Picking a soccer team is an important task if you’re quickly falling in love with the beautiful game! After all, it’s the best way to maintain interest and tune into matches live on TV or at the stadium.
But with so many teams and leagues out there, how do you go about picking a soccer team? What do you need to think about? And where should you begin?
This guide introduces you to some of our top tips that will help you choose the perfect soccer team to support.
Why do I need to choose a soccer team?
You need to choose a soccer team to support because it makes the sport so much more enjoyable! Supporting a soccer team is a rollercoaster of emotions, and you will experience so many ups and downs.
What to do when you’re picking a soccer team
Becoming a fan of a team means you will be joining a community of like-minded soccer lovers who are now your tribe! If you don’t pick a team to support, you are missing out. But how do you select one team over the other? Let’s dive into our top tips.
Do begin with your hometown team
Traditionally, people have used two main criteria when picking a soccer team to support:
- Who your father supports
- Where you were born, raised, or currently live
In Europe, it’s often said that you’re born into a soccer team, and you have no say in the matter. Of course, this is because your father decides for you. But, then, before you can do anything about it, you’ve fallen head over heels in love with the team that your father has supported for decades.
If your dad isn’t into soccer and hasn’t forced his team onto you, you’re free to choose any team you like. In many cases, people choose to support the team from the state, city, or town where they were born and raised.
Soccer is tribal at its core, and supporting a local team is central to many people’s personalities and identities. Taking Glasgow, Scotland, as an example, the tribalism is so deeply rooted in the city that its two most prominent soccer teams – Rangers & Celtic – quite literally divide the entire city.
While Rangers and Celtic’s tribal roots are religious, their current support bases are predominantly of people from either side of the city – Rangers in the west and Celtic in the east.
Sometimes, the tribalism of soccer is impossible to ignore. However, it also adds something extra special to your team’s support and typically results in vociferous support from the bleachers.
If you’re currently picking a soccer team to support, we would advise you to begin with the teams in your home state. Trust us; soccer will be so much more special this way!
Do think about it logically
If you’re not enamoured with our hometown team suggestion, you can approach your search for a soccer team slightly differently. Another option is to apply logic to your choice.
If you currently live on the east coast – in NYC as an example – it makes logical sense to support New York City or the Red Bulls. Why? Because you can easily tune into their games and even attend the stadium in person.
This makes it so much easier to follow your team and interact with other fans. If you decide to follow LA Galaxy but reside in New York, you have a problem on your hands. Not only will it be challenging to engage with your fellow fans, but you will also struggle to watch the matches live due to the time difference.
Supposing the world is very much your oyster when it comes to picking your soccer team, going about it logically is a smart move.
Do consider your friends and family
We’ve already touched upon the fact that many people support the same team as their fathers, but you can also cast the net a little wider.
Think about who you’re likely to watch soccer games with and consider supporting the same team. This might be your brother, your best buddy, or even a co-worker.
Asking someone to introduce you to their team is actually a super smart way of developing an interest in that team and their players.
It gives you a direct route into an existing community and means that you will have someone to attend the matches with.
Of course, some people support a rival team of their nearest and dearest just to spite them, but this doesn’t usually end well!
What not to do when you’re picking a soccer team
If you’ve reached this section of the article with a reasonable idea of which soccer team you might choose, great job! However, you might also need a little more help before making your decision.
With that in mind, we want to offer you some advice on what not to do when you’re picking a soccer team to support! The world is full of glory hunters, and we don’t need any more!
Here’s what not to do:
Don’t be a sheep
Okay, so there’s nothing inherently wrong with supporting the biggest teams in the world. But you shouldn’t do so just because everyone else supports them! According to GOAL, the biggest teams in the world by supporter base are:
- Real Madrid – 250 million
- Barcelona – 250 million
- Manchester United – 142 million
- Juventus – 104 million
- Chelsea – 93 million
If you have a legitimate reason for supporting one of these five mega clubs, then good for you! But if not, support someone else. Winning every week gets boring and isn’t all that it’s made out to be!
Don’t base your decision on this season alone
One of the best things about soccer is that every season presents a new set of challenges to professional teams. Therefore, when picking a soccer team, don’t worry too much about how a team is doing right now.
They could be bottom or top of the division, but that shouldn’t influence your decision. Everything could change next year – just look at Newcastle United, who recently became the wealthiest team in the world after a Saudi-backed takeover.
The club suffered for years under the chronic disinterest of their previous owner and was catapulted into the upper echelons of the sport overnight!
Don’t support a team because of one player
Remember when David Beckham signed for LA Galaxy? Who doesn’t!
Following Beckham’s arrival, the Galaxy enjoyed incredible global success, at least in terms of their supporter base. But not long after he arrived, Becks went back to Europe, leaving all those new fans wondering what to do with their new team.
The truth is that soccer players move around all the time. So just because your favorite soccer player plays for one club, it doesn’t mean he will stick around forever.
Therefore, it’s not a good idea to choose your team based on their current roster!
Don’t support more than one team
It can be tempting to support more than one team as there are so many leagues to choose from! But here’s the thing – you can only really fall in love with one team!
While you can like multiple soccer teams in different countries, only one of them will be genuinely yours. When you’re picking a soccer team, settle on one and stick to them through thick and thin.
Believe us when we say that there’s enough heartache to go around from supporting one team; you don’t need to burden yourself with another!
The verdict: Picking a soccer team you will fall in love with
The truth is that there are so many ways to choose a soccer team. Everyone is different, and there’s no right or wrong way to go about it.
That being said, your experience as a soccer fan will be so much more rewarding if you support a team that means something to you.
Whether it’s a tribal attachment or a family love that you can’t shake, picking a soccer team that means something to you is the best strategy in the long run.
Hopefully, our advice has made it clear that the decision is a personal one, and you’re now all set to choose the perfect soccer team to adore for the rest of your life!
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