The New Football Fans Are Only Supporters - Commitment is Optional

There is one word that characterises everything that is undermining the beautiful game - money - we knew that even before Abramovich bought the Premier League title for Chelsea - but the rot is going deeper, much deeper and threatens to destroy the soul of the game. Why? The fans are different now and without "fans", let's not forget that is short for fanatic, a sterility and remoteness becomes part of the fabric of football - but football cannot survive as sterile and bland. It needs passion, commitment and it needs that affinity between the fans and their club, their team. That is disappearing.

Notice the title of this piece says "supporters" - because yes, the clubs have their "supporters", they have their armchairs, the pub screens and wear the new logo shirt and some of them go to games - probably more occasionally than frequently. They demand the club of their choice spends to bring success; they are quick to boo and complain when player performances do not meet expectation and they look around the ground waiting for someone else to start the singing yet bemoan the lack of atmosphere in the stadiums. They preface conversations with "a long time (insert name of club) fan" as they feel the need to earn credibility and make up for the fact that in reality they have only seen a few live matches in the last decade.

The reason is they feel no real affinity with the club or players - and the same can be said of the badge kissers on the pitch whose temporary stay with a club based hundreds, maybe thousands of miles from their place of birth is a money accumulating exercise rather than genuine pride in representing a club, its tradition and its fans.

Of course genuine fans do exist; they feel each game, pain or pleasure, win or lose, they shout, they sing and follow their team far and wide.

They get their team's football players photos, signed shirts and display them with genuine pride. But they are declining in numbers as the spiralling costs of being a football supporter make it available to only those who consider football as just another option upon which to spend their large disposable income; who think nothing of missing games when they interfere with family or social life.

For real fans football is their lives and football needs these fans, the discretionary spending power of the uncommitted supporter is not a business model to rely on - therein lies the problem, football has become business and it is losing loyal customers.

By Lewis Legend

http://www.fantasticphotos.tv/index.php

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How to Maintain Your Football Team's Fan List

The postman carries as much mail back as he delivers. What is amazing, is how same organisations continue to send mail to the same address even when they receive bundles of it back. What does that tell us about such an organisation? They do not understand the dynamics of society. They do not understand that a list needs maintenance. All they are doing in the meantime is to enrich the post.

The following steps could go a long way in keeping your football club's fan list clean, current, accurate and relevant:

1. A list becomes outdated as soon as it is compiled

True, a list becomes outdated as soon as it is compiled. I have lived in flats before and I have witnessed movement hardly seen in other areas. Every month end tenants come and others go. But those that have gone generated mail and no sooner had they started receiving it than they moved on. People change jobs and others pass on. All these factors point to a need to continuously maintain your mailing list. If you do not do so they will be a lot of wastage.

2. Incomplete Data

Lists are often characterised by mistakes and incomplete data. Some people for one reason or another can never write information correctly or fully. Check out for this and try to correct it in order to avoid wastage.

3. Duplication

Scan your lists for duplication of fans. It is very irritating to some people and wasteful to your football club to send out the same information to one person several times. Clean the list and get rid of duplicate data.

One way you can sniff out this data is to filter similar names with a bit of variance and check to see whether the address is the same.

4. Segment your list

Your information and marketing will be most relevant and will receive the desired objective if it is sent to only the relevant people. For example you have a football match in Pretoria and you want to market it to your fans directly, it would be most fruitful to only appeal to those who can economically and geographically make it to Pretoria. It would be very wasteful to communicate with an unemployed fan based in Port Elizabeth (1,500km away). This person can not geographically and economically make it for this match, however much he loves the club.

5. Grow your list

It is very critical for your marketing team to use every working moment to grow your club's fan list. Every unregistered fan that they come across in one way or the other should be registered and communication initiated.

This helps in growing your fan base and the stronger the relationship you grow with these fans the more they act as fan evangelists and recruit new fans for your team.

Success in the business of football is about getting the business of fans right. When this happens all other factors can easily fall into place. To get the business of fans correct, you must know them by name and create a relationship with them. It is therefore imperative to work on your fan lists aggressively.

By Robert K Sebbale

Give your football club a chance to succeed beyond your wildest dreams. Fans are the corner stone of football business success, but they are the most ignored. We can help you change this for your benefit and the benefit of your club. Visit our website and learn more about how to grow your fan base, football marketing and fan relationship management: http://www.footballmarketing.biz

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Quick and Easy Soccer Training Tips

Soccer training tips can help you to become a better player regardless of how old you are. It is important to be open to new experiences and trying new moves in order to improve as a player. Even professional players get advice and tips from others every once in a while. Being open to tips like the ones found below can help you learn more from someone else in a few minutes then you could learn by yourself over the course of a few years.

Communicate Well

Learning how to communicate effectively will serve you well in life as well as the soccer field, and is one of the easiest soccer training tips to remember. On the field, it is important to know how to correctly communicate with your team members. If you can't communicate as a team, then how can you be expected to work together and succeed as a team?

Be open and ready to receive the ball at all times. Look for signs of communication from other players, so that you know where the ball will be going before it is even passed. Truly amazing plays can be accomplished between team members who know how to communicate with each other.

Learn How to Freeze a Defender

Learning how to freeze a defender in their tracks is an extremely useful tip that you can put into action. This tip will cause the defender coming after you to be stopped in their tracks for a second or two, allowing you the time you need to maneuver around them with the ball.

To freeze a defender, act like you are going for a long kick or shot right before they get to you. If you do this correctly, they will either freeze to see what you are going to do next, or they will turn to one side or another in order to stop your fake motion.

Get New Tricks from Older Players

You may not be able to teach an old dog a new trick, but they sure can teach you some. One of the best soccer training tips is to play a few games with some older players. The guys have been in the game a lot longer than you, and you would be surprised at the tips and tricks that you can pick up on in only a couple of hours.

Slow it Down

Soccer is a fast paced game, but that doesn't mean that you always have to go a mile a minute. One of the most useful soccer training tips is to slow down. A lot of players make the mistake of rushing their movements, which in turn causes them to lose the ball or miss a shot. Slow down your actions and take a split second to thing before passing to a teammate or making a shot. You will be surprised by how much more accurate your motions are.

Soccer training tips are for everyone, not just new players. No matter how old you are, or how long you have been playing the game, you have the ability to improve and learn tips and tricks from others.

By Thomas Karapatsos

Could your child be the next David Beckham?

Soccer Mastermind is a little community that is packed with soccer training tips and soccer coaching tips.

Make sure to bookmark this site as it will be running competitions and free give aways for kids.

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Manchester United Pile on the Pressure

With their impressive win against Chelsea, the title is surely going to remain at the theatre of dreams. In possibly the penultimate season of Sir Alex Fergerson managerial career, he will look to equal Liverpool's record in the English Top Football decision. With 17 league championships Man U are only 1 behind current League leaders Liverpool who have 18.

This is going to be the most challenging season for Manchester United. With Liverpool intent on dropping points to Stoke, Fulham and Tottenham they will be smarting from losing their poll position they have worked so hard to obtain. Chelsea look like a spent force, unless there is a dramatic turnaround in the fortunes of big Phil at Stamford Bridge, he is next on my firing list after Tony Adams and Mark Hughes.

The way Chelsea turned out in the second half proved to be their undoing. Instead of keeping it tight, he brought on the sulk - Anelka. Yes, they went down to a sloppy goal from a corner, but Phil has to take the share in the blame for the way Man U cut them open 2 more times after the break.

Jose said it well in a interview. "I saw Chelsea before the match, during half time and after the match." What he meant was they did not turn up to play football at the theatre of dreams. Maybe it was all a dream and Man United didn't score 3 goals past the hapless keeper.

Well Man U have a chance to close the gap to Liverpool and get 2nd place tonight against Wigan. I see a 4-0 win to Man. United. Ronaldo will be fantastic and score a hat trick!

By Ryan Sharp

Read about noo mobile.

Make cheap calls to France, Australia, China, India, USA 07744.

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Agility Skills - What Each Soccer Position Should Work On

Do you love the thrill of a good soccer game? Do you love watching the pros and wish that you could join them some day? If you are a soccer fan and you love to play soccer, then you know that it takes a lot of hard work to become a successful player. Like any sport, whether you are talking about football, basketball, baseball, or soccer, working on the necessary skills and agility is what it takes to become great. Any athlete cannot expect to succeed if they don't give their game of choice 100 percent each and every day, including when they are not at practices. You cannot expect to do well unless you practice at every chance you get. So, you know you love soccer and you want to do better-how do you go about doing it?

A good soccer player, whether you are talking about a child or a pro, must practice. It is just the facts. Knowing how to play the game is simply not enough. A good soccer player must be able to work with their team and coach well and should also possess good agility skills. Agility is very important in soccer. Watch a soccer game sometimes and see how the best soccer players have the ability to turn on a dime, kick the ball from every direction and stay moving up and down the field. It takes a huge amount of coordination and agility to pull it off. Here are some things that you can do when you want to increase your agility when you play soccer.

Practice with the ball: When you want to better your soccer game, you must work with the ball. This means that you should work with the team and by yourself. You can practice soccer when you are at home alone, too. Take the ball and work on dribbling around tight corners. Set up cones or other obstacles that will allow you to run and dribbling the ball in tight spaces. This will improve your coordination while you are playing the game. Also, you should learn how to juggle the ball. Start off slowly and work your way up. You can dribble on your thighs, knees and even your chest. A good soccer player can master juggling on the head. Sounds hard, but it is a great way to improve agility. You can also practice kicking the ball. Kick it up against the wall and learn how to kick it using the right speeds and angles.

Stretching: Stretching your body can also improve your agility. Take some time before each game and practice by stretching. Lunges are great for soccer. You will need strong leg muscles and you should have the ability to go in low for the ball. All of your muscles are used in soccer, so make sure they are in the top condition. In addition, remember that stretching is also important so that you do not tear a muscle during the game. If you end up tearing a muscle and find yourself sitting on the benches during a game, you are not doing your team a bit of good. Get out there and stretch and stay in good physical condition.

Take care of your body: Of course you will also need to stay in good shape when you want to have agility. Eat right and drink plenty of fluids. That will go a long way in keeping you body in shape and will make you a better player. Get out there and practice other aspects of playing soccer, such as running and weight lifting.

By Eric Bau

http://www.BehindTheGoalLine.com

Eric Bau

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Manchester United Vs Wigan Title

Manchester United enters 2nd week of Jan facing tough competition from Wigan Athletic. Rooney scores the first goal giving the team a 1-0 lead.

Wednesday's game is the first of the Red Devils' games in hand and a win on Wednesday followed by another on Saturday at Bolton Wanderers could see Sir Alex Ferguson's men top the Premier League table by the time Liverpool are next in action.

Sometimes it seems that only the intervention of the proverbial men in white coats can stop modern English football's original mad genius. With the Champions League final looming in Moscow on 21 May, he seems unstoppable. Having beaten Chelsea to the title on the final day of the season, Ferguson proclaimed that his team had the edge for the game in nine days' time.

If Cristiano Ronaldo wanted a lesson in the respect this game can confer on a man, then he would do well to look at Giggs as the Portuguese prepares for another summer in which his name will be batted around by the biggest clubs in Europe. Ronaldo scored the penalty that set United on their way yesterday, his 41st goal of an incredible season, but we did not see the best of him.

Manchester United last meeting with Wigan in October at Old Trafford ended as a one-sided affair, with a brace by Ronaldo giving United a comfortable 4-0 victory.

There was a cost to the Red Devils as Rooney is now facing a spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury that forced him off not long after his ninth goal of the season.

But provided the damage is not too extensive, the Red Devils will not worry, especially if they beat Bolton at the Reebok Stadium on Saturday to take top spot.

By Jim Hea

http://www.awesomeandhot.com Awesome Videos, Hot Destination.

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English Premier League - Manchester United on a Rampage

The win takes Man U past Chelsea at second place and is only two pints behind Liverpool. The Red's next game will be a Merseyside derby with Everton but the match shall be played on Monday, giving United the chane to overtake the leaders as they go to the Reebok Stadium to face Bolton Wanderers this coming Saturday.

After beating Chelsea Football club 3-0 in one of last Sunday football results, United played one of their matches they have on hand and finally recorded the win after Wayne Rooney scored in a tap in from a Cristiano Ronaldo assist at the first minute. Wigan tried to look for the tying goal throughout the match but failed to breakdown the United defense which surprisingly, held its own despite the absence of central defender Rio Ferdinand who continues to suffer from a back injury, defender Wes Brown who still has two weeks to go before he gets back to the side after ankle surgery and left back Patrice Evra, who suffered a foot injury right after the match against Chelsea and has been ruled out of future United games for three weeks. He actually injured his foot when he delivered the cross that Rooney turned into a goal. It was such an unfortunate stroke of luck for Evra who just returned to the side after being suspended for four games for his participation in an incident after a match against Chelsea last April.

It shall be a big loss for Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United Football Club's title aspirations as in form striker Rooney might possibly join the list of injured players. He suffered a hamstring injury during last night's game and could possibly be missing in action for three weeks. He scored the winnning goal but imped out of the game moments later and Carlos Tevez was sent in for Rooney's place. Ferguson hopes though that Ronaldo's recovery from surgery and his recent triumph as FIFA's Word Player of The Year shall be enough for the winger to continue his progress and be the dominant player like he was during the last season.

The controversial Tevez can benefit from Rooney's expected absence as he shall fill up the other striker's position in partnership with Dimitar Berbatov. Recent reports in English papers have said that the South American striker is unsettled and wishes to leave United. But Tevez personally debunked these reports himself and insists that United manager Ferguson has not talked to him or his agent to start contract negotiations. Tevez joined Manchester from West Ham United on a two year loan that is due to expire this summer. And he desperately wants to make the move permanent.

Wigan gave a good account of themselves during the match. Emile Heskey and Wilson Palacios were constantly pressing for opportunities. Wigan manager Steve Bruce's prized find Amir Zaki was kept quiet by the United defense. The loss however did not affect Wigan's place in the team standings as they are still in seventh place.

By Peri Witny

Catch English soccer results at ScoresPro.com/soccer.

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