If you are part of the rapidly increasing number of Americans getting interested in soccer in recent years, you may find yourself wanting more and more of this glorious sport. However, you may also encounter an unexpected issue – what to do during the off-season? Not only that, but what is there to do during those dreaded extended international breaks or on the weekdays between games?
These can seem like insignificant issues, and they technically are, but what good is a hobby if you can’t enjoy it when you want to? So, here are eight suggestions for all the new soccer fans wondering what more there is to being a soccer fan.
1 – Look Into Other Leagues and Teams
Major League Soccer (MLS) is getting more competitive and fun year after year. However, there are plenty of other incredible leagues to enjoy too! The English Premier League and the various cup competitions surrounding it are the obvious go-to for English-speaking people. In fact, the lower English divisions, such as the Championship or League One, are also extremely competitive and fun to follow.
Outside of that, Europe’s other major leagues include Spain’s La Liga, Italy’s Seria A, Germany’s Bundesliga, and France’s Ligue 1. Liga Portugal is incredibly entertaining and competitive too, while the Netherlands’ Eredivisie has some of Europe’s brightest young teams and best academies.
Moreover, if you’re following European football, you have to check out the Champions League and the Europa League, as these two continental competitions include the best teams from all European countries. Meanwhile, South American football is also fantastic and has the added benefit of being in the same time zone as the US, which makes it much easier to follow live.
2 – Don’t Miss the News
One of the great things about a sport as popular worldwide as soccer is that once you start getting into it, there is exciting news to follow daily. Even during the two-month summer break in years with no World Cup or Continental Cups, the transfer news alone can be more exciting than many other sports.
3 – Try Playing Soccer Yourself
You don’t need to have the talent of Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappé to have fun with a soccer ball. Millions of fans love playing with friends or co-workers every other weekend or weeknight. Even if you don’t have other soccer enthusiasts in your circle of friends, chances are that there is a fan club or an amateur team nearby, and those are always looking for new recruits.
4 – Join a Fan Club
Even if you don’t feel like playing in the park, joining a fan club can still be incredibly fun. It’s a great place to meet new people, talk about the sport you love, watch matches together, and more.
5 – Play Fantasy Soccer
Just as many American football fans love playing fantasy football, many soccer fans play fantasy soccer too. (It’s also called fantasy football for apparent reasons, but we’ll call it fantasy soccer here). Not only is this a fun side hobby in and of itself, but it also enhances your enjoyment of the sport. Joining a fantasy league helps you learn more about the teams and players, and it naturally makes you more invested in the games because they will affect your success in your fantasy league.
6 – Give Sports Betting a Shot
Sports betting is technically gambling, but it is the type of gambling that can be safe and profitable if you know what you are doing. Yes, there is always a risk, but there are ways to ensure you win overall in the long run. To do that, however, you would need to know the sport very well and be ready to invest a fair bit of research.
Where you play matters considerably too, as different sportsbooks offer different odds for different games. Today’s most popular sportsbooks for soccer betting are DraftKings, BetMGM, Caesars, FanDuel, and Bet365S. However, most online casinos also offer sports betting today, as the hobby is quickly gaining popularity. For example, Hacksaw is a premium supplier of slots, scratchcards, and instant win games, but you can also find great sports betting options in Hacksaw casinos.
Millions of people nowadays engage in sports betting, and most do it on a safe and small scale, just for the fun of it. Even if you’re not willing to put in the time to make it a consistently profitable hobby, it’s still an excellent way to enhance your enjoyment of the sport itself, as it has a similar effect to that of fantasy soccer leagues – it just makes you even more invested in particular matches and the sport as a whole.
7 – Enjoy the Endless Soccer-Related Content Out There
If you have only recently become a soccer fan, chances are that watching Ted Lasso had something to do with it. If not, that is probably the first thing you should go and watch while you wait for next weekend’s games.
However, the hilarious Apple TV+ dramedy is far from the only great soccer-related content out there. There are dozens of great movies and TV shows about soccer, including many must-see documentaries. The soccer vlogging scene is also vast and offers plenty of entertainment between games.
8 – Try a FIFA Game
The FIFA video game series by EA Sports is the other big media franchise that has been drawing people into soccer for years since the first FIFA game, which came out in 1993. With 30 titles in the franchise since then, FIFA is an incredible marketing tool for the sport as a whole and an awesome game to play if you already love the sport. There are many other soccer video games, but FIFA is by far the most popular one.
We are confident there are other great entertainment options for soccer fans, but the above eight are the first things we suggest to any new fan looking for ways to have fun and engage with the hobby.