Thomas Brock, our resident travelling English teacher shares his excitement for the upcoming European football competition this summer.
Read on to hear what Thomas has to say about his experience of becoming a football fan, and following both his club team and national team.
Vocabulary List
- Supporter
- someone who wants a particular team to win and might show it by going to watch the team play
- (Come) out of the woodwork
- to appear after having been hidden or not active for a long time
- tournament
- a competition for teams or single players in which a series of games is played, and the winners of each game play against each other until only one winner is left
- hospitable
- friendly and welcoming to guests and visitors
- Avid
- extremely eager, keen, or interested
- Nerves
- worry or anxiety about something that is going to happen
- Splendour
- great beauty that attracts admiration and attention
- Spectator
- a person who watches an activity, especially a sports event, without taking part
- Endeavour
- an attempt to do something
- Magpie
- a bird with black and white feathers and a long tail (also the nickname of the Newcastle United football team)
- Auntie
- the sister of someone’s father or mother, or the wife of someone’s uncle or aunt
- Uncle
- the brother of someone’s mother or father, or the husband of someone’s aunt or uncle
- Kit
- the particular clothing worn by a sports team
- Strip
- the clothing worn by a football team that has the team’s colours on it
This week I am excited.
Hello again everyone,
I am excited for the 2024 UEFA European Football Championship, or just the Euros, as they are more commonly known.
Like a huge part of the British population, I am a football fan, but this was not always the case. For most of my life, I have been one of those football supporters who appear out of the woodwork every once and again to watch the major international tournaments on TV, or maybe a Champions League final here and there.
A few years ago, this all changed.
I actually wrote a blog article about my experience watching the Euros final, in which England lost to Italy on penalties. I was in Italy at the time and managed to find some extremely hospitable Italian fans to watch the game with.
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Nearly a year later, I spent three months living with a friend who is an avid football fan, and together we watched his team play every week. Sometimes even multiple times in the same week.
I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, the emotions, the expectations, the nerves, and the splendour of it all.
I am a huge fan of spectator sports.
I love watching tennis, rugby, formula 1, the Olympic games, and now, football.
As I had decided to start watching football, I obviously needed to find a team to support, and for this endeavour there was but one answer.
Newcastle United.
I am not originally from Newcastle Upon Tyne, nor anywhere in the North East of England, but my mum is and when I was young we would often spend Christmas visiting her family in Northumberland, not too far from the home of the magpies.
When I was perhaps around 10 years old I remember my auntie and uncle bought me the Newcastle kit for Christmas and I loved it. I remember it well, the 2005/2006 home strip, with the shirt, shorts, socks, and even an NUFC flag for good measure.
So I had my team, and luckily for me, I was in for an exciting time, because Newcastle United Football Club had just been taken over by some new, wealthy, and ambitious owners.
I have loved every second of my newfound love for football, and I am excited to see how England gets on at the Euros. I will be watching the games and supporting my team. For once it actually seems like England could do well.
Let’s just hope that, this time, it’s coming home.
That’s it for this week.
Thomas
Are you excited for the Euros or the Copa America?
Are you you a football fan? Who do you support?
Will you be watching any other sporting events this summer?
