world cup type tournament. Sort of cartoon-y / manga-lite type of players; and my overriding memory of it is the scissor / bicycle kick. If it then exists in a PC/PS2/ROM collection so much the better! Thanks all.

Need a northern Jersey soccer camp

kemah201 — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:27:15 -0800

Looking for a summer soccer day camp for an 11 year old that's more than a week...in northern New Jersey.

Great writing about soccer?

Guy_Inamonkeysuit — Sat, 16 May 2009 07:54:52 -0800

Soccerfilter: where would I find the best descriptions of game play? I'm a writer and my latest project requires a scene or two set at soccer games in Abadan, Iran in the early 1950s. I know very little about the game. For me, researching Iran is easy in comparison. I'd really like to be able to evoke some of the excitement of a soccer match by describing some thrilling game play. Does anyone know of a good source for this? Descriptions of famous or not-so-famous games that I can read would be ideal. The Abadan team played Brazilian style, I know, so description of amazing Brazilian games might be best for my purposes. Thanks!

Beginning guide to soccer?

Craig — Wed, 13 May 2009 13:32:37 -0800

I'm looking for a beginners guide to watching soccer. I'm watching the Seattle Sounders games and have really been enjoying them. But, I'd like to learn more about the rules. Anyone know a good guide specifically for beginners - essentially starting from zero knowledge about the game? Thanks!

Resources for learning about soccer (football) tactics and strategy

idb — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 07:00:09 -0800

Resources for learning about soccer (football) tactics and strategy? I'm an avid weekend footballer who wants to learn more about the subtleties of the game. When I read an article like this one, I find myself interested in the discussion of tactics and strategy and how one coach can shape the organization of players to work together more effectively than another can. Wikipedia has an article on this and I really like the way it works through specific examples, but I'm interested in learning more.

My google searching tends to turn up sites that are trying to sell something, or focus on drills and more individual skills. Youtube videos and commentary on games tend to focus on individual skills rather than how a team controls the game. Searching using "football" turns up American Football content (not that there's anything wrong with that ;-). I just ordered the hardback of Inverting the Pyramid, but what other resources are there?

How do I identify a company that develops online registration/scheduling software?

ewiley28 — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 12:09:11 -0800

How can I identify software for online registration for soccer training sessions? I'm thinking there are some solutions out there that are basically blackbox that can then be tailored to my site, but I haven't been able to turn them up. I don't want to use just something like regonline.com because I have people signing up for each session and there are dozens of different sessions in a week. I've seen a couple of software programs on website that look like they could work, but I wasn't able to find any information on the development of any of these, so I don't know if they are in-house software or if they are some sort of commercially available product.

Ideally, I would like to be able to show initially two months (current and next) when a person signs in with the date clickable if there are spaces available for them to register that day. Then, by clicking on the date, it would show the specific sessions available. There are 8 sessions most days and can be up to 8 individuals in a session, but the software would need to be able to note when 8 had been met and show that session as not available.

So, how do I go about identify a product that can be used to provide this type of service? I'm thinking that it's probably something that will need some development/tailoring to make fit my needs, but I'm guessing the company that has developed something like this would be designed to handle that.

Soccer field in Cleveland?

subpixel — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 08:53:33 -0800

I'll be in Cleveland this summer, and staying for a while, and I'd like to organize a weekly adult co-ed soccer game. Where are quality fields, esp. artificial turf? And who do I talk to about a permit? Do any of the colleges have a field that I could get permission to use? Thanks in advance.

Looking for a spring break soccer camp in Vancouver

russilwvong — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 23:16:05 -0800

Looking for a soccer camp for 5-year-olds in Vancouver over spring break (March 30 - April 3). We already know about Brad Higgs, just hoping for a more convenient location.

Fastest Ascent for club in FA?

brownbat — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 00:26:11 -0800

Which club holds the record the fastest ascent from bottom division to the top of the Football League? The premier league site on Hull City has the following quote: "Their ascent from the bottom division of the football league to the top in just five seasons is the third fastest ever."

Who had the fastest ascent?

Pickup Soccer in Philly?

tomw — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 05:51:54 -0800

Is there a (pickup?) game of soccer in Philly I can play in between Wednesday 22nd October and Tuesday 28th? Just an English guy going to be in Philly and wondering if anyone has a casual or otherwise game of soccer going on which I can play in, any size is cool by me. I've seen a few pitches around center city....

Does shirt swapping happen in any sport apart from soccer?

muteh — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:43:49 -0800

Does shirt swapping happen in any sport apart from soccer? At the end of soccer matches players often swap shirts with members of the opposing team. Does anything similar happen in other sports?

Hungarian Soccer Jersey for a 3-year old

taang — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:53:19 -0800

Looking to purchase a Hungarian soccer jersey for a toddler. Please help! I am looking for a place online where I can purchase a Hungarian soccer jersey for a 3-year old. I Googled and found a couple of places that will sell an adult jersey, but none for kids. I would prefer if the jersey was for the Hungarian national team rather than a club team, but I'll take what I can get. Also, this wonderful online store should ship to Canada. Thanks!

What Is It About Soccer?

netbros — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:51:30 -0800

Please help me understand the immense popularity of soccer (football, futbol) worldwide. And ... ... why it still continues to languish in the United States. Like basketball, it seems like a constantly moving, fast-paced game that the American sports enthusiast should enjoy. The rest of the world has certainly figured that out. What is it about soccer that the world knows and Americans don't?