1 England Fans
With the 2007 Rugby World Cup now upon us it has invoked memories of almost 4 years ago, when 15 heroes in white did what so many England international teams have failed to do. They triumphed and lifted England to the very pinnacle of world rugby. In doing so made superstars of themselves and raised the profile of the game in England. All of a sudden, children no longer wanted to be David Beckham, they all wanted to be Jonny Wilkinson, the man with the golden boot, the new golden balls as it were. It brings back such strong memories, as I, with friends, was one of the lucky 83, 000 at the Olympic stadium witnessing a truly dazzling spectacle that balmy November evening in Sydney.
To be in that cauldron of pure sporting drama was impressive enough, but what left a lasting impression on me was the sheer volume of England fans that witnessed the event. It seemed to me that the stadium was divided 50:50, half England fans half Australian. That to me was stunning. How we managed to get so many fans in the ground, amazes me to this day. There were stories of people flying from England on the Friday, watching the match and flying back on the Sunday. The friendliness and banter between the two sets of fans also was an eye opener. Being predominantly a football fan and used to segregated crowds, this was special. The memory of 83, 000 fans singing Waltzing Mathilda and Swing Lo, Sweet Chariot together was something I’ll never forget. Since that day, England fans have continued to turn up to sporting events in their 10’s of thousands in support of Team England and whatever else the English are labeled by other nations, they surely can’t deny that England fans are up there with the very best.
The football fans have done their part to throw off the hooligan aspect of their “fans” that blighted the true supporters through the 80’s until 2000 and have made the nation proud of them again. The World Cup in Japan and Korea highlighted how good we can be and the sight of England fans in their thousands mingling with their Japanese host made a fantastic change. Again, the football fans outnumbered the hosts in Euro 2004 and the only trouble was made by holiday makers’ miles away from the football. These true fans, spend huge amounts of money following the team, always outnumbering the opposition fans often without a team worthy of their fanaticism. The sight of a stadium awash with the cross of St George is one to stir the pride in any Englishman or woman.
As good as these sets of fans are the Barmy Army stands head and shoulders above them all. I was fortunate to be with them during part of the recent Ashes tour of Australia and I was taken aback by the never wavering support of the England cricket team, despite the fact that they were so dreadful. The tour of Australia is a long one, almost 2 months, many of them were present for the duration and attended every day of every test. It is extraordinary stamina especially as they all can be found in the official designated bars that they take over every night until the early hours of the morning. The worse England played, the louder they got and it is impossible not to get swept away in the carnival atmosphere that they create wherever they go. The opposition crowd enjoy it too as it adds an extra spectacle to the game they love. Once again, it made me proud to be English and that we have such passionate supporters.
It is this passion that is sure to make the 2012 Olympic Games a resounding success. It is hard to imagine ticket sales being low with the opportunity to help inspire a new generation of British heroes on home soil and one reason why FIFA have a strong lean towards awarding England the 2018 World Cup.
Regardless of the sport, there is usually a significant English presence and it is safe to say that the England fans will be out in force once again in France. Even though we’re not expected to be the best team on the field of play, the fans once again will sit at the top of the pile and as before, there will be a corner of a foreign land that will be “Forever England”.