Justin and I are huge football fans, and yet we have not seen a football game in person over five years. We rarely even get to see the televised games live, because of time zones. It was therefore with great excitement that we discovered the British American Football Association and our local team, the Edinburgh Wolves. Brimming with anticipation, we set out for the May 8 game at Meadowbank Stadium against the Highland Wildcats:
Just look at that anticipation brim!
And we were not disappointed.The Wolves are not an NFL team. They're not even a D1 college team, or a really good high school team (they don't even list a punter or kicker on the roster... and it unfortunately shows on special teams). What they are is a bunch of guys who love to play the game so much that they're not only unpaid, they actually contribute money to keep the team going. Tickets cost just three pounds, down from five (they said it's to help their fans in the recession). Hence the old-school scoreboard:
It's football for the sake of playing football, and it's a great deal of fun.
The stands look pretty empty here but there were people in front of us. Maybe 100 - which means individual fans are audible on the field. I wish I could say I didn't use this power for evil, but the truth is we cheered and heckled so loudly that the commentators asked if we could come back for another home game. (Duh!)I firmly believe our enthusiastic support carried the Wolves to this stirring final 22-13 victory:
If you're in Edinburgh, definitely consider an afternoon at a Wolves game. There is no better entertainment for your three pounds (free for children!) in the entire capital. And those of you who know us, keep your eyes open for Justin's spirited Edinburgh Wolves polo shirt, proudly proclaiming our "American Football" allegiance to all and sundry.Let's Go Wolves!
