British soccer fans cheer on their team at Celtic Crossing
When England took the field for July 11’s World Cup semifinal match against Croatia, dozens of British soccer fans shook the building during a thunderous rendition of “God Save the Queen” at Celtic Crossing in Midtown.
The Irish bar has become a haven for international fans looking to get their soccer fix. With the World Cup underway, many British fans have congregated at Celtic Crossing to cheer on England during their unexpected run in the tournament.
Donna Fernandez, an accountant, was in attendance with daughters Abigail and Sophie, and mother, Rita. Fernandez moved to Memphis from England 14 years ago, when her husband accepted a position that relocated her family here.
“One of the things we missed most of all when we first came to the U.S. was being able to watch a soccer match and really get that atmosphere,” Fernandez, 44, said. “I think it was the World Cup eight years ago, when I realized that Celtic Crossing was there. We went and it really made it feel like home, and we were able to experience the atmosphere and it felt just liked it would if you were watching a game at a pub in England. It doesn’t feel any different.”
Many of the British soccer fans in Memphis have met through playing in recreational leagues and viewing the
sport at bars like Celtic Crossing with fellow English Premier League supporters, forming close bonds and lifelong friendships in the process.
Fernandez’s daughter Abigail plays soccer for the under 12 Collierville Lobos, a team that receives instruction and coaching from a handful of fellow Brits who have made their way to Memphis. One of Abigail’s coaches, Julia Osmond, left her hometown of Southampton, England, to play soccer for the University of North Alabama. After Osmond’s soccer career was cut short due to knee issues, she moved to Memphis for a graduate assistant position at Christian Brothers University.
Osmond said watching games with the six-hour time difference is a challenge, but she still feels a piece of England when she goes to Celtic Crossing.
“I have watched a lot of games at Celtic,” Osmond, 27, said. “It’s tough to get the vibe of soccer watching it so early in the morning, so I think it’s better to watch in the evening, but the atmosphere really is like home.”
One of Osmond’s best friends from Southampton, Stacie Murray-Owers, is the assistant coach at Christian Brothers University and also coaches for the Lobos. The 27-year-old Murray-Owers grew up going to English Premier League matches and agreed with Fernandez and Osmond about Celtic Crossing’s environment.
“It’s so crowded and people are singing and chanting,” Murray-Owers said. “When someone scores a goal, everyone is just cheering. There aren’t a lot of football taverns, so during the World Cup, there’s a lot of English people I know of that come to Celtic Crossing. “It’s just known as a football bar.” Celtic Crossing general manager Christopher Darling is proud his bar has become the hub for international soccer in Memphis and said it has been a “hell of an experience” hosting so many worldwide soccer supporters, especially the strong British contingent.
The amount of business England soccer fans bring in provides quite the revenue boon for the Midtown bar.
“We (did) twice the business that we’d typically do on a Wednesday in July, so that gives you some insight into what that two to three-hour period is like when those soccer fans are there,” Darling said. “We did as much business as we’d typically expect on a day where you’re open at 11 a.m. through 2 a.m. on a given Wednesday. So, it’s quite the windfall for us obviously.”
Despite the chants and cheers from its faithful fans, England fell to Croatia 2-1 in extra time.
While fans left disappointed and in a hurry, Fernandez said England and its supporters should keep their heads held high.
“Prior to the World Cup, people would joke that there are three constants in life; death, taxes and England embarrassing themselves in the World Cup,” Fernandez said with a laugh. “I don’t think we embarrassed ourselves this year, so we broke one of those constants.”