New To Football? Here’s Your Guide To Becoming a Passionate Fan

Given that it’s the world’s most popular sport and what not, it might seem that just about everyone has made up their mind about football. They either love it or they hate it, they either take it or they leave it.

That is mostly true, but believe it or not there are still parts of the world where football hasn’t quite taken off yet. But in a matter of time, it will: the football propaganda machine is in full swing and will eventually claim these countries - particularly the big markets: America, India, and China - as they sweep across the globe!

So if you’re just beginning to see the qualities of a sport that is beloved by millions of people across the globe, where on earth do you start? Admittedly, walking into football is like walking into a fire pit which is full of opinionated super fans. But don’t worry: we’re here to guide you through!

Source: Pexels

 Pick a Team

You can enjoy football just for the sake of enjoying football, but where’s the fun in that? To get really into the sport, you’ll need to pick a team and stick with them. It’s the only way to ensure you stick with your team and become a superfan.

 There’s only problem...you don’t have a local team, so how do you know who to support? First of all, pick a league. The English Premier League is the most popular, but you could also go with Spain’s La Liga - or both! When it comes to picking a specific time, you want to avoid picking a dud.

Winning is half the fun! Get football tips online and from friends and see which team is worth supporting. Alternatively, pick a team based on any criteria you like: your favourite colour, the team name you like the most, or whoever’s on TV most.

Learn the Rules

In the early days, just watching the game and hoping your team wins is enough, but that’ll get old soon enough if you don’t really know what’s going on. It’s best to learn the rules so you can follow the sport properly - and you’ll also be able to experience the most fun part of being of a fan: complaining that the referee has called a decision completely wrong.

You can’t do that if you don’t know what’s happening!

Developing the Passion

Whichever team you pick, they’ll have a rivalry with another team, be it one who plays in the same city or one who challenges for the same titles as your team. You’ll be predisposed tonot like this team, but you won’t really feel it until there’s a derby match - in which they play against each other - and you see the heated passion that is displayed by both sets of fans.

Throw your weight behind your team and the passion will grow. If you’re really serious about feeling a passion on par with the most intense of fans, get yourself to a game. Nothing will get you pumped up more than singing along with thousands of your fellow supporters!

Watch the Best

Eventually, it’ll be time to move away from solely focusing on your own team. You’ll still be watching them every chance you can get, but you’ll also be branching out to watch other teams and leagues as you develop your knowledge of the game. And so, then, what do you watch? The answer is: the best!

Football has never been as good as it is now, and there are some ridiculously talented players plying their trade at the moment. The best player in the world is Lionel Messi: if you can’t enjoy watching him do his thing, you’ll never be a football fan. He is simply on another planet in terms of talent. Aside from individual players, competitions like the Champions League and the World Cup showcase the very best of football: passion, fans, drama, and quality.

Learn to Play

If you only “play football” on games consoles, then it’s all too easy to look at players on the football pitch and not really appreciate the talent they have. To do that, you should get out onto the pitch yourself and give it a go.

You’ll learn much more about the way football works, and just how difficult it is to do the things that the pros at the top of the game do. Who knows...you might even find you have a hidden talent! And as every football fan knows, there are few things more enjoyable than daydreaming of scoring a winning goal for your team….