Carol's Photos

This was our first experience at a professional soccer/European football game (April 25, 2009). This game was the last home game for the Derby Rams (not at the same level professionally as Manchester United, but they were still good, and the tickets were accessible). They are the team in black and white. We arrived not having any clue what we were in for; though Andy had a better idea than the rest of us since he had, at least, watched the World Cup. But still, there is no real way of knowing what a match like this is like in person. It is such a low scoring game that, truly, it is hard to fathom how fans could get quite so excited, but we realized quickly that football fans don't need to actually witness a goal to get rowdy. Indeed, just the presence of the opposing team's fans or a ball that comes within 100 feet of the goal, is enough to get them on their feet and screaming at the top of their lungs. Great fun, really.

Walking from the car park at the Westfield Mall in Derby to Pride Park Stadium.

In front of Pride Park Stadium, Home of the Derby Rams

It's embarrasing how little I know about soccer, but I'm guessing these are the leading scorers

So, the offensive squad? I'm sure there is a correct term for this. You'd think I'd know this. Katie did play soccer. Oh well....

Waiting outside the stadium for game time. We had no idea what we were suppposed to be doing or when we could enter the stadium. So, we observed others and waited for some cues. Entering the stadium was strange, though. There were no large entrances. In fact, you had to enter one person at a time through a turnstile within a tiny tunnel, like cattle. And as you enter the turnstile, there is a little window off to your right within the confines of your tiny tunnel entrance where a ticket collector takes your ticket. And you had to enter through a particular turnstile depending on your ticket. We made the mistake of going through the wrong one and then had to force the cattle out of the tunnel so we could get out to go to the correct turnstile.

Here we are at the game finally! The opposing fans were just off to our left. We were in the rowdy corner. The entire game, the Derby fans to our right exchanged chanted curses and verbal mud with the opposing team's fans on our left. Very funny actually. Like a well rehearsed spirited debate at ear-splitting decibel levels. It seems that football fans come to games as much to harrass the fans of the opposing team as they do to support their own team (although there were times were they even got quite upset with their own players and made their feelings quite clear with rather creative gestures and clever turns of phrase.)

And here we have the game. No one scored until the second half. And yet, every time the ball got close to the goal post, the cheering in the stadium was so loud, you'd think they just scored a 3-pointer. It really fueled your own excitement so that you cheered too, even if you had no clue why you were cheering or what you were rooting for.



Emily was so excited she fell asleep. Just couldn't contain it.





Here is Kate with her Derby Rams scarf. Can't tell you how relieved we were to find out that the oposing team's color was not blue (It was red and white, actually). But just in case, we bought her a scarf so that there was no mistaking her for anything other than a Derby fan.







And he's down! (The opposing team's goalie).