Blog editor Louis Byers publishes his thoughts on the latest footballing events.
Sports derbies and rivalries are some of the biggest fixtures in the sporting calendar. The term ‘derby’ means a fixture between two teams from the same city or region, and is most common in football, although also occurs in various other team sports. Derbies are usually named after a city (Manchester), a region/county (East Anglian/Essex), an interlinking road (M23) or a local industry (Steel City) Derbies in the UK are heated affairs among fans and players alike, but are seen as some of the best fixtures around, which sparks an interest in television broadcasters. Sky Sports are scheduled to broadcast the match on Saturday.
Why do fans enjoy these fixtures? I discovered a fan report, conducted by footballpools.com in February 2008, which suggested that derby matches are popular among fans because teams are local, are jealous of their rivals, regularly meet, or because rivalries go beyond sport and are due to ‘wider cultural or political issues’. The report suggests the East Anglian derby is one of the biggest football rivalries in English football which I agree with due to the high amount of hatred between fans, and the number of incidents caused by fans.
Personally, I love derbies because they are very heated affairs on the pitch, which makes a match much more competitive. Unfortunately, fans can take advantage of this, and cause violence leading to those fans getting arrested, or ejected and eventually be banned from sports grounds. Sometimes, fans can get injured or sadly, get killed. It will be exciting to see my first East Anglian derby because it would be a different atmosphere, with fans getting behind their team, and teasing their opposing fans, as well as expecting to see one of the biggest attendance recorded at PR for a few years.
The Old Farm derby: The East Anglian derby, between Ipswich Town and Norwich City, is one of the fiercest and longest-standing rivalries with 40 miles between the clubs. Saturday’s lunchtime match between the sides (nicknamed the Old Farm derby) to be played at Portman Road will see a high 20k plus crowd attend the derby, which will be played for the first time in three years. High police numbers are expected on Saturday, after more than 25 fans were arrested in the past few meetings, with 26 plus fans ejected from stadiums. It is good to see that high precautions have also been taken by Town’s ticket office to stop the Norwich supporters mixing with 'our' fans. Some of the chants bellowed by both sets of fans can be fairly amusing to, but that can aggravate fans.
Essex derby: Southend and Colchester are rivals who compete in the Essex derby, which was first contested in 1950, but was last played in 2010. A highly notable fixture came in February 2004 in the Southern Area final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy, meeting for the first time in fifteen years. Southend ran out 4-3 winners on aggregate where they were defeated in the final later that year. Seven fans went into custody after a meeting in 2009 for alcohol and public order offences were committed.
As a Town supporter, I would love to see us beat our neighbours up the road, meaning it would keep the Norwich fans quiet for a little while... well until the return fixture in February. Me, along with thousands of Town fans, would like Mick to find the right team who can battle with (and hopefully beat) the Canaries.
-Written by Louis Byers (Twitter: @louisb8)
Sports derbies and rivalries are some of the biggest fixtures in the sporting calendar. The term ‘derby’ means a fixture between two teams from the same city or region, and is most common in football, although also occurs in various other team sports. Derbies are usually named after a city (Manchester), a region/county (East Anglian/Essex), an interlinking road (M23) or a local industry (Steel City) Derbies in the UK are heated affairs among fans and players alike, but are seen as some of the best fixtures around, which sparks an interest in television broadcasters. Sky Sports are scheduled to broadcast the match on Saturday.
Why do fans enjoy these fixtures? I discovered a fan report, conducted by footballpools.com in February 2008, which suggested that derby matches are popular among fans because teams are local, are jealous of their rivals, regularly meet, or because rivalries go beyond sport and are due to ‘wider cultural or political issues’. The report suggests the East Anglian derby is one of the biggest football rivalries in English football which I agree with due to the high amount of hatred between fans, and the number of incidents caused by fans.
Personally, I love derbies because they are very heated affairs on the pitch, which makes a match much more competitive. Unfortunately, fans can take advantage of this, and cause violence leading to those fans getting arrested, or ejected and eventually be banned from sports grounds. Sometimes, fans can get injured or sadly, get killed. It will be exciting to see my first East Anglian derby because it would be a different atmosphere, with fans getting behind their team, and teasing their opposing fans, as well as expecting to see one of the biggest attendance recorded at PR for a few years.
The Old Farm derby: The East Anglian derby, between Ipswich Town and Norwich City, is one of the fiercest and longest-standing rivalries with 40 miles between the clubs. Saturday’s lunchtime match between the sides (nicknamed the Old Farm derby) to be played at Portman Road will see a high 20k plus crowd attend the derby, which will be played for the first time in three years. High police numbers are expected on Saturday, after more than 25 fans were arrested in the past few meetings, with 26 plus fans ejected from stadiums. It is good to see that high precautions have also been taken by Town’s ticket office to stop the Norwich supporters mixing with 'our' fans. Some of the chants bellowed by both sets of fans can be fairly amusing to, but that can aggravate fans.
Essex derby: Southend and Colchester are rivals who compete in the Essex derby, which was first contested in 1950, but was last played in 2010. A highly notable fixture came in February 2004 in the Southern Area final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy, meeting for the first time in fifteen years. Southend ran out 4-3 winners on aggregate where they were defeated in the final later that year. Seven fans went into custody after a meeting in 2009 for alcohol and public order offences were committed.
As a Town supporter, I would love to see us beat our neighbours up the road, meaning it would keep the Norwich fans quiet for a little while... well until the return fixture in February. Me, along with thousands of Town fans, would like Mick to find the right team who can battle with (and hopefully beat) the Canaries.
-Written by Louis Byers (Twitter: @louisb8)