Glebe Central Pub a haven for sports fans
The author at the Glebe Central Pub, enjoying a local brew
Glebe Central Pub a haven for sports fans
By Dave Longbottom
For the sports fan(atic), there’s nothing greater than the feeling you have walking up to the home stadium/rink/park of your favourite club/team to attend a live match. The sights and sounds and the excitement and anticipation of thousands of fellow supporters walking alongside is a beautiful thing.
Alas, it’s not always possible to attend in person, particularly when your team may be hundreds or thousands of kilometres away. There is, luckily for committed fans, another great way to get the fan fix and support your side, and that is watching at a local sports pub. The pub can provide much of what the sports fan is longing for – atmosphere, camaraderie, community.
If you can’t be in the stadium, a good pub is the next best place to enjoy a match. It’s an even better experience in one way – the selection of drinks is wider than in most pro sports locations, and the beer (and food) is certainly cheaper. Also, the local pub is more likely to support local businesses by having their products on the menu.
We are blessed in this neighbourhood with a special such place, the Glebe Central Pub. It is warm, welcoming and well equipped, and it is staffed with people who know that fans there to watch their favourite teams require special handling. The staff know that before the first ball is kicked or the puck is dropped, it’s vital to have screens and sound all set and synced. It’s vital that customers be set up with delicious food, fresh local beers and other drink, fuelled and ready to celebrate a win or, heaven forbid, commiserate a loss. The staff care about the outcome, or at least are very convincing at pretending they do! They revel in your joy and sympathize with your pain.
Then, there are your fellow fan(atic)s. Whether it’s your first match or your 100th, you are embraced by the warmth of other humans who care as deeply as you do about your team. You create lasting bonds as you ride the highs and lows of the match. You share an unwavering devotion to the star players, frustration with under-performers and a healthy skepticism of the motives of game officials.
You find like-minded (perhaps obsessed) individuals who share a need to sit and talk endlessly of the possible upcoming trade, rehash the minutiae of the performance, chew on the tactics (good or bad) of the manager and debate prospects for the season ahead. When the match is on, you cheer and jeer together and forget where you are. When the goals go in, you all react as one. Songs are sung, drinks are downed, and, if the score holds (and it’s a soccer match), another three points are in the bank.
This, of course, is the essence of a great neighbourhood pub at any time, but the camaraderie of sports fans torques the feeling to the top of the dial. When I can’t get to the home of my favourite teams, the Glebe Central is where I head for my sports. What a place, what a feeling!
Dave Longbottom is the majority owner of Flora Hall Brewin, and more than a little partial to Arsenal and the Boston Bruins.