Ties between Euro football and Canada

[garyshaw]

I have, in recent years, become a fan of football in Canada. This is mainly because I love football, I moved here and even though I will forever watch English football on TV I need a local team to follow. So when TFC came about I was excited but unfortunately only made it to 3 games last season before being overseas until last week thus missing most of this season.

I have been struck by the huge amount of interest in football here, which I guess is understandable with Canada being so multicultural. However there's a couple of things I wonder about and hope someone can help me with. How many of the football fans here, the ones who follow TFC, Whitecaps or Impact and go to the games, are like me? I mean are they fans of their Canadian team first, or their non-Canadian team...Liverpool, Man U....Do these fans support teams in Canada because they feel an attachment or is it because either they miss going to matches in England etc. or are they influenced by what they see on TV and want to be passionate fans like that?

When I went to my first TFC game I was impressed by the atmosphere and level of support. My wife commented that it was funny that the fans could be so passionate, have so much of an attachment, to a team that only existed for a few weeks. Does this come again from the need to be a football fan who can attend a live game rather than just watch it on TV? I admire the passion of the TFC supporter groups. And I hope it carries on despite the not-so-great results.

Also, does anybody think that the amount of European football on TV has had a very big influence on the success of TFC's support or is it just good marketing from TFC?

Excuse the long post but I'm trying to investigate whether football in Canada can grow with influence from overseas, eg Europe,or whether it will be the success of the MLS or ULS in Canada which will contribute to the improvement of football here.

I'd appreciate any comments. And I'm sure somebody will figure out pretty quickly who my English team is...............

[Cheeta]

Hmmm. Can't speak for what's going on in Toronto but I would say the fans here are a pretty mixed bag. Some are Ex pats following the clubs and leagues in their old country some are 1st/2nd generation Canadians who've inherited the football bug from their families and other still are just people who're fans of the game for whatever reason.

I will say I feel that there is a very large but fickle base of football fan in this country draw up from the domestic ranks as it were, ie not coming from footballing families. There are A LOT of people who'll actually sit through a football match (on TV) or better still buy tickets to a "quality" fixture. At least a lot more than there where say 20 years ago and I put this down to television. Absolutely.

As to the passion of the fans it's odd in only that it's the way things used to be in other sports. If you want to see something similar I'd suggest going to a couple of NHL games but there's no point anymore. The last decade of sports/entertainment marketing has driven the average fan out of their seats, it's just not the same as it was. Maybe check out a CFL game (post labour day of course). Toronto may not be the best place for that though but I can say in complete honesty I've seen nights in the East grandstand at Bomber stadium which would make Villa Park feel like a library.

European influence is good and bad. It's great in that it showcases the game at it's best but it's bad in that the early stages it produces a fan which has acquired a taste for something which they'll never get over here and on whom the beautiful subtleties of the sport are still lost. (Too much too soon. Talk about arrested development).

Football is one of those sports (like auto racing) you just HAVE to watch live. I think quality local clubs in properly marketed leagues are what will grow this game with the next generation. The TV can only do so much. It gets people started but it clearly has it's limits.

There. All in a thousand words or less. Almost.

[garyshaw]

Thanks for that...fantastic! I really would love to become a regular at TFC matches....just have to find a ticket somehow! I have to agree with you on the NHL. I was taken to a game in Toronto a few years ago and couldn't believe how quiet it was, after all the stuff I 'd read about the passion of the Maple Leaf supporters. But that's a different argument....

Again thank you for sharing your views.

[Raven]

In the years when there was hardly any local coverage for football in Canada, I turned to the English Premiership - I am a Leeds United supporter (from my dad) and have followed the trials and tribulations of the team. I now what Premiership games for the entertainment without supporting any particular team. I followed the Canada's national team, but not any local teams. It wasn't until the mid nineties that I began to follow the Montreal Impact casually online. Then FINALLY I was able to watch them live on TV, even though I've be been a Leeds fan for a long time, I've switched my main allegiance to Impact de Montreal. As I now live in BC, seeing the Impact live is a challenge...but I'm working on it

[Free kick]

quote:Originally posted by garyshaw

How many of the football fans here, the ones who follow TFC, Whitecaps or Impact and go to the games, are like me? I mean are they fans of their Canadian team first, or their non-Canadian team...Liverpool, Man U....Do these fans support teams in Canada because they feel an attachment or is it because either they miss going to matches in England etc. or are they influenced by what they see on TV and want to be passionate fans like that?

Good questions. But I think that views or responses that you will get will be skewed depending of the forum or medium in which you ask the questions. In this forum, I am pretty sure its the former. in other words, fans support teams in Canada because they feel an attachment for the club or out of support for the game. But that doesn't mean that you would get the same consensus if you asked the same question and tallied the result of all for 20K fans at any given TFC game. I think your responses would be all over the place.

You still see a lot of Man U, liverpool, Milan and Barca jersey around the city.

You forgot one other reason for the popularity. Soccer right now is the "Coolest" sport in town. Moreso than any other major sports event in teh city ( NHL, NBA, CFL). What remains to be seen is if its John Travolta cool or William Shatner/Henry Winkler cool ( ie.: will fade with time). According to the club owners, I am hearing talk that they think soccer is John travolta cool. In a recent column about hockey in local paper Tom Anselmi was quoted that he is less worried about the future of Basketball and soccer than he is about hockey. I have At no time will I get stopped by strangers or talked to by stranger in public places more often than when I am wearing my TFC jersey in public places. I've even been, many times, asked if i'd sell my tix. The roots of the popularity was very evident at time when the World cup, Champions league matches or euros are on. You will see mass gatherings in public places ( like the financial distrct) around giant screen.

[Montreal_FC_fan]

Well for me... It's all about this.

The Whitecaps supporters and the former Lynx supporters "the first u-sector guys" could really relate to this.

[youllneverwalkalone]

Doesn't everybody have at least two clubs? Those more confused free born Canadians like myself have 3 or 4. I became a Liverpool supporter before I knew any better because the kid across the road came from an Everton family. I later lived awhile in Rusholme and started supporting City -influenced by everyone else around me who found a common bond in their hatred for United. The few people I knew who actually grew up around Manchester (who were the only United supporters you could find) generally had a non-league side to follow: Hyde or Droylsden or somesuch. So unlike TFC, supporting Whitecaps is a bit like supporting a non-league club. We were chatting with a guy the other day who was wearing an AFC Hornchurch kit. He told us he was a Hammers supporter as well, but it was that non-league kind of feel that brought him out to Swangard. That non-league type of attachment is more easily transferred across the ocean, I would imagine.

[tmcmurph]

I watch the overseas games because I like the play. Out of the leagues I've seen of TV (EPL, SerieA, Argentina, Mexico, USL, MLS) I enjoy the Argentine league the most. It's not the best quality but it is good and the players play hard and fast, exciting soccer.

I grew up in BC in the 70s so I go way back with the Whitecaps. They had the personel and played a full field press that was impressive. I prefer seeing the games live to TV. There is something about being there. Until they can show the whole field in 3D and I can watch what I want not what the camera is pointing at I'll prefer live.

PS. As far as EPL goes I'm a big ABMU fan. Nothing personel but they win too much! It reminds me of the Montreal Canadians hockey team. Anybody But Manchester United

[piltdownman]

For me my main club plays in the EPL. I watch every match, not matter how early, buy thousands of dollars in merchandise every season, and make the pilgrimage about every year or two to go see them. But I also support the Whitecaps because they are my 'local' club. Although I have since moved from Vancouver to Victoria. I still am a season ticket holder and go to most games, and travel to Portland and Seattle for away matches. Now in Victoria, I started supporting Victoria United (PCSL), and next year will get Highlanders (PDL) season tickets as well. My friends, and girls I date, think I'm crazy and I drive them nuts, but they that's me.

[Keano]

I'm a relative n00b to Canadian soccer, I first really knew there even was a national team during the run to the 2000 Gold Cup. I went to the odd Supra match and early Impact but certainly thought the only soccer worth seeing was on Saturday mornings in England, since the Republic of Ireland players I got excited about watching at World Cups were playing there. Which was because of my family heritage. It wasn't until I got into the CMNT as a result of Gold Cup 2000 that I started seeing local football on my radar, and now I'm an Impact season ticket holder. I follow my beloved Boys in Green around their various EPL and SPL, and CCC clubs but the Impact is now my team and I'd cheer Canada over Ireland any day of the week. I think my story is rather typical of Canadian soccer fans my age.

[martinm182]

I just "discovered" soccer a few years ago when the Montreal Canadiens didn't make the playoffs. I got bored and wanted to follow another sport. I was thinking of following football (NFL/CFL) but it wasn't in season. One morning I was watching TV and stumbled on a Manchester United v. West Ham match. I didn't know much about soccer but I heard of Man Utd. from the movie "Euro Trip" and various news stories etc. I caught it late in the match and was fascinated by the singing and chanting going on in the crowd, it sounded like they were going to start a riot . It really got me into the game. All week I kept looking through the channels until I found another match the next weekend. I started reading everything I could about it on Wikipedia. I bought FIFA 07 for PS2. I was hooked. I watched the Gold Cup in '07 and for the first time ever while watching a sport on TV I found myself jumping up and swearing at the tv/ref when Canada's legal goal against the U.S in the last minute was called offside .

I was initially a Man Utd. Fan for about a month because they were the only team I knew/heard about before. I became a Liverpool fan soon after because I found it more interesting to follow them since they were a team that was once great and lost their winning touch for a while (just like the Montreal Canadiens) It's more fun to watch a team on the rise than a team that wins every year like Man Utd.

I've only been to 2 Impact games ('07 playoffs vs. PR Islanders & the NCC vs. Toronto F.C) but I'' be at the Atlante game and hopefully I'd like to be able to go to more Impact games in the near and distant future.

[Sam]

Well my fascination with the beautiful game began during the 1998 World Cup when I watched England vs. Argentina with a guy from England. I was a little kid, and didn't really understand how big it was or know any of the players, but I remember having fun watching it. Anyways I didn't know anything about soccer so I didn't watch it again until the 2002 World Cup where I watched all of the England matches and the other big matches. After that World Cup I remember once turning on TSN to see club football on - Man United vs. Real Madrid in the Champions League Quarters. United ended up winning 4-3, but losing on aggregate (not a bad first club match to watch eh?). It had been such an exciting match and I really did feel bad for United. I didn't know anything about their history, but I decided they would be my team. I would watch the occasional game, but didn't really care that much. I had also been watching the Canadian Women play in the U-20 World Cup in Canada in 2002, and then went to watch a friendly live in Kingston against Australia, and then in the 2003 World Cup. I didn't get in to the Men's National Team until they played two games in Kingston, both of which I watched in 2004. So I played soccer and had a few ties to some teams. It wasn't until 2006 when I really got into soccer. I went to Italy and watched two Serie A games - one in Siena, and one in Roma. Both Siena and Roma won and watching those games really got me hooked. I watched almost every United game in 2006-2007, and learned everything I could about their history, now I watch every United game. I also started watching every Canada game. Anyways so the Men's National Team is the biggest thing for me now. Then comes Man United. They really were the first club I watched, and Kingston doesn't have a professional club so I never really completely attached myself to a Canadian club. I cheer for TFC, but I wouldn't call myself a TFC supporter. I also support England, because they really got me into what is now my favourite sport by far.

So for me it is:

1.Canada

2.Manchester United

3.England

[Impactfanfirenze]

Lots of us have spent time overseas and picked up the football habit there. I lived in Germany during the World Cup 2006 (my hometown Stuttgart taking the Bundesliga that year) and in Italy the following year where my hometown Fiorentina qualified for the Champions League. Impossible in either of these situations not to feel the excitment in the air and become interested in football again for the first time since playing the game as a kid quite a few years ago.

It was great (though frustrating with the time change) to watch the growth of TFC in their first year from overseas and great to see the game gaining speed here with more television coverage, lots of excited fans and the continued appeal TFC has in Toronto. It all translates to good things for Canadian soccer.

As an Impact fan back on home soil, I'm eager to see the Impact continue their journey deep into CONCACAF CL territory. I'll follow VFB and Fiorentina this year to see how they do, but the biggest thrill will be to see the Impact do well against the CONCACAF teams and, who knows, face some of these Euro teams in the Club World Cup...well, here's to dreaming.

And here's a shameless plug for the Impact to MLS petition to be sent to Garber before Oct. 15th. Please sign!

http://www.petitiononline.com/MTLMLS09/petition.html

[Trident]

I'm a huge montreal fan, and I would rank my loyal support as follows:

Montreal

Canada

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City

[garyshaw]

Thank you everybody for all the very informative replies. I'll share a little bit of my football(supporting) background. I grew up in Malta, where people are fanatical about football, but unfortunately our national team doesn't give us much to cheer about. So like a lot of you(and maybe through my ties to England through my mother) I had, and still have, and English team...Aston Villa. I won't bore you with the whole story but I have supported them since they won the old First Division in 1981. The following year I watched them win the European Cup and I was definitely hooked on my team of heroes....Withe, Morley, Spink, Bremner, Swain, Evans and of course Gary Shaw! That year I fell in love with the World Cup, which is still probably the best I've ever seen...the unforgettable Brazil-Italy match, the France-Germany semi-final and the never-to-be-forgotten Marco Tardelli celebration in the final. They're all on youtube.

Despite my support for a non-maltese team I still followed local football with great interest. I would watch matches with crowds of around 1000(and that was big!) and get a great buzz out of a very unique atmosphere. I would rather watch a local match than Aston Villa live on TV in the FA cup final.So I appreciate the comments about wacthing the Whitecaps because they are you 'local' team.

I could go on forever here. There's not many things better than talking about football....