Soccer Memorabilia - What Kind Do You Have?

I was cleaning out my closet during this COVID lockdown and found something I had forgotten about. It was none other than a Freddie Ljungberg Corinthian football figure still in its box. It got me thinking about some of the soccer-related knickknacks that I’ve collected over the years.

Here in the states, it’s easy to find Lebron James, Tom Brady, or Steve Trout merchandise but finding souvenirs or collectibles from soccer leagues throughout the world is more difficult. Prior to the pandemic, I was a regular traveler and whenever I went to new countries, I would often look for soccer-related items to bring back home.

For example, I’ve been to Italy many times and have always had an interest in Calcio (that’s what the Italians call football/soccer). I’ve attended matches in Parma and Florence and found these experiences fantastic. The fans are so passionate. They sing, they cheer and for someone learning Italian, it’s a great way to immerse yourself in the language and culture. In addition to team scarves, I came across an Inter Milan “Mini Tifosotto” which is basically a bear wearing an Inter jersey who shouts GOAL when you press his belly. (Tifoso in Italian means “Fan”.)

I also found key chains of small bears wearing team jerseys that blow whistles and shout goal when a mini soccer ball touches its foot. I have an AC Milan Tifosotto and a Parma Tifosotto.

As an Arsenal supporter who has been to many matches in the UK, I have an abundance of Arsenal items including a soccer ball keychain, a football boot keychain, mugs, coasters, t-shirts, books, calendars and more. I even have an Arsenal leash for my dog.

I have jerseys and scarves from Greece, Italy, Morocco, Ireland, England, Turkey, and Portugal. I even have a vuvuzela, those annoying long plastic horns that can blow out your eardrums if you stand too close.

I’ve also kept the matchday programs from every game I’ve ever attended. The craziest one is from an FA Cup match at London’s Loftus Road between Queens Park Rangers and Huddersfield. The game was actually interrupted by an early January hailstorm.  

In looking at all of this “stuff” that I’ve accumulated over the years from the world of soccer, it got me thinking about what other fans have collected. So, let us know what you have collected. Share it with us. Send us a photo or just tell us about it. We’ll post it for the world to see!

Luckily I’ll spare you the details of my extensive baseball bobblehead collection as this is just about soccer!

What do you think of the return of soccer without fans?

When the Coronavirus hit, the immediate lock down was tough. In addition to all the uncertainty and changes in daily life, the loss of live sports proved a major challenge for fans.

The Bundesliga was the first of the major European soccer leagues to return and I decided to check it out. I’m not a big fan of the German league but it was great just to be able to see a live match. However, it was really odd to watch a game without fans, muted celebrations and an overall sterile environment. Even creepier are the cardboard cutouts of fans’ faces.

I’m an Arsenal fan so when the Premier League began anew in mid June I was thrilled. In fact, with all the leagues trying to finish their respective seasons quickly, it’s been a virtual football fest for the past month. There are games on almost every day. It’s been great.

The broadcast networks decided to incorporate taped recordings of crowd noise to give the games a bit of validity. I wasn’t sure about it in the beginning, but when I did have the chance to watch a match with no sound, except for the players and coaches, it was almost eerie. That’s when I decided that I’d rather have the taped crowd noise when watching these closed door matches. Noting has been normal since March so a bit of forced reality is welcome.

Having attended many matches over the years, it’s sad to know that the usual atmosphere will be missing from stadiums until the world gets this virus under control.

What are your thoughts on the restart and the safety protocols the leagues have set up?

Sports tragedies teach us that there are things way more important than winning

The world of football (soccer) has experienced two high profile tragedies over the last few weeks that have put things in perspective. Yes, we want our teams to be the best, to win titles, trophies, etc…. but at the end of the day, life is way more important than all of that.

Emiliano Sala was a 28-year-old Argentinian forward for French club Nantes. On January 19th he signed a contract with Cardiff of the English Premier League. He flew back to France to say goodbye to his teammates and take care of some personal business.

He boarded a small plan on January 21st in order to get to Cardiff and his first day of training with his new team the next day. The plane disappeared from radar over the English Channel and both he and the pilot David Ibbotson were gone.

The plane was finally discovered about two weeks later following an underwater search. The body of Sala was inside and recovered. The search for Ibbotson continues.

The outpouring of sadness and grief came from everywhere throughout the soccer world. Here was a young guy on the way to a new challenge that was taken away from the world by fate. It truly proves that no one, not even a highly paid professional athlete, is immune from tragedy. It also teaches everyone that life should be treasured and not taken for granted.

Just last week another awful event rocked the soccer world. Ten youth players between the ages of 14-16 were killed in a dormitory fire at the Flamengo training ground in Rio de Janeiro. An investigation has been launched but that will do nothing to replace the lives lost.

Football is a way of life in Brazil and many youngsters dream of becoming the next Neymar or Pele. Most of these kids were from poor families and the sport was their opportunity to escape poverty and make their dreams come true. We’ll never know who if any would have become professional players, but this tragedy has taken away that possibility.

Both of these horrific events are reminders that we should all appreciate the moment that we are in and value life each and every day!

Leicester City prove that sport is more than just a game

One of the reasons that people love sports so much is for the camaraderie that builds between fans and the club that they support. Part of the reason that I became a fan of soccer is for just that reason.

Everyone has heard of Barcelona, Juventus, Manchester United, Boca Juniors and other well known teams from around the world. They have legions of fans, supporters all over the world and lots of money. However, there are tons of smaller teams throughout the world that do not have a global following or rich club owners. What they do have in common with the big clubs, is a supportive fan base.

Take for example, Chapecoense who currently play in Brazil’s Serie A. The small club from the south of Brazil has only been around since 1973 and for the most part played in obscurity in Brazil’s lower divisions. That was until they won promotion to the top league in 2014. They then became a Cinderella story when they reached the finals of the Copa Sudamericana in 2016.

Unfortunately the world learned about Chapecoense when the team’s plane crashed on its way to the finals in Colombia. 71 people were killed including almost the entire team. The outpouring from the soccer world was heartfelt and showed that the results on the pitch are always secondary to the human side of the game.

Similar scenes played out over the past two weeks at Leicester City. The team’s owner and chairman was one of five who lost their lives following a tragic helicopter crash outside of Leicester’s stadium.

The Foxes have been around in one form or another since 1884, but it wasn’t until Thai businessman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha that the club gained worldwide prominence and acclaim. Defying the odds, Leicester City pulled off one of the greatest sporting miracles by winning the Premier League trophy for the 2015-2016 season.

Srivaddhanaprabha and his family were loved by Leicester supporters. The chairman attended many matches and would often leave the stadium by helicopter at the conclusion of matches. That is what he was doing when tragedy struck.

The outpouring from the players, the fans and the community of Leicester are proof that the club is more than just a sports entity. They are a family.

Flowers, scarves, t-shirts and more were laid outside the stadium in the chairman’s memory. Leicester players and the manager made the 6000 mile trip to the funeral in Bangkok at the conclusion of a match and then yesterday the city came together in tribute.

50,000 fans walked from Leicester city centre to the King Power Stadium before the game yesterday as a mark of respect. There was two minutes of silence prior to kick-off and a video of the former owner was shown inside the stadium.

Afterwards the entire club and the owner’s son thanked all sections of the stadium as the fans wearing special shirts and holding up scarves clapped along. Only a Grinch wouldn’t have been moved by the events.

The match was a rather drab 0-0, but on this day the result was of no consequence. It was all about a community and a club that were united as one.

Exploring the growth of soccer in early New York

As a licensed New York City tour guide, I regularly introduce visitors to the history of NYC. As most people already know, New York was the city where over 20 million people first stepped foot in to the United States between 1855-1954.

I am also a huge football/soccer fan. That’s what led me to explore the idea of combining a history tour of New York immigrants and the impact that these newcomers had on the growth of soccer in New York. I was surprised by the amount of history there is for the sport of soccer in New York.

Part of the reason that immigrants came to New York was for the opportunity to work and provide for their families. Manhattan’s Lower East Side was a major center of garment manufacturing. Even bigger was the Harrison/Kearny area of northern New Jersey. It was one of the earliest centers for the sport in 19th century America.

Immigrant communities were drawn to this rapidly growing industrial region for job opportunities. These workers brought with them their love for soccer as well. Teams were formed by the various textile and garment plants scattered throughout the area and across the river from New York.

Amateur teams were springing up in other industrial regions such as New England and Philadelphia. This led to the organization of the American Football Association in 1884.

In 1885 the American Football Challenge Cup was established with thirteen teams involved; including New York Thistles, New York FC, Paterson FC, O. N. T. of Kearny, and teams from Newark, Connecticut and Fall River, Massachusetts.

This was the first non-league organizing body for the sport in the United States. It lasted until 1925 as soccer continued to grow throughout the country and competing organizations sprang up.

O. N. T. (short for Our New Thread defeated New York FC to win the first title in April 1885.