Michael Stein: Internet Strategy for the Nonprofit Sector

Simon and the Mersey Galaxy youth soccer team

Simon is on a youth soccer team called the Mersey Galaxy.  They play games against other youth clubs on Saturday morning in El Cerrito.  Simon has great ball skills and enjoys playing with his teammates.

Emirates Stadium, a London temple of football

Professional soccer has its players, the tempo of its seasons, the quest to win games, and the struggle to avoid relegation.  And it also has its temples, the soccer stadiums, many of which have entered into popular legend, with names such as Anfield, Wembley, Bernabau, Stade de France, Maracana, among others.

In January 2008, I had an opportunity to visit Emirates Stadium, the new home of Arsenal Football Club in northeast London.  As anyone who has attended live sporting events knows, there's a unique mystique to watching the players in the flesh, on their home turf.

In this case, Arsenal were playing their arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspurs, in the semi-Final of the Carling Cup.  The Carling Cup is less prestigious than the English F.A. Cup, and often leads coaches to select younger players so they can gain experience in competitive games.

My visit to Emirates Stadium included some unique cultural experiences, as I was accompanied by two Arsenal season ticket holders and an old friend who had acquired a ticket for us.  Our group of four met a mile from the stadium in an Arsenal "supporters-only" pub.  I peppered them with questions about the team, the players, the season, eager to hear their insights as long-time fans.  Which players would French coach Arsene Wenger line up for this game?  The seasoned pros or the younger Gunners?  How does a coach manage the multiple demands of the modern game with the regular season, two elimination-format domestic cups, the European Champion League now in the elimination phase, plus the African Nations Cup which will whisk away some of their best players? The real delight is not just the answer to these questions, but the pleasure of conversation over a few pints of English ale an hour before game time.

The game itself was a delight.  Our seats were high up in the stadium stands behind the goal, but with a perfect view.  Tottenham scored first, and their players celebrated in front of the visiting fans -- carefully confined to a special seating area -- whose roars and gesticulations reverberated throughout the stadium.

Embedded deep in the Arsenal crowd, I timidly joined the chants of encouragement and the insults hurled at the Tottenham supporters.  One row behind me, a young man narrated the entire game out loud, like a sideline coach dishing out unequal doses of insult and praise for the Arsenal players.  I never heard so much swearing in my life.

Arsenal equalized in the second half, and at that moment I could only marvel at this sport that brought 58,000 fans to their feet in ecstacy, late on a Wednesday night in the January cold.