Footyscape
*This article was originally published on Kunci’s website, here, in June, 2013. Footy is geographical. Footy relates to space. A space that is personal, local and national. Footy occupies the space of its consumer. One watches the game enshrouded by a crowd: swamped by the shouting of others, by the collective flow of the mass […]
Watching Quick Boys
*An edited version of this article appeared on Shoot Farken, here: Dutch football by the Dunes, Escaping Carnival Chaos to Watch Quick Boys Ned woke up at 6am for the 6:30 Grand Final start in his hotel on Ibiza. Fifty minutes later the AFL’s international streaming website was still loading and he had missed the […]
Paul Town: Stadium Painter
Around the time of the 30th anniversary of the Bradford City/Valley Parade fire, The Guardian featured a story on Paul Town and his paintings. I went to his website, Stadium Portraits, and liked what I saw. The name itself referred to the human qualities of stadiums. The paintings were inexact imaginings of old stadiums; some […]
Hello, Eindhoven Marathon
Running is about getting a good time and improving. My time today in Eindhoven was not what I was aiming for: it was more or less eight minutes slower than the time I had set as a target. Of course, perhaps because I talk too much or had too much confidence I had mentioned this […]
Kate Birrell and Painting the Tiges
I first saw Kate Birrell‘s paintings on The Footy Almanac‘s website. Her painting was of Luke Hodge, in one of his classic postures: his right arm raised for balance, the other guiding the ball perfectly on to his left boot. Birrell has not only contributed to the Footy Almanac anthologies but is also an active […]
Watching ASC Oegstgeest
I turn left onto Langegracht, on one side of the street is a police station and on the other side are some junkies sitting, talking. There is a safe injecting facility nearby – apparently. My bicycle moves slowly and almost in a straight line. A woman ahead of me, riding quickly, has something fall from […]
Origins are Important
(or, Playing Footy and Negotiating Identity) Sport and discrimination: sport, perhaps, is discriminatory. The question is not whether or not ‘discrimination’ takes place in the Australian sporting context, but, how it takes place and what kind of face discrimination shows. I find ‘discrimination’ a somewhat intimidating word; a word that provokes defensive responses. I find […]
Racism and Resistance
*An edited version of this essay was published on Shoot Farken, here. **This essay was initially published in the lead up to Adam Goodes’s return to footy, after a one week break, caused by the ongoing booing of him throughout the 2015 season. ***The essay is a continuation of my paper on Shane Edwards that […]
Of Istanbul and Football Politics
*An oldie, written during April 2014. “I hate Galatasaray. They are the worst team in the world,” Orhan remarks at his Camper shoe store on Istiklal Caddesi. A pedestrian walks past the shop wearing a Fenerbache shirt; he calls out to indicate their shared allegiance and she replies with a smile. Despite Orhan’s antagonism and […]
Kyocera Stadium and Fan Surveillance
Take the train to Den Haag Laan van Nieuw-Oost Indies train station, and then the #3 tram in the direction of Zoetermeer to Forepark. From there, descend the stairs to the underpass, turn right, walk along the dual carriageway and go past the BMW and other car shops. In the distance you will see a […]