We at FBTG HQ would publically like to wish a very happy birthday to the pioneering club of our adopted home; the majestic, exciting and fearless Xerez Deportivo Football Club.
9umpleaños Feliz
xerez deportivo
Misión Cumplida
The time would have been around 6pm. The final spots of daylight were fading quickly into the surrounding buildings. The sun had been kissing the horizon when we left the guest stadium in Bornos, but that had changed quickly in the bus ride back through the foothills of the Cordilleras Béticas. In the shadow of the Chapín, my two interviewees led me to an innocuous family bar.
Football Matches During Covid
There was a time when we were wondering if we would ever see live professional Football again. The necessary measures put in place to contain the terrifying transnational spread of Covid-19 in spring forced an immediate and indefinite halt to all organised sporting events. Caught between a rock and a hard place, broadcasters and governing sports bodies pursued a wide array of alternatives in order to keep television viewing figures high and to fulfill their contractual obligations, from repeats of classic Football matches to a first ever gaming 24 Hours of Le Mans race in June.
#SOSXerez Pt II
For #SOSXerez Pt I, please click here.
“The problem is that we do not have unity. The fans are not united any more. Have you heard about this other team, the one created by the fans?” For the first time during this conversation, I lied.
In the aftermath Continue reading
#SOSXerez Pt I
“Hola”.
Hola.
“Are you a journalist?”. Ojalá. If only. The gentleman smiled appreciatively. “Do you know about the history of Continue reading
The Ball And The Bodega
I arrived in Jerez de la Frontera not just to sample some of and learn about the city’s legendary fortified wines, but to also meet with members of El Kolectivo Sur; the only ultra group to have represented their city in all levels of Spanish professional and semi-professional Football. What surprised me however is the way in which the city’s great drinking tradition is so readily visible in the Football culture in this fine Andalusian city.
There exists an enduring myth that the word “Sherry” derives Continue reading
El Kolectivo Sur – Interview
El Kolectivo Sur is the ultra group of Xerez Deportivo CF, a young Football club from the Spanish city of Jerez de la Frontera founded by fans as financial wobbles hit Xerex CD, the stalwart La Segunda outfit for long periods of time. We caught the club’s home league fixture against Atlético Espleño before grabbing a cold Cruzcampo with two of the group’s leading members to talk about Football support in the Sherry City. Both Continue reading
All Cadistas Are Bastards
Local resentment for Cádiz fans can be seen across the whole of Jerez de la Frontera. Spray tags, fan stickers and other visible manifestations of dislike of their rivals to the South are abundant, wherever you turn. Yet in Cádiz itself, a keen-eye struggles to Continue reading
From Boothferry To Germany 