Watching Football in Manchester, England Without a Season Ticket

Time for another wee football post on Don’t Stop Living, and it comes from a city drenched in the sport…Manchester, England. I wrote about my trip to Old Trafford in 2005 before – on that occasion I watched Northern Ireland play England. Manchester is the home of two of England’s “best” (debatable at the time Read more about Watching Football in Manchester, England Without a Season Ticket[…]

My Visit to the Birthplace Of The World Cup: Museo Del Futbol, Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay

As a football fan, you have to agree that the World Cup is the greatest international tournament in the world. For that very reason I was so excited to be visiting the Uruguayan capital city of Montevideo back in 2010. It had been a dream of mine to actually step foot inside Estadio Centenario. The Read more about My Visit to the Birthplace Of The World Cup: Museo Del Futbol, Estadio Centenario, Montevideo, Uruguay[…]

recife brazil world cup

10 Places To Stay in Brazil During the 2014 World Cup

Football was always my main hobby in life, and though travel has kind of taken over, I’ve managed to squeeze in two football matches in the last month as well as see 6 National Stadiums! But the big event is next year. The one everyone is waiting for. The World Cup will be held in Read more about 10 Places To Stay in Brazil During the 2014 World Cup[…]

arconada armstrong 1982

Working Wednesdays: Writing for “Arconada…Armstrong!” as a Teenager in Belfast, Northern Ireland

I’ll talk about my first ever job on today’s Working Wednesdays, a job which was unpaid but I got free football fanzines out of it, and I was helping support my country’s international football team. Aged 15, I wrote articles for and helped sell the Northern Ireland football fanzine, Arconada…Armstrong! Named after the ITV commentary Read more about Working Wednesdays: Writing for “Arconada…Armstrong!” as a Teenager in Belfast, Northern Ireland[…]

happy days northern ireland fanzine

Working Wednesdays: Writing for “Happy Days” Football Magazine

I’ve loved writing for as long as I can remember. I’ve also loved football for as long as I can remember. Put the two of them together and it was obvious that I was going to do some football writing at some point. Or in my case, at many points and a LOT of football Read more about Working Wednesdays: Writing for “Happy Days” Football Magazine[…]

Jonny Blair of SOENISC in the Green and White army book in 2008

Working Wednesdays: Interview for a Football Book, Green and White Army (The Northern Ireland Fans)

I was driving through Yeovil in England in early 2008 when a call came through from a renowned Northern Irish journalist “Jonny, I’ve been asked to do a few interviews on Northern Ireland football fans for a new book, are you interested?” Straight away it was a “yes” and that was it – I was Read more about Working Wednesdays: Interview for a Football Book, Green and White Army (The Northern Ireland Fans)[…]

keeping up to date with football while you travel jonny blair

How To Keep Up To Date With Football On Your Travels!!

I was once described as a “football nut” and I’m not sure what that entails, but basically I LOVE football. Ever since I saw Norman Whiteside score for Northern Ireland against Algeria in the 1986 World Cup on a black and white TV, I have been a football fan. Firstly I played it – at Read more about How To Keep Up To Date With Football On Your Travels!![…]

North Korea Remain Unofficial World Champions!

Yesterday in Hong Kong I got a unique chance to watch my first ever football ‘World Cup Final’! With a difference of course… Basically as an alternative to the normal and four yearly World Cup, there is an UNOFFICIAL FOOTBALL WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP which happens on an ongoing basis. It runs on a simple system – Read more about North Korea Remain Unofficial World Champions![…]