Paul’s Soccer Stories
Vanishing Tradition: Talking Footy at UK Customs
I'm starting to really miss going through customs in the UK. The new kiosks are screwing everything up -- and making life simpler and smoother. Whatever. Other than the excitement of arriving in my tied-for-favorite country, the U.K. Border Force was also my first chance to talk footy with English blokes. (Sometimes it's a lady,…
Groundhopping Adventures: From London to Birmingham, Feeling at Home
As I get a little better at these groundhopping football trips, I find myself getting into the groove with UK transit. For example, second morning of this trip, it's off to Birmingham to see the Blues play Cardiff. I started in West Norwood, the South London home of my English family, and without giving it…
Re-Post from 2014: I’m an Honorary Mackem!
Re-posting this from one of my first English soccer trips, back in January 2014: I have a friend who refers to her higher power as "perfect timing." You know the feeling, when everything clicks into place and magic flows? Well, that has happened to me on this trip, and I didn't even know it was…
My MLS Cup 2015 Diary:
Or, The Timbers’ Big Night in Columbus
A re-post from 2015 ... What is it like when your team wins the championship? Beyond description, really -- but that didn't deter me from writing this diary of my experience watching the Portland Timbers win the 2015 MLS Cup in Columbus, Ohio. Saturday 5 p.m. I finish a 12-hour shift driving a taxi, hand…
English Soccer Tour: Into Bolton
Friendly little Bolton is like many medium-sized English cities I've been to on my soccer tours. Imagine a college town like Eugene, Oregon, but with an industrial past and an active train station in the middle of it. (Update: This post was written in December 2015, and I haven't been back to Bolton since. So…
Seeing a Game at Bolton Wanderers FC
(This post was originally written in December, 2015, and updated in 2024. Bolton are in League One for the 2024-25 season.) I have always said that if you're going to watch an English soccer game, don't sit with the away fans unless you're one of them. Generally, this is true because the away fans tend…
Different Worlds: Seeing a Game at Manchester United
Sitting up high on the Stretford End at Old Trafford feels like being in the middle of several worlds at once. In my immediate surroundings, my village if you will, are others like me, folks who bought a hospitality package because it was the only reliable way in, or maybe because we wanted a warm,…
A Groundhopping Gallery From the First Month of the Season
The 2019-20 English soccer season is about a month old, and while we pause for an international break, here are some images and videos from people I've been helping go groundhopping. Since the 2019-20 schedule was announced and tickets went on sale, I have heard from well over 400 people looking for consultation, trip planning,…
Seeing a Game at Reading FC
Update: This post was written in May, 2014, and is largely unchanged. Leicester City are in the Championship, and Reading are in League One for the 2023-24 season. I have always referred to the first day of any trip to England or Europe as my Zombie Day. That’s because I arrive at about 7 a.m.,…
Attending a Game at Arsenal
(Editor's Note: This post was written in 2014, but it still gives a good sense of attending a game at Arsenal. I updated a few things in April, 2022.) For the longest time, I thought going to a soccer game in England was this mysterious thing that you had to be somehow "connected" to be…
