“There are a lot of people in London, but it can feel like a lonely place,” explains Kieran Duff as he strolls through Russell Square, still angry at having forgotten his football socks for the big game. “Hopefully someone has a spare pair.”
In the locker room, a friendly and welcoming group of Newcastle-supporting teammates dress in black and white jerseys as they reflect on early-season defeats to Juventus and Inter Milan. No one brought extra socks.
“It seems silly to say it, but it feels different playing in the kit and the colours,” says Newcastle Supporters Club captain Tom King.
“There’s a part of your brain that says, ‘I’m playing for Newcastle here.’ It makes you connect with the club in a way I haven’t with any other football club I’ve played for.”
Next door, some boys dressed in vintage maroon and blue begin to go out to warm up. It’s a pleasantly mild Sunday lunchtime in November when Newcastle take on their Aston Villa counterparts at Coram’s Field in central London, with the last embers of autumn clinging on as a gardener attempts to clear the leaves from the pitch.
This is just the start of a great afternoon of London Supporters League action that also includes AC Milan, Fiorentina, Genoa and Lazio, but on any given weekend you can find Paris St-Germain, Real Madrid, Lyon, Roma, Monza or Panathinaikos here. All dressed head to toe in the club’s full colours.
“We won the league last year, after eight years we finally managed to win it, so we put a star at the top of our shield,” smiles Ludo Romagnoli, who was born in Modena before moving to Brazil and then coming to London to study at university. “I feel very proud to represent our club.”
“It’s more fun to face people who feel the shield, the colors and have that passion for the club they represent,” adds Pedro Aguilar, of Real Madrid London.
“Everyone has a story behind them: you can understand why they support the team, why they love it.
“It’s fascinating. Meeting people from different backgrounds and cultures and seeing how much they love football, just like we love it, just through a different team.”
