The many failed attempts to establish a football club in San Francisco have not put off one ambitious group, who want technology to give them an edge.
Few regions of the world contain as many top-level sports teams as the San Francisco Bay Area. The Golden State Warriors basketball team, based a bridge away from San Francisco in Oakland, won the NBA title in 2015, and were runners-up last year. The San Francisco Giants (baseball) were World Series winners in 2012 and 2014. And while the 49ers (American football) are not doing so well at the moment, their stunning new stadium hosted the Super Bowl in 2016.
Yet soccer has never truly succeeded here – despite an amateur league pyramid which, founded in 1902, predates even the US Soccer Federation. Professionally, the region has seen teams come and go rapidly. The Golden Gate Gales were set up in 1967 with Ferenc Puskas lined up as manager – only for the team to be dissolved the same year when two competing leagues merged into one, and the Gales were pushed out of the new format in favour of the Oakland Clippers (who disappeared a few years later). Another club, the Milan Mandaric-owned Oakland Stompers, lasted just one season in 1978 before moving to Edmonton, Canada.
Denne historien er fra May 2017-utgaven av When Saturday Comes.
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Denne historien er fra May 2017-utgaven av When Saturday Comes.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Pirate Transmission
Broadcasters around the world are paying huge sums to screen football, but they will not be willing to invest if they cannot be protected.
Scandi Drama
Years before it was screened live in the UK, England’s Football League was building a cult following abroad thanks to a visionary broadcaster.
Pot Of Gold
A rare meeting between two local rivals brought FA Cup fever – and a useful financial boost – to one corner of Hertfordshire
Digital Divide
From earnest post-match punditry to being used in actual players’ matchday preparations, the virtual game is becoming increasingly blurred with reality.
Haringey Ladder
The decision to walk off in the face of abuse has shone a national spotlight on a community club with a progressive approach
Bournemouth 0 Norwich City 0
Dean Court may have received a Premier League facelift but against today’s visitors the home team fail to live up to their status, although the low-quality draw they play out is still somehow reassuring.
Room With A View
Hampden Park
Not In The Script
ARSENAL FILM
Out Of Place...
After another unsuccessful qualifying attempt Martin O’Neill is under pressure, while a poor Republic of Ireland squad is only getting weaker
Uncomfortable Truth
At the end of April Sheffield United surprised many people by re-signing Ched Evans, who, following a retrial, has now been found not guilty of the rape charge for which he spent two-and-a-half years in prison.
