Hey, My name is Charlie and I’m a 36 yr old English guy who happens to live in Charlottesville, VA. I have a wife, 3 daughters and a dog. Naturally I also have an accent and yes the picture above is me. I generally look like this all the time if there is footy on the TV.

The World Cup is upon us and you can probably imagine that as a Brit I like football. Well you are dead wrong. I friggin’ LOVE the game. It’s my religion and there is nothing that anyone can say or do to change that fact. Ever. If you are American there is only one rule that you have to adhere to if we are going to get along……..

WE CALL IT FOOTBALL NOT SOCCER !!

OK, now we have gotten that little titbit out of the way we should get along just fine ;)

I whipped up this quick blog to help other local Brits (and like-minded Americans) find all the information required to be able to watch and follow all games of interest at this years World Cup in South Africa.

I’ve created categories to show all England & USA fixtures with local kick off times (EST). I will be personally watching all the games at the Timberwood Grill as that is my sports bar of choice around these parts. It’s not the atmosphere of England but we can certainly do our best to recreate it if we can all get together at the Timberwood grill on England and USA game days.

I hope to see you at the Timberwood Grill this Summer. Feel free to leave comments and feedback on the blog :)

Enjoy this video from Nike – it gives a small insight into just how passionate the Brits are when it comes to our beloved footy.

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Note to my American friends: For the record no matter what anyone says or what you may have been told – Football is the most popular sport in the world. This is a statistical fact and one that cannot be argued with. “Most popular” could mean “most watched,” “most played,” or “most revenue-generating.” Based on the variable definition of “most popular” the following observations apply:

  • The most played sport in the world is football. Fact.
  • The most revenue generating sport in the world
  • The highest paid star players in the world
  • Based on the number and size of stadiums around the world, the number of people who wear football merchandise, number of people who are aware of football, and the number of leagues/tournaments worldwide (The WORLD CUP, UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, THE SOUTH AMERICAN CUP, THE AMERICAN CUP, THE ASIAN CUP, 70 English league teams, 40 Italian league teams, 40 Spanish league teams etc etc) football ranks at the top of the list regardless the definition of “most popular.”

Most Frequently Cited Ranked Lists

1. Football: 3.3-3.5 billion fans (Europe, Africa, Asia, Americas, etc.)
2. Cricket: 2-3 billion fans (India, UK, Pakistan, Asia, Australia, etc.)
3. Field hockey: 2-2.2 billion fans (Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia)
4. Tennis: Around 1 billion fans (Europe, Americas, Asia)
5. Volleyball: Around 900 million fans (Asia, Europe, Americas, Australia)
6. Table tennis: Around 900 million fans (Asia, Europe, Africa, Americas)
7. Baseball: Around 500 million fans (US, Japan, Cuba, Dominican Republic)
8. Golf: Around 400 million fans (US, Canada, Europe)
9. American football: 390-410 million fans (US mainly)
10. Basketball: Not more than 400 million fans (US, Canada mainly)

I’m also sick of hearing that Football is a no-contact sport and is played by fairies who fall down at the earliest opportunity and cry foul. Absolute b***ocks. Well the last bit is true but that’s mostly the Italians and Argentinians. Fairies.

Football as played in England is as hard and physical as can be. You also have to be fit as a butchers dog. If you think it’s easy – come play against me on a Sunday kick about and we’ll see who’s a fairy ;)

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