Season 2011-12 Fan Articles

Toffees in America

After often reading on ToffeeWeb (and elsewhere on the web) about Everton's popularity in the States, and which clubs Americans tend to support in general, I thought it might be interesting to share my own experience as an American who came to support the Toffees.

I decided to get into the Premier League in the summer of 2010 and set about researching the clubs to see which would be the best fit. Everton were the clear winner. They had a decorated and proud history, and continued to be somewhat successful in the current moneyed era, even without large barrels of oil money behind them. They were perceived as small-budget scrappers who were able to compete with the big boys through smart scouting and hard work, an ethos I could get behind. I was also drawn to them due to the presence of Americans on the roster. Throw in the fact they had great looking uniforms (or kits as you Brits call them), a fantastic club motto and an easily hateable rival (Liverpool), and they were the runaway choice.

I initially wasn't sure how much I'd get into the Prem but, over the last two years, I have greatly enjoyed following it, and European club soccer overall. I find myself caring about and following Everton nearly as much as the US sport teams I have been a fan of since childhood. I can tell you there are a large number of American Everton supporters that I've met. I don't know what the numbers are as to how popular each club is in the US, but the shirts you see most often for sale in sporting goods and apparel stores are (in order) Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea and the Shite. There are some Man City shirts now creeping in, but you don't see them that often. You NEVER see Spurs shirts, despite their supporters' pretensions that they are a "big" club. (If anyone's interested, the club shirts you see most often for sale in US stores other than the above-mentioned English clubs are Real Madrid, Barca, AC Milan, Inter, Celtic, Rangers and Boca Juniors.)

One trend you may find amusing is that many Americans choose the RS because they think they're a good combination of a "big" club, but also one that doesn't try to buy titles. What these fools don't realize is that the RS do try and buy titles, but just aren't as good at it as Chelsea and Man Utd. (I also once met a person who said supports them because he "really likes that song they sing"!)

In my nearly two years as an Everton supporter, I can say I am more emotionally invested in the club than I thought I would be, and they were definitely the right choice for me. I just wanted all my fellow Toffees in England to know that there are quite a few of us here as well; there are several "Everton bars" in my hometown of New York where American and expat Brit Evertonians gather. Hopefully we will all have something to raise our glasses to and cheer sooner rather than later.

All that said, if we sell Jelavic this summer I'm switching to Arsenal. (Just kidding!)

Reader Comments (35)

Note: the following content is not moderated or vetted by the site owners at the time of submission. Comments are the responsibility of the poster. Disclaimer

About these ads