Author Archive

Diego Maradona

I got a very interesting email from my friends at Copa today. What a small world it is!

“Last weekend we were pleasantly surprised to see the one and only Diego Maradona wearing our Argentina Capitano T-shirt in the new Bavaria Beer commercial.

El Diego, of course one of our ultimate childhood heroes, wore the shirt in a promotion inspired by the famous van Basten-video by Bavaria, shot almost 25 years ago.

The Argentina Capitano T-shirt and other Argentinian retro shirts can be found on copafootball.com and via selected retailers and online resellers.”

Coolligan

I was strolling around Madrid yesterday when I came across the Coolligan store in the very centre of the city. Oh, happy day! It’s a veritable treasure trove of quality football memorabilia. Like my friends Copa in Amsterdam it is part display and part museum. For somebody like me, an Alladin’s cave.

There is a huge selection of football shirts (current and retro) but these are not replica kits to wear for 5-a-side or to kit out an amatuer side. These are high quality leisure wear. I was delighted to see so many of many favourite shirts including many of the classics from the 60s and 70s…..fashionable but without the omnipresent sponsors’ logos!

A couple I really liked are the Zaire shirt from 1974 and the 1900 Scotland shirt (above)

If you are in Madrid, please pop in. Otherwise, they run a mail order service. Incidentally, they have stores in Málaga and Galicia too. Please visit their website www.Coolligan.com

Unión Adarve

This week I have come across possibly one of the most interesting football stories I have read in many a year. It deals with a Madrid club who play literally walking distance from the Real
Madrid Santiago Bernabéu stadium but who are a million miles away.

The club is Unión Adarve and their presidente is the charismatic Luis Gómez whose team has just been promoted to Segunda B, the third level of Spanish football. There is nothing unusual about a promotion story but when you look into the background it is an amazing (fairy-)tale.

The club is just 25 years’ old and is what is called a “barrio” club. These traditionally gets their players and supporters from one local district or neighbourhood of a city. Often these clubs have kids teams from 4/5 years all the way through to adults and often there is a ladies team, a 5-a-side team and a seniors’ team too. If anybody watched the TV series “Pelotas”, you will know what I mean. Generally these adult teams have no massive ambitions but they are a vital social function of the area. Unión Adarve have done it slightly differently though! With the lowest budget in their Tercera division and after a poor start they got through the league and the playoffs to reach the dizzy heights of 2B! Note also that they do NOT charge for admission …..ever! This season too they have stated again that they will not charge for admissiom. In English terms they are playing at the same level as Portsmouth, Bradford City, Wigan and Charlton ….but their capacity is just eight hundred!

Luis Gómez used a recent article in AS, the national Spanish sports’ paper to make his thoughts very clear about the amateur nature of the lower leagues in Spanish football. It is frankly eye-opening! This week I am looking to make an appointment to see whether we can create some sort of support for the club à la Peña Internacional Malaguista at Málaga CF or, more likely FC Torrevieja with its famous Torry Army.

Whatever happens, I wish them every success.

(PS The season got off to a good start with a 1-1 away draw at Valladolid B)

La Liga 2017/2018

Marca have produced a nice guide to the shirts worn by all the La Liga teams for this season. Click on the start page and you go through each club one at a time where you will see there shirt for the season and the squad numbers.

If you want to learn more about this season’s La Liga, Marca has also posted a team by team review where it is clear that Real Madrid are the clear favourite’s for the season just about to begin. They kick off with a potential banana skin at Deportivo Coruña but what will the next 37 games bring? See here for expert analysis in English.

Commemorative shirt worn against Betis in honour of the victims of the Catalonia atrocities.

Barcelona in Mourning

Within 24 hours terrorists launched two atrocities in Catalonia. More than a dozen innocent people were slaughtered in the centre of Barcelona and a few hours later another band of terrorists struck in Cambrils to the south of the capital.

The immediate decision of the Barcelona board was to honour the dead and injured by taking the players’ name off the shirts for this weekend’s game against Betis.

#Respect

Goalsoul

I was delighted to find Goalsoul this week. The Sheffield-based company say,”we create visually stunning and unique football t-shirts infused with spirit, style and quality.

Our original designs celebrate the iconic players, teams and memorable incidents in football’s rich and diverse history. The goalsoul collection of artwork, graphic tees and associated apparel, is an eclectic mix. We pay tribute to the cultural vitality of the most beautiful game of all.”

On that basis, it would be rude for me not to highlight them! Please check their beaitifully designed website.

Brentford Community Stadium

Planning amendments proposed before construction starts on Brentford Community Stadium
Brentford FC, together with its development partner Be (formerly Willmott Dixon Residential), are presenting amendments to the approved Brentford Community Stadium development to members of the London Borough of Hounslow (LBH) Planning Committee on 24 August before plans are submitted in early September for the Council to consider. These are the final changes which, subject to approval by LBH, will mean construction of the new stadium will start early in 2018 with the aim of completion by late 2019 or early 2020.

Since the original planning permission was granted in June 2014, significant changes have taken place both within the development marketplace and in relation to Premier League football and Premiership rugby union requirements. As a result, the Club and Be have undertaken a detailed review, to ensure the stadium is Premier League compliant upon completion; to enhance the urban and residential design; and to reduce the risks from the stadium construction process and its future operation.
The result is a stadium that is smaller in capacity (down from 20,000 seats to 17,250) and which will be sited three metres south of its original location. This will allow the incorporation of a road at the northern perimeter to improve access through the site and ease the construction constraints imposed by a site bounded on all sides by railway lines. In addition, Be are taking this opportunity to revise the residential development to create a better and more integrated sense of place, with increased permeability. The stadium and the enabling residential development will remain within the planning envelope approved in 2014 and there is no increase in either the height or the overall number of homes within the residential development.

These amendments will not impact on the overall quality of the stadium. In fact, recent successful seasons in the Championship have only served to harden the resolve of the owner, Matthew Benham, and the management team of the Football Club to continue its pursuit of Premier League status. This is illustrated by the fact that a key amendment involves the inclusion of Premier League compliant Outside Broadcast facilities within the stadium itself, together with facilities to meet the latest Premier League requirements for lighting and media. Similarly, the new stadium will benefit from premium lounges with the capability of welcoming up to 3,000 guests. There is also provision for some safe standing, when legislation allows for this.

The facilities for the Brentford FC Community Sports Trust will not now be within the stadium itself. Instead, it’s proposed that the Trust’s offices, Learning Zone and Hounslow’s Interim Education Centre will be housed in the ground and first floor of the Central Eastern residential block, immediately next to the stadium, giving them dedicated facilities which can be used 365 days a year, something that was not possible if they had been located in the stadium.

The proposed amendments to the residential development are focussed around the first phase and specifically about improving the experience for all those who will come to enjoy the site. A new square which knits the apartment buildings and the stadium together provides a proper main entrance to the stadium, whilst the addition of non-residential uses around the square will make it somewhere people will want to come on non-match days. The look of the buildings has been improved to make them much more in keeping with the existing architecture in the local area and the apartment buildings themselves have been re-planned to better suit market needs. Of the 910 homes consented for the scheme, 487 will be delivered in the first phase with residents able to both rent and buy.

Cliff Crown, Chairman of Brentford FC said: “I would like to thank the fans of Brentford FC for their support and patience during this last stage of detailed planning. I know that some fans may be concerned that the capacity of the stadium will be reduced but it is critical that this project is as financially robust and deliverable as possible. I am delighted that we are continuing to prepare for life in the Premier League with enhanced media, Outside Broadcast and lighting facilities to make the stadium fully compliant from day one, with provision for safe standing as soon as legislation allows.”
Conor Hayes, Chairman of Lionel Road Development Ltd and Corporate Adviser (appointed May 2016), added: “We are looking forward to submitting these planning amendments that are the final hurdle to us getting on site to start the stadium build itself. These proposals will help make the scheme as financially robust as possible, whilst still providing a high quality stadium and residential development that will help to regenerate this area, provide significant benefits to the local communities and deliver a Premier League ready stadium.”

Matthew Townend, Managing Director at Be Living Ltd said: “We have had a very productive six months, working closely with the club. These proposed amendments will improve the fans’ experience as they approach and leave the stadium, enhance the amenity for future residents and, we believe, create a greater sense of place not just on match days, but all year round for everyone coming to the development.”

Fuller’s and Brentford FC renew an old partnership

Fuller, Smith and Turner PLC, the London brewer and premium pub company, and Brentford Football Club are delighted to announce a new strategic partnership. A two-year agreement has been reached for Fuller’s to become an Official Club Partner of Brentford FC in a deal that sees London Pride continue to be available to supporters on matchday at Griffin Park. Fuller’s and Brentford have a history that goes back more than a century, to when Fuller’s donated a nearby apple orchard to the Club, which became their Griffin Park home in 1904 – the name being a nod to Fuller’s Griffin Brewery.

The new deal sees Fuller’s become Brentford’s Official Premium Ale Partner. London Pride will be available on every bar including The Hive, the main supporters’ bar. Their partnership features key branding round the stadium, including on Brentford’s incoming perimeter LED advertising system, the London Pride pint and can mascots will be making regular appearances and Fuller’s was the Match Sponsors for the first home league game of the season, when The Bees took on Nottingham Forest on Saturday 12 August.

Other elements of the package, to be activated in the future, will include player appearances, match tickets and a two-way discount which will see special group promotions for Fuller’s employees, while Brentford FC Season Ticket Holders and Club Members will get a discount on tours of Fuller’s Griffin Brewery, Brewery shop and selected Fuller’s Pubs.

Simon Dodd, Managing Director of The Fuller’s Beer Company, said: “With the historic link between Brentford and Fuller’s, it’s great to see our flagship beer on sale at Griffin Park. We have a lot of Brentford supporters working at the Brewery, it is a club that is geographically very close and we know that London Pride will be a popular choice on The Bees’ bars.”

James Parkinson, Brentford FC Commercial Director, added: “The relationship between Fuller’s and Brentford goes back a long way and we are delighted to have now reached an official partnership agreement with Fuller’s. The Club prides itself in delivering engaging partnerships that reach beyond just branding and marketing, but which can deliver a true partnership, working together to add value to both our supporters and Fuller’s staff. We look forward to working with the Fuller’s team in the years to come.”

New UWL and Brentford FC partnership

The University of West London (UWL) and Brentford Football Club are delighted to strengthen their close relationship with the announcement of a new long-term partnership which has at its heart the communities that both parties are proud to represent.

As a platinum partner of the club, UWL’s logo will from this season take pride of place on the top tier of the Brook Road Stand at Griffin Park, in a visible sign of the university’s commitment to supporting the local community as a provider of first-rate higher education courses. The university’s brand will also feature on the rear of players’ shirts and shorts across the First Team and B Team playing kits. In addition, UWL will also be one of the first to enjoy Brentford’s state-of-the-art LED perimeter advertising system, to be installed in the coming months.

This new three-year partnership comes at a fantastic time for both Brentford FC and the university. UWL is recognised as London’s top modern university in the latest Guardian University Guide and has also recently achieved the biggest increases of any UK institution in three league tables for the Higher Education sector. Meanwhile, The Bees have just kicked off their fourth season in the Sky Bet Championship – their longest stay in the second tier for more than 60 years – and are looking to build on three consecutive top ten finishes.

Fundamental to the new community-focused collaboration which UWL and Brentford FC have agreed is delivering educational programmes that help forge bonds between the Club and students, associated businesses and local organisations in Ealing and Hounslow boroughs. Valuable work placements for undergraduates and opportunities to take part in matchdays at Griffin Park are just two possible joint projects.

Professor Anthony Woodman, UWL Deputy Vice-Chancellor, said: ‘We are delighted to strengthen our long-standing relationship with Brentford FC at this exciting time for the club on the pitch and UWL as London’s top modern university.

‘As a proud member of the local community which we serve, this relationship is enormously valuable and we look forward to the opportunities it will continue to provide our students over the next three years. By working closely in partnership with Brentford FC on programmes which fully utilise the university’s resources and expertise, both our students and the community will benefit.’

Mark Devlin, Brentford FC Chief Executive, said: ‘We are very pleased to continue our long standing relationship with University of West London, and I thank them for their continued support. Both organisations are major players in our community and we are looking to extend the way our partnership engages and benefits the community and students. The University has achieved some spectacular results over the past 12 months and it is tremendous that we agreed a long-term extension to our partnership at a time when the Club is so focused on achieving its ambition to gain promotion to the Premier League. I look forward to continuing our successful relationship with everyone at UWL.’

Torpedo Kattenburg

A very interesting story coming in from our friends at Copa.

After 350 years of Navy activities, VOC-trade and many (567) constructed ships, it’s time to bring ‘the beautiful game’ to the Kattenburg Navy complex in downtown Amsterdam. Torpedo Kattenburg, a football club in formation, is the brainchild of Dutchmen Martijn Wuite and Lucien Burm.​ They discovered a football pitch on the now defunct Navy complex and it’s their dream to use it as their new home ground.

The enthusiasm and interest of future playing members from the Kattenburg neighborhood in Amsterdam has been overwhelming. We support them in their dream and asked designer Angelo Trofa to design a Navy inspired kit which is visible in the crest, colours, waves pattern and details of the shirt.

The Torpedo Kattenburg x COPA Football Shirt can be found on copafootball.com

So, is this a new FC United of Manchester or is it a St. Pauli, Hamburg story? I look forward to following it.