Trying to find a good British pub that shows live Premiership football where I live in Orange County, California, is a challenge.
Orange County has 34 cities and a population of just over three million legal residents. “The OC”, as some people like to call it, has a mix of most nationalities. There are numerous Irish pubs and, on St. Patrick’s Day, you would think that every other person was of Irish descent. Green is worn by so many people and most cities have at least two Irish bars but, I’m English and not a fan of the Irish bars.
When I moved to the USA in 2000, the European Championships was going on and one of the first things I did was watch England play Romania at the British Dominion Social Club in Garden Grove.
It was a surprise to have to pay an entrance to go inside and watch the game live but I learnt that it operates as a social club with members and I could join if I wanted to. The Dominion is situated in an industrial park and the only thing that gives it away as a bar is a 10’ satellite dish placed on its roof. Otherwise you would think it was another business. They have no windows that look out and no beer garden. There is ample car parking outside but, then again, there should be when you consider its location.
A short time after, I actually went to a British pub!! The Olde Ship in Fullerton. It is on one of the main streets in this city and even had Union Jacks flying outside and a red telephone box.
There is a tiny car park out the back, space for about a dozen cars but parking is available on the street outside. There is a good selection of British beer and food available but they weren’t showing any football. The owner, Doug, did not want to show football and that was his decision. The other thing about the Fullerton location – they closed at 10.30pm on a Saturday night.
In 2002, the Olde Ship opened a second location, this time in Santa Ana. This was a former sports bar and already had the regulation 10’ satellite dish on the roof.
There is also has its own large car park and you can probably park at least 100 cars in it. Things started to look promising on the football front. The big problem was – again – Doug the owner, he still was not too keen on showing football. He had a couple of TVs already in place and would, every now and again, show matches if they were on during his opening times. Remember, California is eight hours behind England and getting staff in at 7am to show live Saturday matches was nearly impossible.
This all changed when Doug died and his son took over running the business. He realised that there was a huge, untapped market and soon started advertising that they were showing live English football broadcasts from Fox Soccer and ESPN.
I watched a few games there up untill 2006 when I moved to Colorado. When I returned to Orange County in 2009, I checked out the Olde Ships’ website and was surprised to find that they were really into showing live football. They were into the Premiership, MLS and all international completions.
They had also become an official LA Galaxy Game Viewing Venue. The Americans’ cannot just say they show ‘soccer’. They have to make it sound better than it is. But I give the Yanks some credit, they actually run a coach to the Galaxy home games, about thirty miles away. They have one guy who will purchase tickets for the group and sort the bus out.
I have travelled as far as Santa Monica to watch an England international game live (about 45 miles away) but only because I wanted to watch a live England rugby match the same day, at the same venue. I have been charged up to $10 to get in to watch a live game. When I have asked why they are charging an entrance fee I have been told it is show business and that’s why you have to pay.
The World Cup is shown on a national TV channel here and, although it peeks interest during the completion, football is still not one of the big sports in the US. The top three sports are American football, Baseball and Basketball. Then again, college football and NASCAR are bigger than our football.
I have not been to the British Dominion Club for a few years but, when we were playing our Championship play-off game two seasons ago, a few people I knew from there came into the Olde Ship and we spent time catching up with each other.
Nowadays, I stick to going to the Olde Ship in Santa Ana to watch West Ham games. I still video the matches off the telly so I can watch the games again if we win.
If we lose, though, the game is quickly deleted. The Olde Ship is really the top pub around here that shows the most English football, (including the Irish pubs). I have met several Hammers’ fans there and have found out a couple were born within a mile or two from me.
However, we are not the biggest contingent. Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal all have more followers than West Ham, but I reckon that us few West Ham fans have been to more live games than those glory hunters.
So what is a typical 3pm Saturday kick off like for me? First I have to work out that that equates to 7am California time. It takes about 15 minutes to drive to the pub if the roads are clear. You think the M25 is busy? Wait until you experience California traffic!!
I like to get to the pub about 15 minutes before kickoff so I leave my home at 6.30am. I have to set my alarm for 5.50am to give myself time to wake up, get dressed and use the toilet. With a 12.45 pm kickoff game (4.45am California time), there could be a few people watching the end of the first game of the day. There normally is a barman, who is normally checking the televisions, making sure they have different games coming up. There’s also at least one waitress. This is America, where people expect a waitress to take your order and bring it to you, even in a pub at 7am in the morning. I normally just order a pot of tea.
Just before half time, I like to order a sausage and egg sandwich, which comes with a portion of chips or as my American friends like to call them, French fries. A second pot of tea is nice to enjoy during the second half. Sometimes I would love a pint but, losing your driving license here would cause so many problems, everybody needs to drive.
Depending on who’s playing, the pub starts to fill up around 8.00/8.30, because the football channels will either show extended highlights of the earlier games or repeat them totally. There can always be another game after the 7am match.
Our game will finish around 8.50am, depending on added time, so I chit chat with the people I have spent the last few hours with, while waiting for the waitress to bring my bill. Everyone has a tab, drinks and food are put on your tab and they expect you to pay before you leave. I will sometimes stay to watch the start of the next game but get bored if it’s not exciting.
Two last things, here in Southern California, we have the most amazing weather. It’s sunny for at least eleven months per year and the temperatures are great, with very low humidity. But, of All the pub and bars I have been to, NOT ONE has a beer garden!
How I would love to have a grass area and a picnic table and be able to sit and enjoy this wonderful climate. A few bars have patio areas but they have concrete on the floor and that is where the smokers go to consume their cancer tubes.
And finally, you cannot take your drink and stand outside the bar in the street, it’s AGAINST THE LAW.
