Everton Fan Blog: Total Brand Love Has Never Grown So Quickly

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa- “Why Everton?” In now over twelve years of supporting The Toffees this has become a pretty common question. After all, why would someone from Cape Town choose to support a team like Everton, as opposed to say United, Liverpool, Arsenal or Chelsea?

It’s hard to explain really, perhaps it was a mistake letting a rare Merseyside derby win be the spark to set off my support, but all I know is that since that day in 2006 Everton has tightly held onto a chunk of my attention constantly: on Whatsapp groups and email threads sharing article links, goal highlights and fantasy updates; at bars and on couches watching league weekends and European nights; through Moyes, Martinez, Koeman, Allardyce and now Silva, following heroes like Pienaar, Cahill, Baines, Lukaku and Pickford; experiencing a few highlights and false dawns like the Gosling derby, the 4-4 at Old Trafford, the FA Cup final with Saha’s goal, and beating Guardiola 4-0; and then there’s the heartbreak and disappointments, two feelings I’ve become beautifully familiar with thanks to the Toffees. Somehow it’s turned me into both a romantic and a cynic – how’s that for personal development?

And so – when the opportunity came about for me to make my journey to Liverpool, to see in reality all the references, icons, and landmarks I’ve always felt so familiar with from a continent away, to stand in Goodison Park on game day, and to finally get a sense of why commentators describe its agedness and its character, to be able to hear and cheer to the players stepping out to Z-Cars – there was nothing that was going to stop me. Someone pass me a pen, ‘Watch Everton live” is about to get crossed off the top of my bucket list!

Here’s where things really got exciting though: after struggling to get tickets for the game I emailed the club asking for assistance, and amazingly, SportPesa SA stepped in and offered to make my matchday even more special. While I was already going to be fulfilling my dream just by sitting half behind a pillar in the upper balcony, SportPesa arranged tickets for a VIP box, right above the players’ dugout, with full hospitality, an opportunity to go onto the pitch, new kits, and more. I mention this here because it really was such a lovely gesture by a brand who knew that they had the means to make a fan’s special day even that much more incredible. Total brand love has never been grown so quickly.

Some highlights from Merseyside and the match:

1. Scouse is an absolutely incredible accent, and scousers are either very patient or very friendly, because they were always happy to repeat what they were saying when I wasn’t understanding them first-time.

2. Goodison really is a beautiful old ground, so different to the generic bowls we’ve become accustomed to. But it’s tight and small and a little bit worse for wear, so I can understand the need to move. I’m just glad I had the chance to enjoy a match there.

3. Foreign fans’ football-watching experience is shaped at the direction of broadcasters, so only at this match did I get to enjoy the minutias happening off-camera: seeing Leighton Baines in the dug-out, constantly talking to teammates – some of them young academy graduates waiting to make their marks, others new foreign acquisitions yet to make impressions – leading and guiding. Just watching the player dynamics was so interesting to me. Ademola Lookman looks very shy, and Bernard is no bigger than a housecat (then he gets on the field and starts successfully tackling even the biggest players in the opposition, I think I love him.)

4. Away fans singing, “How sh*t must you be, we’re winning away”, and Arthur Masuaku’s amazing chant to the tune of “Dancing in September”.

5. Seeing the managers deal with their players and staff: Manuel Pellegrini berating his wingbacks for being on yellow cards, Marco Silva nearly rugby tackling his medical staff for trying to run onto the field after a foul was won, with Everton chasing the game.

The game ends as a 1-3 loss at home to West Ham, who until then had zero points from four games, and had only won 4 away games in the previous 19 months. 

That’s the kind of authentic Everton experience I came all the way across the world to enjoy! We make our way back to the station with happy hearts and depleted bank accounts, so pleased to have finally made this journey here.

One thing, however, didn’t change: even in Liverpool, people kept asking, “Why Everton?” I’ve never before been so willing and eager to explain my fandom to strangers.

-Report by Max Dylan Lazarus