Tag Archives: Football

‘FOOTBALL WIDOWERS’ GO IT ALONE AS FEMALE FANS FOLLOW BEAUTIFUL GAME

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  • Over a million men  don’t share their football mad wives’ and girlfriends’ love of the game
  • Nearly one in three women are declared football fans, according to the Capital One Cup

Forget the clichéd images of WAGS following footballers, new research from credit card company Capital One, new sponsors of the Capital One Cup, shows more than a million men are ‘football widowers’ with wives and girlfriends more interested in the game than they are.  The football season kick-off means they are facing a long haul to next May competing for the attention of partners focused on the ups and downs across the football season.

 

The Capital One Cup sponsor’s research shows the changing face of football with nearly one in three women (30%) declaring themselves as fans.  They are not just armchair supporters; more than three million women attend at least one game a season, with seven per cent going to 10 or more matches and four per cent going to 30 or more. Female fans also watch an average of 25 games on TV or online a season.

 

That leaves a lot of time to fill for their husbands and boyfriends and the bad news is that dedicated female fans are less likely than male fans to feel guilty about their love of the game.  Just 29% of female fans whose partners are not football supporters plan to do anything special for their loved ones to make up for their time spent following football, compared with 54% of men.  More than a quarter of men (26%), who do not enjoy the game, still watch matches with their female partners compared to just 12% of females with football-mad partners.

Michael Woodburn, Chief Marketing Officer, Capital One said:  “It’s great to see so many dedicated football supporters out there, with millions of men and women following their team on TV and online. Of course not everyone is a football fan and you have to sympathise with partners who don’t share the dedication. There has to be a degree of compromise but that’s probably best left to couples to sort out!”

 

Men who love football when their partner doesn’t are far more likely to take their loved one out to dinner (19%) than their female counterparts (6%).  Football widows are also far more likely to be treated to presents or holidays than football widowers.

 

WHAT FANS PLAN TO DO MAKE UP FOR TIME SPENT WATCHING FOOTBALL

ACTIVITY MEN       WOMEN
Make an effort to spend more time outside of match times 27% 18%
Cook for them or take them out to dinner 19% 6%
Take them somewhere such as cinema or holiday 14% 5%
Do additional housework 14% 3%
Pay for treats such as shopping, massage or tickets to concert 13% 4%
Buy a present 6% 2%
Nothing 46% 71%

Source:  Capital One Cup

Mike Nicholson Interview: The Truth About Hillsborough.

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Frost Magazine has an exclusive interview with Mike Nicholson, the director of a new Hillsborough documentary. Mike has worked very hard on his documentary and it is definitely one to watch. Read our amazing interview to find out more.

How did the documentary come about?

I took a documentary makers course at Raindance when I first bought my video camera, and the tutor said that your first film should be about something you know a lot about, and something you are passionate about. That was it for me; it had to be about Hillsborough.


Do you think that people know the truth?

I think the people of Merseyside know the truth, and many people outside the area do as well of course. Even as the disaster was still unfolding, Chief Superintendent David Duckenfield, who was in charge of policing Hillsborough on that awful day, set the lies in motion. He gave the order to open a perimeter exit gate that allowed thousands of supporters into the ground at once, and he also failed to cut off access to the tunnel that led to the already full central pens. Once the enormity of his decision started to dawn on him, he lied, and said that Liverpool fans had forced the gate causing an inrush.

Duckenfield later admitted to that ‘disgraceful lie’ as it was called in the Taylor Report, but it had already set the tone for many media reports, and by the time he retracted it the damage had been done. I still meet people today that believe the lies printed all those years ago. I just hope that the findings of the Independent Panel are reported widely, and in headlines, so that the wider people who only say the lies will finally see the truth.

What did you think of the Taylor report?

I personally think that the Taylor Report was very thorough, and correct in its findings. Lord Justice Taylor found that a breakdown of police control was the main cause of the disaster, and rejected claims from senior officers who appeared to be in arse-covering mode that Liverpool fans wee ticketless, drunk or aggressive. As I said before though, the general publics don’t read such reports to get their news, so its findings are largely invisible to the wider public.

What is the legacy of the Hillsborough disaster?

All seater-stadia. You can never say never, and we should always guard against complacency of course, but I can’t see how another disaster of this magnitude could happen in today’s game and that’s great.

Daughters, sisters, brothers, father’s and sons all died at Hillsborough, and all they wanted to was to enjoy the national game with their family & friends. Today’s game looks after its supporters so much better than it used to, and that has got to be a good thing.

At least three people who survived the Hillsborough have committed suicide. Do you think more could and can be done to help?

I don’t know if more could have been done. I am no expert on post-traumatic stress disorder or grief, and I wouldn’t like to say to be honest. I can say that fantastic organisations such as the Hillsborough Justice Campaign, who still to this day have a shop on the Walton Breck Road opposite the Kop, offer counseling and help for those who are struggling to come to terms with their experiences at Hillsborough.


It has been over 20 years since the disaster now. Do you think there is risk that people might forget?

The families and friends affected will never forget.

What is the aim of your documentary?

I understand that some of the big TV companies are currently working on broadcast documentaries on Hillsborough to coincide with the Hillsborough Independent Panel’s report, which is due this September.

TV content tends to be guarded by rights though, and it is rarely open and freely given away online for anybody to see after it has been broadcast, and if it is, it is for a short window of time.

I want this documentary to be online forever; so future generations searching for the Hillsborough Disaster will be able to find something factual that in the main was told by those who were there. I won’t charge a penny for it, and it will be freely available to anybody with the will to learn the truth. I just want the truth to be told really.


Who did you speak to?

I have spoken to survivors, the bereaved, professional people such as firemen and nurses who were their as fans that day, and ended up working in the most horrendous of circumstances. I’ve also contacted The Hillsborough Family Support Group, the Hillsborough Justice Campaign and Hope for Hillsborough. I have also spoken to fans who were at Hillsborough for previous semi-finals, and a professor who is one of the world’s leading experts in crowd dynamics. I still have some interviews to conduct, and I hope to have at least part one ready online by the end of September.

What can be done to make sure this never happens again?

I think football learnt its lesson after Hillsborough. The stadiums in the first two divisions at least are well maintained, they are all-seater, and there are no fences to keep supporters penned in like animals.


What do you think people don’t know about the Hillsborough disaster?

The truth. The South Yorkshire Police managed that event badly, and caused the deaths of 96 men, women and children, and as I have already said they started to lie about the cause while the fans were still dead and dying on the pitch.

I think I was naive enough before Hillsborough to believe that the Police are there to protect you, and they don’t tell lies, but that innocence went away after Hillsborough forever.

There is a lot of talk now about the freedom of the press, what with the News International phone hacking scandal, but while I agree that a free press is important, that can only work if they are responsible enough to tell the truth. When The Sun printed a headline that it later described as ‘the worst mistake in our history’ they caused unbearable pain and stress to people who were still arranging funerals for those lost on the 15th April 1989. The lies and the cover-up are often referred to as the second disaster of Hillsborough, and I agree with that sentiment.

Is there a charity that people can donate to?

There are three main organisations that I know of, and they each operate for slightly different reasons. You can visit their web pages here:

The Hillsborough Family Support Group – http://www.hfsg.net

The Hillsborough Justice Campaign – http://www.contrast.org/hillsborough/

Hope for Hillsborough – http://www.hopeforhillsborough.piczo.com/?cr=

When will the documentary be released, and where can people see it?

The documentary will be a three-part series, and I hope to have the first part live in September.

It will be released first at www.thehillsboroughdisasterdocumentary.com

For updates and news, please follow @HillsboroughDoc on Twitter of like the Facebook page here https://www.facebook.com/pages/Hillsborough-Disaster-Documentary/283632178348441

Manchester City Stars Interviews

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Manchester City stars lift the pre-season Blues with Umbro. We have some video interviews with the Manchester City stars below. Watch and enjoy!

Mario Balotelli, David Silva, Samir Nasri, Vincent Kompany and Joe Hart all face the camera as they prepare for the new season.

As well as giving their opinions on the new kit, the City stars shed some light on a variety of different topics, including;

– Mario Balotelli reveals that a career in UFC would have been his second choice after football!

– Samir Nasri gives his verdict on the cuisine of the North West.

– Vincent Kompany talks about his progression from being a central midfielder, to arguably the Premier League’s best centre-back.

– David Silva explains how he copes with the physical side of the Premier League and the great British weather!

– Joe Hart provides an insight into his approach when facing a penalty

The Home shirt retains City’s iconic sky blue colour and also incorporates black detailing and trim which takes influence from the 1969 FA Cup and 1970 League Cup winning kits. The new Away shirt sees a return to the classic maroon colour worn by the FA Cup winning teams of 1934 and 1956, also tailored by Umbro.

The away kit is on general sale now, while the home kit goes on sale 26th July. Both kits are available to buy at www.umbro.com.

www.umbro.com / www.mcfc.co.uk

Balotelli:

Silva:

Kompany:

Nasri:

Hart:

Harrogate mum sets up celebrity football match

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Harrogate mum sets up celebrity football match with local club to raise money for vulnerable babies and children

Harrogate mum, Manraj Sanghera, who set up a Bliss Family Group in Harrogate last year, is now raising her game and has joined forces with Harrogate Town AFC to set up a celebrity football match on Sunday, 30 September 2012 at Harrogate Town AFC, in Harrogate.

The Bliss Select XI and Harrogate XI teams will be made up of ex-premiership footballers, Emmerdale cast members, Leeds United Legends and five local Dad’s of premature babies in aid of Bliss, for babies born too soon, too small or too sick, and Shine, which provides practical support to help individuals and families affected by spina bifida and hydrocephalus.

Every year around 80,000 babies are born premature or sick and in need of specialist hospital care, money raised will enable Bliss to continue its vital work to help premature and sick babies and their families across the UK.

Gareth Southgate (retired England player and ex-manager of Middlesbrough FC) will be the Bliss team Captain and Danny Mills (former-England and Leeds United player) also playing for Bliss, are just some of the household names set to play in the charity match in the autumn.

Danny says: “I am really proud to be taking part in the charity match for Bliss and Shine this autumn. Ever since I lost my son Archie to Spina Bifida ten years ago, I have worked closely with, and fundraised for Shine, who launched the first memorial challenge in my son’s name. Having experienced tragedy and the worry of two premature babies but getting through it by the amazing support we received from staff on the unit, I cannot think of two better causes. Any bit of fundraising and raising awareness I can do for these charities that provide care for sick babies and children, makes me feel I am doing my bit for Archie. Anyone can give something back, no matter how small, it really does help.”

Manraj was inspired to raise awareness of Bliss, after her three children were born premature and sick. Her first child Raj-Arjun was born at 37 weeks. He is now severely disabled after suffering a massive brain haemorrhage at birth. Her second child Simran was born at 29 weeks, weighing a mere 1Ib 11oz and her third child Priya was born at 34 weeks.

Manraj says: “I am really pleased to be organising this match in aid of Bliss and Shine. Since the birth of our son Raj-Arjun nine years ago, and two premature daughters Simran and Priya, we have spent many weeks in and out of neonatal intensive care and special care units in Harrogate and Leeds. If it were not for the dedication and support of the staff our children would not be alive.

‘Charities such as Bliss and Shine allow for a wider support mechanism for parents in such traumatic circumstances. We have received this vital support and feel it is time to give something back. It is for this reason we dedicate this match to everyone who has worked tirelessly to support us. It is also a great way to get dads involved who can sometimes be forgotten, when lots of the support is offered to mums and babies.

Other footballers set to play include: Colin Cooper, Nigel Quashie, Nigel Martyn, David Prutton, Colin Hunter and local Radio Presenters from Stray FM.

Tad Nowakowski from Harrogate Town AFC says: “Harrogate Town AFC are delighted to be involved in supporting Bliss and allowing our facilities to be used to host this charity soccer match. We are looking forward to seeing local dads playing on our new pitch which is being levelled and re-seeded later this year.”

Chief Executive Andy Cole from Bliss says: “The celebrity football match is set to be a really successful fundraising event. We are extremely grateful to Manraj for organising the event and the money raised will help Bliss’ work to support babies and their families during an incredibly difficult and stressful time.”

Tickets are now on sale, £12.50 for adults, and £7.50 children (Under 12) Under 3 free. For further ticket sellers’ information, log onto www.harrogatetownafc.co.uk or www.bliss.org.uk or e-mail: first4charityevents@gmail.co.uk all proceeds will go to Bliss, Shine, Harrogate SCBU and LGI Peter Congdon Unit (NICI).

Free Alcohol During The Euro’s Quarter Finals? Yes, Please.

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Assaggetti, the Italian Bar and Bites restaurant on Haymarket, is celebrating this Sunday’s Euro’s Quarter Finals football between England and Italy with a fun and competitive offer – every time the England team scores a goal, Assaggetti will buy all the Italians watching the game on the restaurant’s big screen a glass of Italian wine to commiserate. But every time Italy scores a goal, all the English supporters in the bar will receive a beer on the house to drown their sorrows. Assaggetti is owned by an Italian family, the Fraquellis, who have lived in England all their lives, so be interesting to see who they’re cheering…! www.assaggetti.co.uk

Play the Very Lazy Footie Feast Challenge during the Euros this summer

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Play the Very Lazy Footie Feast Challenge during the Euros this summer
New online game for super fast footie food!

Forget junk food and pizzas for half time. With a new online game from cooking ingredient specialist Very Lazy, you can now whip up a quick and tasty half time treat for you and your mates and be back in front of the TV for the second half. Easy Peasy.

The challenge is simple. All you need is a few key ingredients, a pan or wok and the Very Lazy Footie Feast Challenge online game! Here’s how it works:
• Start off with a base of noodles during the first half of the game
• Every time you spot one of the listed events, click the circle on the pitch [right] to add an ingredient to your dish
• Get in the kitchen at half time and cook your dish in 10 minutes
• Relax and watch the second half of the game with your Very Lazy dish
When a red card is produced the game won’t be the only thing hotting up as you add some Very Lazy red chillies to the mix! The Footie Feast Challenge is more fun and a lot healthier and quicker than ordering a takeaway. Footie fans have an easy recipe for half time and begrudging viewers will have a fun game to pass the time while the match is on!

The ingredients needed to play the full game are: Very Lazy red chillies, Very Lazy ginger, Very Lazy garlic, cooked chicken, prawns, mushrooms, spring onions, soy sauce, cashew nuts, red pepper, sesame oil, bean sprouts, honey, greens and nutmeg. But don’t worry if you are missing some of the ingredients – feel free to swap them for one of your family favourites.

Very Lazy may not be able to give England an advantage on the pitch, but its range of top notch essential cooking ingredients does give you an unfair advantage in the kitchen, allowing you to whip up a footie feast in just ten minutes.

Have some Very Lazy fun by visiting www.facebook.com/VeryLazyFood and clicking on the Footie Challenge icon. But don’t worry if you miss the first match, here’s a list of some other key fixtures:

• France V England: Mon 11 June, 17:00
• Sweden V England: Fri 11 June, 19:45
• England V Ukraine: Tues 19 June, 19:45
• Quarter finals: Thurs 21 June – Sun 25 June
• Semi finals: Weds 17 June – Thurs 18 June
• The final: Sun 1 July, 19:45

Fluid Football set to score big this summer!

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Andy Gray bringing match strategy and tactics to iOS later this June

AppyNation and Gray Cooper Media today announced FLUID FOOTBALL, the next evolution in tactical football games, coming as a universal app in late June 2012 for all iOS devices.

Developed in collaboration with professional football pundits Andy Gray and Richard Keys, Fluid Football puts real-time tactical decision making at your fingertips. Direct your whole team’s actions by simply drawing runs and passes. Use real world tactics to score in a series of challenging set piece scenarios.

Fluid Football features fully voiced commentary and tactical insights from the Sony Award-winning commentary team of Andy Gray and Richard Keys.

“I’m thrilled to have helped create a game that explores the tactical aspect of football, in a fast and exciting manner,” said Gray, .Director, Gray Cooper Media “Fans might have seen football apps before, but nothing like this.”

Simon Prytherch, the CEO of developer Chromativity, has a track record of making innovative football games, with console hits such as under his belt. Simon says “With Andy Gray’s renowned, analytical insight, we designed Fluid Football for a touch screen with deep tactical game play. We wanted it to also have intuitive control with quick levels you can drop in to any time, but that will keep you coming back until you’ve mastered them.”

Each Fluid Football level recreates the pivotal moment of a match – throw-ins, penalties and corner kicks that set the stage for sensational goals. You have complete tactical freedom – string together passes, outpace defenders, set up pinpoint crosses – if you can do it on the field you can do it in Fluid Football.

Once you’ve out-manoeuvred the defence, you’ll switch to the 3D ‘player’s eye’ view and swipe to take the decisive shot on goal.

Fluid Football will be released as a Universal App (supporting iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad devices) in late June 2012.

Pint Shot Riot – Viva England | Music Review

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“All Together Now” by The Farm is the standard against which all football songs are judged by this writer. Obviously all fail to come anywhere near that stand but ‘Viva England’ by Coventry rockers Pint Shot Riot is a worthy effort. The band have football pedigree too, with their songs being on both the FIFA 2010 and FIFA 2012 computer games.

 

 

The song is released on 28th May is a good attempt at a terrace anthem with it’s “I know I am, I’m sure I am, I’m England ’til I die” refrain. It’s decent enough and one to pop on the car during Euro 2012 (with those rubbish car flags if you’re that way inclined). Would I buy it? Yes, not least of all because it helps two great causes with all the proceeds going to the Homeless FA and the Homeless World Cup Foundation. The Homeless World Cup being the competition that discovered Manchester United’s bizarre signing (a story that hasn’t run it’s full course yet) Bebe. As for the band – one to watch.

‘Viva England’ is released on 28th May