Match fixing in football is, unfortunately, nothing new. Some may even say it's par for the course, particularly if we're talking about Eastern European football (Romania & Poland, I'm lookin' at you). Oh, and Italy - Serie A has rivaled the WWE for legitimacy this decade. Even England has failed to go unscathed, with a [. Click to continue reading...

While youth soccer remains wildly popular in the US, many clubs are seeing minimal growth or even slight declines. Like any activity, you have to advertise your organization so people know about it. Youth soccer has a new crop of potential participants every year, so you need to let families know it's an available option. Click to continue reading...

While youth soccer remains wildly popular in the US, many clubs are seeing minimal growth or even slight declines. Like any activity, you have to advertise your organization so people know about it. Youth soccer has a new crop of potential participants every year, so you need to let families know it's an available option. Click to continue reading...

While youth soccer remains wildly popular in the US, many clubs are seeing minimal growth or even slight declines. Like any activity, you have to advertise your organization so people know about it. Youth soccer has a new crop of potential participants every year, so you need to let families know it's an available option. Click to continue reading...

1st Schalke What You Know: If baseball's Chicago Cubs had a baby with the Red Sox prior to 2004, Schalke would be the offspring. What You Don't: All things both good and bad must end. What to Expect: Yes, Campeones! I say that, bucking all trends, and knowing full well that Schalke could be leading the league by 6 [. Click to continue reading...

And so the time is finally here. Months of waiting are over for the 72 clubs of the Football League as the brand new season begins this weekend. Everyone starts again, we're back down to 0 points each and everyone is on a level playing field (except for Luton of course!). So who will come out on top? Click to continue reading...

I knew England had a number of soccer leagues in a hierarchical structure where teams could be promoted and relegated between them. But I never knew it was made up of 24 levels, 140 leagues, 480 divisions, and over 7000 clubs. If England can manage to promote and relegate teams within 24 levels, why can't we [. Click to continue reading...

In my earlier article "MLS in Atlanta? Why Not Make it a Double?" I brought up quite a few areas that warrant further exploration. Several of the discussion points centered around how to make soccer in America as popular a spectator sport as it is a participation sport. My ideas I'm sure are not new, but there seems to be a paucity of information out there for the interested, yet unknowing, average American sports fan. Click to continue reading...

For American sports fans who have had their interest in international football piqued, promotion and relegation is a critical concept to understand. First, let me get it out of the way and I don't intend any offense by this, but the word is "relegation" not "regulation". (I see that mistake made quite often) Now, let me go to the definitions and then I'll talk about what those two words, promotion and relegation, mean to football lovers outside the United States. Click to continue reading...

With the completion at the weekend of the Promociónes, the 2007-2008 season is now complete in Argentina. Racing, of course, are the most notable survivors of the relegations playoffs, but there have been shocks in other divisions with little-fancied All Boys winning the Primera B championship, and Nueva Chicago losing their playoff to fall down [. Click to continue reading...

It's been a long and tortuous season for Racing, but on Sunday night, at last, their fans will finally be able to sleep sound in their beds, and when they wake up on Monday morning will be going into work or school with, if not pride, then at least a massive sense of relief. On [...] Click to continue reading...

Roll on August It's the day that every football fan around the country has a reason to be happy going into work or school or waking up earlier than usual on a day off. The fixtures for the new season were announced and the excitement begins here. Click to continue reading...

First of all, it's been a while since my last entry to this blog and there really is no excuse given the amount if important football going on in this time. So what have I missed... FA Cup Final - I previewed this in glorious fashion but never got around to talking about the match [...] Click to continue reading...

Yes, as the title reads, A.S. Bari is up for sale. For whoever does not know, Bari is a port city in Southern Italy and is the capital of the Puglia region. It is considered the second biggest "piazza" (behind Napoli) in Southern Italy. The club has a long history, and throughout the '90's was a yo-yo club, going up and down between Serie A and B.

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Relegation - The last day tears The Sky Sports shots of teary eyed youngsters cuddling up to daddy with the prospect of their heroes having to battle it out in the Championship next season, the thought of no opportunity to take on the big boys next season. It's enough to make a grown man cry. Click to continue reading...

"Hope is the worst of evils, for it prolongs the torments of man" I doubt if Friedrich Nietzsche had Charlton in mind when he wrote those words, but it seemed very apt at 5.00pm on Saturday when the win at Plymouth was, finally, confirmed. Just when it seemed that the chase was up, and many [...] Click to continue reading...

We are in the thick of it right now, so while we are taking yet another battering by all the recent performances it might be a good time to reflect on the bigger picture as this is as much a learning curve for us as fans as is it is for the board, management and [...] Click to continue reading...

I did not go to Blackpool but, from message board reports, it sounded like a good weekend ruined by a football match. That defeat has already been brutally discussed on blogs and mailing lists, so dwelling on it is counter-productive. What is worth focusing on is the next 12 games—36 points which will make or break the [. Click to continue reading...

Well if your New Year's resolution was to ease back on the alcohol, then the current climate is really not helping your cause! The current situation is pretty much unchartered waters for most Charlton fans. Of course there have many poor teams and disappointing results throughout our history, but never in the last fifty years have [. Click to continue reading...