BOSTON fell in love with Scotland’s fans, but over the course of the last week, the city has discovered that it quite likes England supporters too. As, encouragingly, has much of the rest of the United States.
There was a time when the prospect of thousands of England fans descending on an overseas city would have prompted a mass outpouring of fear. Thankfully, those days appear to be long gone, with the 15,000-or-so England fans that were in Boston this week much more interested in partying than trying to spark a mass brawl.
In Dallas, in the three days either side of England’s opening group game against Croatia, there was not a single arrest of an English supporter. In Boston, a city that embraced the Tartan Army’s approach to sporting fandom, there appears to have been relief that the World Cup party didn’t have to end just because the English replaced the Scots.
True, there’s been a bit of healthy Anglo-Scottish competition, with England’s fans conjuring up a catchy little ditty about Scotland having had their fun before disappearing to make way for their more successful neighbour, but the mood within downtown Boston didn’t really change just because one British nation replaced another.
Bostonians, according to their local newspaper, thought us Brits were uptight, reserved and straight-laced. A week of non-stop drinking and singing, punctuated with the occasional traffic cone being placed on a statue’s head, has swiftly put pay to that idea.
“It’s been great fun so far,” said Mike, a Sunderland fan who is part of a six-strong group that started their US adventure in Florida for England’s warm-up matches and who won’t be heading home until after Saturday’s final group game with Panama. “We’ve been travelling with England for quite a while now, and it’s a completely different vibe than it was maybe a decade ago.
“That hardcore hooligan element has disappeared, and there are a lot more families, kids and women on the England trips now. It just feels like one big party.”
Boston certainly benefited from that, with the Dubliner, a huge Irish pub at the heart of the city, running out of beer long before England fans had felt like heading to their hotel rooms on the eve of the game against Ghana. The same thing had happened with the Scots the previous week. Americans like a drink, but they hadn’t really factored in the endurance levels of British football fans.
Scotland’s supporters took over a baseball game at Boston’s Fenway Park when they were in town, and there are plans for England supporters to do the same in New York ahead of Saturday’s final group game against Panama. Having been won over when it comes to football, US sports fans appear to be appreciating reciprocal efforts to broaden sporting horizons.
It’s all making for a wonderful atmosphere around World Cup matches and a sense that the United States, often content to exist in its own little bubble, is having its eyes opened when it comes to the rest of the world.
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THE standard and scale of the US stadiums hosting World Cup matches has certainly impressed travelling fans.
Those who were in Dallas for England’s opener against Croatia raved about the AT&T Stadium, a vast enclosed arena with air conditioning and a retractable roof that also features its own giant shopping centre.
FIFA might have named the host venue for Tuesday’s game with Ghana as the ‘Boston Stadium’, but the Gillette Stadium, home of NFL team the New England Patriots, is actually situated close to the town of Foxborough, 30 miles-or-so south of Boston.
It’s an iconic US venue, with huge, steep open-air stands and a giant lighthouse at one end, celebrating New England’s seafaring background. It’s a pain to get to, with England fans either having to shell out for $80 train tickets or sit for ages in an Uber in snarled-up traffic, but once you’ve made it, it really does take the breath away.
LA’s Sofi Stadium is generally regarded to be the best of the World Cup stadiums, although England will still hope to be heading for a last-16 game in Mexico’s Azteca Stadium, potentially against Mexico, despite their disappointing draw with Ghana. In terms of iconic footballing occasions, that really would be something.
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ONE thing that has got some supporters’ backs up here in the US is the way in which some businesses and venues have used the World Cup as an opportunity to squeeze extra money out of fans.
The US is an expensive country. Not everything is markedly dearer than at home, but a pint in a bar tends to come in at around $12 (£9.20), while a main course in a middle-of-the-road restaurant can be touching $40 (£31).
Then, of course, there’s the tips. It’s become fairly routine for most food or drink venues to expect a 20 per cent tip as standard, which quickly sends costs soaring. In addition, though, some venues here in Boston have been adding a one-off “World Cup gratuity” to all bills, which has been adding an extra $15-20 to the final cost of a meal or round of drinks.
Everyone knew FIFA was going to squeeze every last dollar out of the tournament, hence the sky-high ticket prices and eye-watering cost of food and drink in most stadia. Host cities have also tried to recoup some of the money they have had to spend on staff and infrastructure by ratcheting up transport prices.
When individual bars and restaurants have also got in on the act, though, it feels like a step too far. No one minds paying a bit extra for the privilege of attending an overseas World Cup – they just don’t like having their faces rubbed in it.
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