Solidarity Supporter- How to Act as a Neutral at a Football Match

As a Blackburn Rovers fan, it can be particularly difficult to attend matches now that I’m studying and living in the Midlands. The nearest major club, Coventry City, now also play in Birmingham after problems negotiating with the Wasps over the Ricoh Arena, meaning that if I want to watch any football matches involving Blackburn, I’m restricted to away fixtures an hour away, or wait until the Christmas schedule when I’m back home.

Clearly, this won’t do.

Luckily, my flatmate is an avid Wolves supporter, and so he regularly buys an extra ticket to games at the Molineux for me or another flatmate to use, as it’s not that far away, and it is nice to see some Premier League football- which Blackburn haven’t seen for seven years now.

Even though I’m a Blackburn fan, I find myself celebrating, getting annoyed, and chanting along with the Wolves supporters. After watching Wolves beat West Ham earlier this week, I questioned whether this is ‘cheating’ on Blackburn. Should I boo every team that doesn’t play at Ewood Park?

My conclusion- probably not. Since Blackburn are unfortunately not in the same league as these clubs, the result has no impact on their chances of promotion.

Instead, my main priority is cheering on players in my Fantasy Football team, the only aspect of the match I have a stake in. Luckily, Wolves have performed fairly well recently, and so Matt Doherty and Raul Jimenez are staples in my line-up, making cheering for goals and hoping for clean sheets important (if you can consider Fantasy Football to be important) for me.

There’s also a psychological element to supporting other teams. When you’re surrounded by a group of fans, all cheering and celebrating, it’s hard not to get caught up in the excitement. You’d also get some strange looks (or something much worse) if you remained emotionless when the team scored, and so it’s easier to give in to the buzz of the crowd.

It’s hard to remain a neutral in any football match, so I’d suggest acting in solidarity with the fans you’re sat with. Just make sure not to blurt out the wrong chants when you finally watch your own team play.