Thetownend.com

Hello All,
Recently I found that my family came from the Swindon Town area back in 1673 to America.  So I have begun to take a great interest in the area.  I have played or coached soccer, yes American, for 40+ years so of course I have decided to become a supporter of Swindon Town FC.  I live in the Kansas City area, the middle of the USA, and we have a "major league" soccer team call Sporting KC so I go to those matches on occasion.
I am curious what it is like to attend a match at Swindon.  Is there music playing to get the crowd excited?  are there fireworks or anything when the players are announced?  Are there vendors for food and drink?  Are there bad seats in the stadium that people avoid? 
I see that the club is really in a rebuilding phase.  When would have been the high point for the club?  Do you see the rebuild going in the right direction?
I'm excited to figure out the customs and "lingo" of your team, right now as i read i am somewhat lost  :D
In general, just very curious about the team and the Swindon area.
Thanks

Music gets played before the game but I wouldn’t exactly call it ‘pumping up’ music if that makes sense. Most fans don’t get into the stadium until about 10-15 minutes before kick off, so there little desire or need for pre game entertainment.

Fireworks, no and we couldn’t afford to waste money on them even if they were allowed.
No vendors either but fast food kiosks in the concourse (inside the stand) that serve burgers, chips, hot dogs soft drinks and beer (which you can’t take back to your seat)

High point. We won the league cup in 1969 but that’s way before my time.
We rose up the divisions in mid to late 80s under Macari but just a bit before my time too.
We won promotion to the top division in 93 and then got pummelled and relegated but I think most of us enjoyed before there for our one and only time.

The rebuild is certainly going in the right direction off the pitch but feel there maybe more shit from the previous owners to clean up.

On the pitch looks ok. Better than expected but personally have reservations about our head coach.

http://www.swindon-town-fc.co.uk/ (http://www.swindon-town-fc.co.uk/)

A visit to the bus station is a must.

Think Superbowl extravaganza, then turn it down 1.

Welcome Godd002.

it's always good to get new fans/people interested in the club.

The UK is a bit behind the USA in putting on a 'show' at sport. No cheerleaders, no kiss cam, no t-shirts fired into the crowd... at least that's my limited experience of us sports. but we prefer it like that

we have an escapee here who has emigrated to the US and watches football (soccer), I'm sure he'll be able to give a better comparison because I've only been to NHL/NFL.

A typical day, well I guess it depends. A few beers with friends, go to the game and have a bit of a sing, and yes a bit of that will be aimed at the 'away' fans (the opposition). All part of the experience.

it's pretty rare that the hooliganism that blighted the 80s and early 90s rears its head these days, but occasionally it happens. much more a family affair now.

stadium are largely all seated, something that happened after the Hillsborough tragedy that has now claimed 97 lives. however some lower League clubs have terracing (standing) and some clubs are trialling a return to 'safe standing' (not us yet).

the country ground has 4 stands. The Town End (,West) is a roofed former terrace converted to seats directly behind the goal. view aren't great and there are posts holding the roof. why would you sit here - atmosphere. it's where most of the noise comes from!

at the other end is the uncovered Stratton Bank. again converted terracing. this used to house 75% home fans and 25% away, segregated by a big metal fence. thankfully those days are gone. the stand is terribly outdated and only used to house away fans if they bring enough to justify opening it.

the Arkells stand (North) is the main stage and in addition to housing home and away fans (segregated) there are the changing rooms for been players, hospitality rooms and a bar. there are no hospitality suites in the ground. again there are posts holding the roof which can obscure the views.

the Don Rogers stand (South) is the newest stand (90s!) this offers the best view since there are no posts holding the roof.

typically games are added by between 7000-8000 fans, this is reasonably good for the lowest League

One? More like turn it down 90%. Sadly for our newly acquired American cousin there’ll be no tail gate BBQ meet ups in the County Ground car park before the game.

You don't 'do' irony do you?

Can't believe you forgot about the Robinettes Batch.

they are no more.

and not really the type of cheerleaders I was thinking of ;)

No 😉

It's like tinny and woody, but made of iron.

Dallas Cowboys?   :)

And for me all the better. Sky Sports tried to do all that nonsense when the Premier league was first created, not sure how long the fireworks and cheerleaders lasted but football really doesn't need any of the garnish that American sport has.

American sports are much more about the occasion rather than the game itself. I've been to NHL and NBA and there is much more of a drive to entertain at all costs. I could barely watch any of the NHL game as every 2 minutes I had to stand up and let people past who had been to one of the multiple food stalls and brought back a week's worth of food to plough into at their seat. During breaks in the NBA in San Francisco they had trapeze artists, pizza boxes falling from the skies into seats etc.

All this stuff isn't for me at all. Have a few pre-match pints, turn up to the CG at 2:57, watch the game and then go home. Horses for courses and all.

I hope you don't have high expectations Godd002, supporting STFC is likely to give you an emotion similar to the US State that you currently reside in.  :D

Yes there's a big difference between the 2 and over here most go just for the footy and to meet up with some friends/family before the game for an hour or 2.

The atmosphere is the biggest difference, in the US it is created by the music, cheerleaders etc where over here the fans create the atmosphere by singing, ooing and arring, shouting, cheering etc.   This is partly down to the jeopardy that is in our model, the rivalries that have built up over decades and also the vocal away support, which doesn't exist in the states due the distances involved.

You've never watched any American sport have you!?

To be fair, its trueish of the snippet of US sports I've watched live. A very small sample indeed. Even the Raiders (v Seahawks) was a bit "offence...." ... "defence" in terms of atmosphere. But I wouldn't say they weren't there to watch the game.

The best one was the Sharks fans giving the opposition keeper the slow name thing "beeeeeeelfour..beeeeelfour". Was the Sharks 'tender the season before and wasn't overly complimentary when he left.

Oh, and the Canadians were a bit better at the football (Canada v Mexico) "who wants a green card, who who who"

Perhaps I worded it wrong.  I've been to a few NHL and NFL games and it was more like going to a one day cricket match than the footy.

Perfectly enjoyable but very different. 

I am actually from Nebraska.  If you know anything about Nebraska, it is probably as much if not more dull than Kansas.  But we do have the University American football team, the Huskers.  In my state, this is not a team, it is a religion so I think there we are similar to many English soccer fans.  As for STFC struggling and building, again the Huskers were extremely strong in the 70's and 80's and simply just dominated the 90's, but it has been a long 20 years of dismal football from them since 2000, so I am used to supporting teams that are growing.  But I think that is real fandom, supporting a team always.   

Thanks for the reply :)

I was trying to be amusing and attempting a play on words with Missouri = misery (I know some Americans refer to that particular state as such)

The Huskers seemed to have mirrored STFC  :sherlock:

thank you for the replies, great to learn about the team.  hopefully in the future i can learn more about the area as well.  I hope to come over in the next few years.

A few people mentioned the show vs the game comparison.  I agree that sometimes here in the US the game is more of a show but i will say the for the cost of a ticket to many professional teams it better be.  for example, here in Kansas City, and the cheapest ticket at the top of the stadium for a chiefs game is around $200 face value.  Our local soccer team, Sporting, is more affordable but they do try to spice it up with fireworks.  It is really too much i agree.  They also have a very annoying "hype man" yelling all the time.  stupid.   I will say though the regulars at the games are there for the sport.  
of course in my mind, all I have is movies to go by, I imagined supporters meeting at a pub near the stadium drinking and singing and migrating towards the stadium when the time comes :)  somebody mentioned you are not able to take food and beer to seats?  I will say, you all should take up tailgating!!  it is fun and great comradery.

I am a Chemistry and Technical Theater teacher in what we call high school, so kids 14-18.  I have loved soccer all my life.  The thought of how much it has brought joy to my life gives me tears really.  I have played and coached for 40 years, well more coached lately due to my fat ass state  :D  Anyway, something that has been in my mind.  I want to support a local team rebuilding so it continues, so I have considered on occasion, when i have some extra money, buying a couple tickets to a home game.  Obviously I am not able to come to a game so I was thinking about donating them to a high school, still haven't wrapped my head around what you all have for a "high school" level.  anyway, then the school could either reward a student with the tickets or even a teacher. I am not sure if you have what we call school districts?  this is where there is an group of schools, elementary through high school that is run by one central administration.  if so I could work with them.

 Is that something that happens over there?  Would teachers or students go to a game?  I am really just looking for guidance on if this is a decent idea and how to go about it.  I would have to work out buying the tickets online and then getting them to a school of some sort.  

anyway, keep up the suggestions and information.  Cheers ! :)

The supporters trust are involved with arranging free tickets to games for primary schools (age 5-11) at many games this season, I’d suggest engaging with them and seeing if you can contribute through them.

https://truststfc.tv/

In kansas city, there is a kansas side, better side by the way, and a missouri side.  but you are correct about that hell hole call missouri

Equally you can stream the games online for about 14-15 dollars a game, and some of that money will go to the club

Equally to get the true CG effect just get a family member to sit behind you shouting 'Get it ffffoooorrrrwwwwaaaarrrd' every 5 mins while you watch it.

I am glad you brought this up.  i am strongly considering buying the game this Saturday morning.  Actually cancelled a theatre work day with my lighting kids so I can, priorities ! :D

Anyway, does anyone know what the stream is like?  is the broadcast basically what would be shown on TV there in Swindon?  I tried to simply find a radio station online to listen but not much luck there. Thoughts on the stream?  i am annoyed i can only get it on a computer and not through my roku tv but i will work around that.   

It’s a single camera high up in the stand, with the radio commentary. The games aren’t shown live as you’d probably be accustomed too - no studio analysis for example

It’s more comparable to the tv coverage of a high school football game (from a clip I saw on Netflix once). Very low budget, but you get to watch the game

The streams are very good. The commentary is from the local radio station and the picture is full HD. We don't actually (legally) get to watch locally as 3pm kickoff saturday games are illegal to watch on TV in the UK so are not shown.

The local radio station is BBC Wiltshire but there are no online rights for broadcasting as these are owned by the aforementioned streaming service.

Why is it illegal to broadcast games in the UK?  Couldn't a club create their own broadcasting channel online to create interest and revenue?  For example here, there is the Big 10 network for that conference of schools and their sports.  they partner with major networks but also have their own programming for all sports other than football and basketball.

Overarching rule, the aim of which historically was to prevent say PL games being shown at 3pm on the telly and discouraging fans from attending lower league games in the flesh.

The most recent high profile example was the fuss that Ronaldo's first match at Man Utd could not be shown on TV as it was a 3pm kick off, much to the displeasure of Sky.

It's only those games that kick off at 15:00 Saturday UK time (or those that take place in that timeframe) as it is the time the vast majority of games take place throughout the entire league structure.  It is so to reduce the amount of people choosing to stay at home watching the bigger games rather than the games local to them, it is to help the smaller teams keep fans and generate revenue.

Outside of the UK networks are able to show any game they choose to so unfortunately people get hold of streams of games anyway.  iFollow is there to give those of us that live outside the UK the opportunity to watch our team at that 15:00 Saturday timeslot, it is available to those living in the UK for the midweek games assuming they are not selected to be shown on TV already.

I can see that reasoning but in today's world with streaming options a club could create a team app for roku, apple tv etc...and make that same money and maybe more.  really that is basically what ifollow is i guess but less team oriented?

our sporting KC matches are on Tv all the time but there is not substitute for being there in person.

Interesting to see Orient arguing against it.

https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/english-football-league-3pm-blackout-explained-cristiano-ronaldo-man-united-debut-1189022

Saturday is a good one to watch

We are playing Bristol Rovers a local(ish) derby match. Hopefully the atmosphere will be good. Though we were only allocated 700 tickets I think, away fans are usually noisier.

Their manager is on an assault charge, which hopefully will make sense of any wife beater chants

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-57969765.amp (https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-57969765.amp)

obviously if the games crap, ignore the above!

I just signed up for a month of isupport to give it a try so we will see how it works  :clap:


it would be great to hear chants and things...most likely not...that part of UK sport is way better than America

I apologize for the many posts/replies but  questions pop in my head.

not to sound to ignorant but from my understanding of English football divisions, Swindon would be really the 4th division?  here we have multiple divisions for baseball that i think might be similar. 

With that  being said, as I watch highlights of the last Swindon match, the skill level of the players are very good by American standards.  honestly I would say from what little i have watched that they are on par with our MLS players.  their touch, speed, and creativity is easily on level with our professional league.  Makes me wonder if these players in this division and even the next up try to come to America.  I believe league minimum is around $360,000 for a player.

I find this very interesting and really sad that our players are still so far behind. 

yes, decision 4

teams can be promoted and relegated (debited l demoted) between division based on League position/playoffs

 the are divisions below 4 that are outside the EFL but that feed into it.. it's a pyramid of several levels

below division 4 is considered 'non  League

------
in theory you could start your own team at the local park, and end up playing in the premier League

obviously in practice that's not possible. Each level has ground requirements and you'd need to be insanely rich to even get to division 4, though teams like Harrogate and Forest Green have managed it

In 2006, a Swindon player, Stefani Miglioranzi moved from Town to La Galaxy and played with David Beckham. He went on to play for Columbus and Philidelphia too

Another American link with Swindon Town, ex Swindon Town youth footballer John Smith played American football for the New England Patriots back in the late 70s early 80s.

Also see here :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnfOVUQgyFo

I am the export, I think, that was mentioned earlier!

Having been to plenty of Atlanta Utd games I can probably offer some comparisons.  In terms of the fans/atmosphere, the Atlanta games are much more aligned with Latin America and maybe a hybrid with Italian (the use of Tifo's, having someone direct the fans etc.).  You'll also see drums in MLS but not really in English football - they detract from the atmosphere in English grounds, but I will say they work well as part of the Latin style support in MLS.

Going to a Swindon game would probably be a bit like one of the older, smaller MLS teams, in terms of fan numbers, size of stadium etc.  The crowd are much, hmmm, more coarse at English football.  The only proper swear laden rant I have heard at an Atl Utd game, which caught me by surprise on hearing it, came from a Millwall fan who was also an expat.  Even the swearing in chants in MLS is limited, not so in English football.

I think MLS has made massive strides in the past 10 years, maybe starting with teams like Seattle Sounders.  Certainly the new entrants have all added a bit of the English/European style local support.

It's getting closer to the way College Football teams here are the local lynchpins, that's what football teams in England are like but on a smaller more localised scale.

In terms of talent, MLS is closest to the Championship level in England, but mainly due to the Designated Players and influx of South American talent.  The rest of the squads tend to be League 1 and 2 standard.