After hearing from fellow Americans who follow the Premier League, I’ve been pondering the idea of coming to English football as an outsider. Here’s how my own love affair from distance got started…

Part 1: Inhaling the World Cup…

Back in 2006, my inner football junkie came alive when I discovered the World Cup. Something switched on and I followed every match I could. The love I’d had for soccer playing it as a child returned tenfold as I became a spectator. I didn’t want to miss a single pass, cross, goal or save. If I wasn’t at work, I was inhaling the games. There was a gracefulness and a flow absent from the baseball and American football games I’d long enjoyed. Every soccer moment had infinite possibilities for the match to swing one way or the other. The boundless movement was tempered by an undeniable tension. I perched myself on bar stools and took it all in. Watching the English, the Dutch, the Brazilians, the USA, I began to understand why most of the world devotes so much love, time and nerves to this beautiful sport.

Mostly, I tuned in at a New Hampshire pub: The Coat of Arms - British Pub and Restaurant. I’d been going there for years, but the sound was normally off on the TVs showing soccer and rugby. Now the sound was cranked and when England played, the place was packed. Countless Brits I didn’t even know were my neighbors materialized at the Coat. The pints flowed (sometimes at 8am) and the staff scurried through the throngs of tense supporters, taking orders for greasy breakfasts, bangers & mash, fish & chips, ploughman’s platters and (my favorite) chicken curry pitas.

I remember being blissfully lost in the atmosphere of the England-Sweden match. Not able to jump on a plane and fly to Germany, the crowd at the Coat seemed the best possible substitute. Each change of possession, each ball out to touch, each chance on goal, inspired raucous noise. Owen went down and the room groaned. Crouch came on and cheering erupted from the back corner—the Liverpool contingent? They shouted their encouragement. “C’mon, Crouchie!”

Who was this guy? I thought. Skinny, lanky, tall enough to look Paul Pierce in the eyes. This was a football striker?

Crouch didn’t score that match, but he made an impression on me nonetheless. His appearance and movement made him an athletic iconoclast to pique my curiosity. I can’t say why, but I liked him immediately and wanted to know more about him. And another player who quickly became ingrained in my conscience did find the back of the net: Steven Gerrard, the late sub. Joe Cole—who’d already scored one of the insanest goals I’d seen at that point, collecting a ball with his chest 35 yards from goal and volleying it back toward the top corner where the keeper got a hand to it but couldn’t keep it out—scooped the ball from just outside the box. His cross sailed over everybody and found Gerrard unmarked. Gerrard headed it home and the room absolutely exploded. I’d never heard such noise outside a rock concert. Gerrard ran. The pub shook. The beer flowed. It was wonderful.

Then Henrik Larsson killed the mood with his injury time equalizer. But I figure that sinking feeling was just an important introduction to football supporting as anything.

After the USA didn’t make it past the group stage, I kept up with England. If only to re-live the atmosphere of the Sweden match. This led to the Portugal quarter-final. The one where Wayne Rooney stomped Ricardo Carvalho in the junk. Rooney was sent off. Nobody scored from open play. Portugal won 3-1 on penalties. My English neighbors were crushed their team was out. I was crushed my English neighbors wouldn’t fill up the pub again that summer.

I wanted to feel how they felt. The highs and the lows. But I wasn’t there yet.

I missed the semis (keeping up with them on a laptop behind the bar where I worked), and I missed the final (my friend was supposed to DVR it for us to watch later, but his system crashed), so I was forced to watch the headbutt-heard-round-the-world on YouTube.

All I knew was I wanted more football. Based on the energy of the English supporters at the Coat of Arms, I started investigating the Premier League. I’d watch as many matches as I could. I determined to find myself a team. But how, I thought, does one do that as an outsider?

When 2006/2007 was upon me and I dove in full tilt. I wasn’t sure of my place as an American seeking English football. But, hey, I had no choice. The inner football junkie had awakened and he had demands. Who was I to deny him?

Tomorrow, part 2: Inhaling the Premier League…

In the United Kingdom, the Premier League has announced which matches will be shown by Sky Sports and ESPN UK. As a result, we can ascertain which matches will be shown by Setanta US and Fox Soccer Channel in the United States, both of which have the rights to show the Premier League matches in the U.S. until the end of the 2009-2010 season.

Note that the complete TV schedule for August through November has yet to be announced, specifically the 10am ET/3pm GMT games. But here’s what we know thus far.

Here’s the TV schedule for viewers in the United States for the Premier League from August until the end of November (all times eastern):

Saturday, August 15:

• Chelsea v Hull City, 7:45am, Setanta US
• Everton v Arsenal, 12:15pm, Fox Soccer Channel

Sunday, August 16:

• Manchester United v Birmingham City, 8:30am, Setanta US
• Tottenham v Liverpool, 11am, Fox Soccer Channel

Sunday, August 23:

• West Ham United v Tottenham, 8:30am, Setanta US
• Fulham v Chelsea, 11am, Fox Soccer Channel

Monday, August 24:

• Liverpool v Aston Villa, 3pm, Setanta US

Saturday, August 29:

• Chelsea v Burnley, 7:45am, Setanta US
• Manchester United v Arsenal, 12:15pm, Fox Soccer Channel

Sunday, August 30:

• Portsmouth v Manchester City, 8:30am, Setanta US
• Aston Villa v Fulham, 11am, Fox Soccer Channel

Saturday, September 12:

• Tottenham v Manchester United, 12:15pm, Fox Soccer Channel

Sunday, September 13:

• Birmingham City v Aston Villa, 7am, Setanta US
• Fulham v Everton, 11:15am, Fox Soccer Channel

Saturday, September 19:

• Burnley v Sunderland, 7:45am, Setanta US
• West Ham United v Liverpool, 12:15pm, Fox Soccer Channel

Sunday, September 20:

• Manchester United v Manchester City, 8:30am, Setanta US
• Chelsea v Tottenham, 11am, Fox Soccer Channel

Saturday, September 26:

• Portsmouth v Everton, 7:45am, Setanta US
• Fulham v Arsenal, 12:15pm, Fox Soccer Channel

Sunday, September 27:

• Sunderland v Wolves, 11am, Fox Soccer Channel

Monday, September 28:

• Manchester City v West Ham United, Setanta US

Saturday, October 3:

• Manchester United v Sunderland, 12:15pm, Fox Soccer Channel

Sunday, October 4:

• Arsenal v Blackburn Rovers, 8:30am, Setanta US
• Chelsea v Liverpool, 11am, Fox Soccer Channel

Monday, October 5:

• Aston Villa v Manchester City, 3pm, Setanta US

Saturday, October 17:

• Aston Villa v Chelsea, 7:45am, Setanta US

Sunday, October 18:

• Blackburn Rovers v Burnley, 8am, Setanta US
• Wigan v Manchester City, 11am, Fox Soccer Channel

Monday, October 19:

• Fulham v Hull City, 3pm, Setanta US

Saturday, October 24:

• Wolves v Aston Villa, 7:45am, Setanta US
• Chelsea v Blackburn Rovers, 12:15pm, Fox Soccer Channel

Sunday, October 25:

• Liverpool v Manchester United, 8am, Setanta US
• West Ham United v Arsenal, 10:15am, Fox Soccer Channel

Saturday, October 31:

• Arsenal v Tottenham, 6:45am, Setanta US
• Manchester United v Blackburn Rovers, 11:15am, Fox Soccer Channel

Sunday, November 1:

• Birmingham City v Manchester City, 11am, Fox Soccer Channel

Saturday, November 7:

• Wolves v Arsenal, 12:15pm, Fox Soccer Channel

Sunday, November 8:

• Hull City v Stoke City, 8:30am, Setanta US
• Chelsea v Manchester United, 11am, Fox Soccer Channel

Monday, November 9:

• Liverpool v Birmingham City, 3pm, Setanta US

Saturday, November 21:

• Liverpool v Manchester City, 7:45am, Setanta US
• Manchester United v Everton, 12:15pm, Fox Soccer Channel

Sunday, November 22:

• Bolton v Blackburn, 8:30am, Setanta US
• Stoke City v Portsmouth, 11am, Fox Soccer Channel

Saturday, November 28:

• Aston Villa v Tottenham, 12:15pm, Fox Soccer Channel

Sunday, November 29:

• Everton v Liverpool, 8:30am, Setanta US
• Arsenal v Chelsea, 11am, Fox Soccer Channel

Observations:

• Setanta UK may be dead in the water, and Setanta Ireland may be hanging on by a thread, but the above TV schedule shows what an important role Setanta US plays in providing US viewers with high profile Premier League matches. Just some of the massive matches they’ll be showing between now and the end of November include the Merseyside, North London and Manchester derbies, Liverpool against Man United, the opening game of Manchester United’s season and a couple of highly charged Birmingham derbies.
• The schedule has been kind to Fox Soccer Channel for Saturday’s 12:15pm kick-off, which in the past I’ve tended to refer to as the “Fox Snoozy Saturday” game because it was usually a less revelant game that was shown. And during a spell of several weeks last season, there were a series of 0-0 draws for the matches featured in that time slot. Because ESPN UK will be showing the 12:15pm ET/5:15pm GMT kickoff in the UK on Saturdays, the Premier League probably wanted to be kind to them and gave them several high-profile matches. As a result, since Fox has that timeslot in the US, Fox will be able to show games that include Man United v Arsenal, Spurs v Man United, Fulham and Arsenal, and several other games featuring Manchester United.
• With Fox Soccer Channel continuing to hold on to the most coveted weekend TV spot — the 11am Sunday game, which always features the highest ratings — they have several high-profile matches to show which will include Spurs v Liverpool, Fulham v Chelsea, Chelsea v Spurs, Chelsea v Liverpool, Chelsea v Man United and Arsenal v Chelsea.
• It’s no surprise that we’ll get to see the Big Four on TV during the opening weekend on August 15-16. Chelsea against Hull City will kick off the new season at 7:45am ET on Saturday, August 15 on Setanta. On that afternoon, Fox Soccer Channel will show Everton versus Arsenal. On Sunday, August 16, Setanta US will show Manchester United against Birmingham City on 8:30am ET, while FSC will show Spurs versus Liverpool at 11am.

Thoughts? Click the comments link below and share your opinion.

The Premier League has hit a road bump in its lawsuit against YouTube.

In the Premier League’s claim, which was filed more than two years ago, it argued that YouTube was profiting from a knowing violation of its copyrights in the league and in footage of games in that league. Now, however, a US district judge has filed an opinion that the Premier League cannot claim statutory damages against YouTube for user-submitted video clips of non-live football matches, even if it proves that the site infringed its rights, because it failed to register its copyrights.

Yes, you read that correctly. The Premier League hadn’t registered its copyright in the United States. Registration is not required to secure copyright, but before an infringement suit may be filed in court, registration with the US Copyright Office is necessary for works of US origin under Section 411(a) of the country’s Copyright Act, according to Out-Law News.

Ooops.

“We think this ruling is a throwback to draconian times,” said William M Hart, a lawyer with the Premier League’s New York-based firm Proskauer Rose. He said an appeal may follow because, while the ruling does not damage Premier League’s case, it sets what he described as an important but unfair precedent for non-US copyright owners “who are equally unaware of the need to register.”

The case is far from over, but it’s a definite step backward for the Premier League in its fight against YouTube.

According to the site PaidContent.org,”The latest ruling in a copyright case brought against Google and its YouTube subsidiary doesn’t move the needle much on the core issue but it means the bill should be lower if—and that’s still a big if—the company loses in court.”

If you’re interested in reading the judge’s opinion regarding the Premier League’s claim, read the legal document below.

Premier League v Google

The English First Division came into being in 1888 and within 4 years, a young man named Steve Bloomer signed for Derby County from local league side Tutbury Hawthorn. Whilst he may have been highly thought of in the local area, such was the turnover of young men trying their hand at football; Bloomer could have easily been another statistic of those days of the Football League’s infancy. To say Bloomer had an extraordinary life would be something of an understatement and he would write his name in footballing history.

He made his Derby County debut at the beginning of the 1892-93 season and scored his first goal for County on September 24th in a 3-1 win against West Bromwich Albion. That season saw Bloomer finish with very respectable figures of 11 goals in 28 games and the slightly framed, pale skinned young man quickly established himself as a crowd favourite at the Baseball Ground. Possessing great pace, a thundering shot with either foot and a range of passing rarely seen in a forward, his performances quickly saw him chosen to represent England in 1895.

Scoring 2 goals on his debut for England in a 9-0 romp against Ireland, Bloomer seemed to have the football world at his feet but the first of the tragedies that befell him occurred when his brother, Philip, also briefly a Derby County player died in 1896 of peritonitis. Bloomer continued to build his reputation the following season scoring 35 goals in 36 games which included 5 hat tricks and hit a run of hitting 21 goals in 20 games.

A strange side note to this part of his career is that he actually led Derby County to the British Baseball Championship in 1895, 1897 and the final season of 1898, which is why Derby County’s old ground was known as the Baseball Ground.  As the baseball team folded, Bloomer’s football moved in to a different level scoring goals for fun for both club and country. He became the first player to score 5 goals for his country against Wales and then followed it up 5 years later with another 4 goal haul again in a match against Wales, thus also making him the first England player to score two hat tricks.

In his first spell at Derby, Bloomer was the leading goal scorer in the First Division on 5 separate occasions and twice in all European Leagues. He hit 6 goals in one match against Sheffield Wednesday in 1899 and also scored the first goal at West Bromwich Albion’s Hawthorns Ground in 1900. This man set records for fun and couldn’t stop throughout his career and it was interesting to note how his fortune continued to rise as he left Derby County to join Middlesbrough in March 1906 for the princely sum of £750.  Shorn of Bloomer’s skills, Derby County were relegated the following season but Bloomer continued to find the back of the net for his new employers.

In his first two full seasons at Boro, he unsurprisingly finished as their leading scorer and played his final match for England in 1907. By 1910, Bloomer was coming up to his 36th birthday, but as Stanley Matthews had returned back to his first love, in 1910, Bloomer returned to a hero’s welcome at Derby County, who were still languishing in the Second Division. Bloomers return almost had an instant impact with another 24 goals but Derby’s promotion charge faltered and they finished 6th.

Bloomer was not being denied the season after and Derby won promotion as Champions in 1911-1912 and he hit another 19 goals for the Rams.  Bloomer managed to have another 2 seasons in the First Division, but at 40 years old he finally retired as a player. For most players, that would be the end for their careers in football, but Steve Bloomer’s life then took another amazing turn.  In July 1914, he decided to take up the offer to become the manager of the German side Britannia Berlin 92.

3 weeks later, World War I broke out and Bloomer, as a British citizen was interred in a prisoner of war camp in Berlin, Ruhleben. Amazingly, a football season of sorts was organised between the prisoners and Bloomer once again found himself playing regular football, albeit in a prisoner of war league. He also played Cricket in a prison league that was set up to run through the summer months in the camp, and unsurprisingly Bloomer excelled at that game as well.

During his internment, tragedy once again visited Bloomer and he lost two daughters to illness to compound the earlier loss of his brother. Once again, his success was tarred by personal loss. Released in 1918 at the end of the war, Bloomer had a short spell coaching in Holland but by 1922 he had drifted away from football. On the horizon though was one last amazing hurrah.

In 1923, he made a return to management, taking the reins at Spanish side Real Union. Guiding Union to the regional championship, he found his side in the Copa Del Rey. In those days, the cup was used to decide the Spanish Champions and amazingly, Union had got to the semi-final after beating Seville 3-1. Their opponents were the giants of Barcelona and it seemed that their amazing cup run would come to an end. Bloomer had other ideas and Union blew Barcelona away 6-1, an amazing result for a regional team such as Union.

The Copa Del Rey final would surely be one game too many for Bloomers plucky side as who else but Real Madrid were waiting for them, but once again Bloomer’s side turned the form book on its head to snatch the title with a 1-0 win and become Spanish Champions. It was beyond belief for most people but simply another amazing achievement in the life of Steve Bloomer.

Bloomer eventually returned to Derby and passed away in April 1938, aged 64. In January 2009, Derby County erected a bust of him inside Pride Park facing the pitch, placed next to the home dug out. English football’s first superstar will never be forgotten.

• 684 games for Derby County and Middlesbrough, scoring 430 goals
• 28 goals in 23 games for England
• Won the European Golden boot twice & First Division leading scorer in 5 seasons
• Derby’s leading goalscorer in a season an incredible 14 seasons in a row
• 3rd highest goalscorer in First Division/Premiership history with 314 goals.