Fellow Chelsea FC supporters make the fan experience special

The connections and relationships formed between fellow Chelsea FC fans are what truly makes this West London club special.

I walked towards the Irish pub in downtown Austin, Texas not sure of what to expect. I had watched Chelsea matches there before and the reception of my presence had been somewhat less than friendly.

The photos of smiling, old-timey people hung up around the place suggested a fun, warm atmosphere. The hoards of Liverpool fans enjoying their fifth pint in the 50^th minute created something very different, however.

I pulled out my phone and waited anxiously for my Premier League app to load. It informed me that Liverpool were scheduled to play on Sunday.  After a brief pause, I recalled, in fact, it was only Saturday. My sigh of relief practically blew the doors to the pub open.

It wasn’t too difficult for me to find a seat that was conveniently located at the bar, in front of a TV. I was without accompaniment, and unless a fellow Blues supporter or two happened to come by, I was more or less looking to keep it that way. It’s been a rough year, and I just wanted to watch my mid-table club play their mid-table quality football in solitude, away from the harshness of outside critique.

After some wait, a disgruntled-looking bartender appeared. Somewhat hesitant – as his morning appeared to be going a bit worse than mine – I asked him if the Chelsea/West Ham match could be shown on the TV in front of me.  Being that I was the only person within viewing range of the TV, it didn’t seem unreasonable he would look to prioritize my request.

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The bartender informed me each TV has a sign on it, and the sign would indicate which match the TV would air.  He advised this particular TV (not featuring a sign) would not be showing Chelsea.

I’m no expert, but I would have to surmise the essential element to this type of sign based system would be, you know, signs.

As I made my way around, I passed many TVs and very few signs. I turned a corner and entered the darker reaches of the pub. There I found a TV positioned awkwardly in front of a single table – a table full of a family happily enjoying a round of Irish breakfasts – and a sign grimly reading: ‘Chelsea v West Ham.’

Dejected, I walked back towards the front of the pub. The bartender must have noticed my forlorn demeanor and taken pity.  He called out to me saying the TV I was originally at – which still featured no sign and no one else in front of it – could be changed to the Chelsea match. Every now and then my pitiful appearance has its perks.

the connections that you form with other people because of a club can actually make you care more about that club

An uneven performance, and a 2-2 draw with the Hammers was my reward for successfully solving the pub’s Rubik’s Cube TV setup. Not even my desire for solitude could be fulfilled. A man referred to only as ‘Schneider’ (whose bizarre wish for fried butter was even more bizarrely granted) was seated next to me for the entirety of the match. It was not ideal.

Fortunately, those troubling conditions are not how I typically experience Chelsea matches. I think I would find a new hobby if those conditions were how I typically experienced Chelsea matches.

I live in Austin, where a little known and sparsely attended annual event called South by Southwest takes place. I was at this event, and wasn’t able to make it to the pub where I usually watch matches: Haymaker.

Haymaker is home to a great group of Chelsea supporters called the Austin Blues. When supporting a team that plays on the other side of the world it can be difficult to engage and immerse yourself in the culture that is so integral to being a fan. There are only so many YouTube clips you can watch and blogs you can post on before you start craving a real connection with other supporters.

The man who runs the Austin Blues is from England and he’s one of the kindest, most genuine people I’ve met. He does an excellent job fostering an atmosphere that’s both similar to what can be found across the Atlantic, and also something that’s uniquely its own experience. He’s also bought me a lot of beers over the years.

Sitting alone in a pub next to someone consuming fried butter is not a memory I’m going to have when I’m 80 (I hope not). The jubilant celebration I had with a bunch of former strangers turned best friends that followed Didier Drogba’s Champions League winning penalty is a memory I’m going to hold dearly for as long as I’m able to have memories.

It’s strange, but the connections that you form with other people because of a club can actually make you care more about that club. The connections personalize your support in a way that megastore purchases and shaky internet streams can’t. Chelsea would still mean a lot to me if I never came across the Austin Blues, but I don’t think it would mean as much to me as it does now.

Supporting an English club in America is certainly a much different experience than supporting one in England. Some will say the experience is a hollow facsimile of the genuine article. I can understand this criticism, but that line of thought does a tremendous disservice to groups like the Austin Blues. What we have is different, but it’s still special. The friendships and the memories are still real.

Next: Chelsea FC’s Top 20 Goals Of The Roman Abramovich Era

And if you’re ever in Austin, please do stop by Haymaker. I can assure you, the Chelsea match will not be difficult to find.