From The First Whistle
Will Hodgson, England
We have teamed up with MiXR, the app that helps you find the best pubs and bars to watch football, to showcase the diversity of fan and pub culture throughout England and Scotland during the 2024 Euros. Eight passionate fans have documented the tournament atmosphere at MiXR pubs across the UK while cheering on their national team to show there is a place for any fan, whatever you’re for.
Will Hodgson, who believes football is both a release and an escape, cheered on England with a group of friends at the Scarborough Flyer.
My name is Will Hodgson, I am 27 years old and have lived in Bridlington, East Yorkshire since I was six. I still live here and it is right by the sea and has a lot of character! I also work as a Supervisor at an Iceland supermarket.
From the age of 18, I have been passionate about coaching football and it is something that I hope to do more of in the future. I love seeing everyone enjoy themselves while learning as well. Being from a seaside town, there was not much opportunity to get involved with football, so I had to grab every chance I had with both hands.
Football has been in my life for as long as I can remember. Playing is a brilliant release and watching is a great escape. It allows me to forget anything else going on and give 100% to something for 90 minutes.
Making Memories
My first memories of supporting England were at primary school and early on in secondary school in the assembly hall. The teachers would play the matches on a huge projector and I would sit and cheer the team on with my classmates.
As I got older and left school, it was always fun to watch tournaments and England games at my friend’s house in the garden as we were not allowed to the pub yet. Into my teenage years and early twenties, I found going to the pub had a different atmosphere than the garden as everyone would sing and chant. I really enjoyed this type of support for the national team.
My first experience watching England live was in a World Cup Qualifier in 2017 at Wembley against Slovakia and we won 2-1. Between the atmosphere, the match, and the fans all in England shirts cheering on the team, it was magic. After that I was determined to try to watch England live as much as I could. I have seen them at numerous grounds around the country since.
The highest and lowest moment was reaching and ultimately losing the Euros Final in 2021. It was heartbreaking but I was proud of what we achieved that tournament. We came together as a country both during and after the narrow defeat in the final. Everybody in the country was behind them in every game leading up until the final, until a select few decided to ruin it by directing racist abuse to our players.
The way everybody supported the players through one of the toughest moments in their career is admirable and credit to Gareth Southgate for creating a special bond between the players and the fans.
There For England
I will be watching the majority of the games in my local pub in Bridlington because it always has a brilliant atmosphere and it gets packed so everybody is standing. The chanting and singing from the first whistle is always class and spirits are always high before and during the games.
When England scores, you just grab the person next to you whether it is your best mate or a stranger, everyone is there to watch England win. In that moment it does not matter who you are with because we are all there for England.
