Traditionally, summer is the quiet time for British football fans. As we wait pensively for news of the big money signings to match our clubs’ big ambitions (or the little money signings to match our little clubs’ ambitions), hoping that the disappointments of last season become the glories of next, we become distracted by rumours, gossip, and tittle-tattle.
Around the start of August, all the British leagues kick off again. At the same time, we will re-launch our Football Culture website, with a whole range of new features and stories, interactive activities, and events, to make the next season even more exciting for Korean football fans. We’ll be looking more closely at every aspect of the world game – from its administration and business, to the women’s sport, the supporters, and the grass-roots football. This year, there’ll be opportunities galore for you to participate, by sending us your own reminiscences of soccer’s best moments, the famous and the personal, your expectations of the teams and players you rate, or the games you play. We’ll also have regular quizzes, invite you to attend offline events, and give you opportunities to win great prizes.
Additionally, we’ll be introducing a page just for the younger footy fans amongst you. With new games and regular updates like never before, everyone will get the chance to develop their knowledge and skills. First of all, make sure you come back in early August, then keep refreshing the page every few weeks, and you’ll be certain to find something new every time.
But let’s not forget, football giants never sleep! It might be the ‘close season’ in the Barclays Premier League, but there’s still a fair bit of action around involving UK teams, if you know where to look. England have already participated in the UEFA Under 21 Championships in Holland; the earliest round (Qualifying 1) of the UEFA Champions League starts in July and features teams from Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland; there’s Korea’s forthcoming involvement in the Asian Cup; and July’s pre-season friendlies these days are global events, often pitting European teams against unusual opponents.
Liverpool are playing in Feyenoord’s Port of Rotterdam Tournament, along with FC Porto and Shanghai Shenhua. Chelsea are due to play David Beckham’s new club, LA Galaxy, as well as Suwon Bluewings, on their tour of the United States. Manchester United are touring Asia this summer, playing Urawa Red Diamonds (in Japan) and Shenzhen FC (in China), as well as a sold out match against FC Seoul!
Meanwhile, this year’s Peace Cup features two Barclays Premier League clubs, with Bolton Wanderers playing Seongnam Ilhwa in the opening fixture on 12 July, as well as Chivas de Guadalajara of Mexico and Racing Santander from Spain; Reading FC are taking on River Plate of Argentina in Suwon on 13 July, and then face games against French Champions Olympique Lyonnais and Shimizu S-Pulse from Japan. That’s three of the top eight English teams in Korea in one month! Korean fans of the English game have never had it so good.
And if you’re one of those Korean fans, keep coming back to this site in the next few weeks – we may have some exciting news for you!
- Martin Goosey
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