My non-linear path to football history - Pt. 2

I mentioned a little while back that for the last few months I have been religiously listening to the World Soccer Daily podcast. Stephen and Kenny are funny dudes and although some of their regular callers are completely useless, for the most part their insight and commentary is really dead on. Being a Canadian who definitely hasn't followed football their entire life, it's as if I've traded off the hockey call-in show for football. The show is based in the U.S. so there are many callers who are new to the game, or are like myself and picked it up later on in life. So if you aren't born into the game, what team do you follow? Again, I draw a parallel to hockey where growing up in Toronto it's almost a given you are a die-hard Leafs fan through thick and thin - and I lived and breathed Leafs through the 80s. I can even remember crying every year they lost in the playoffs (ok when I was seven!!). It wasn't until during the '94 World Cup that I really saw, or better, started to appreciate "the beautiful game". I followed the internationals but of course there had to be a domestic league and team to call your own. I've heard Stephen Cohen say on more than on occasion - your team picks you. Who is it that makes you want to stand up and yell at the TV screen? Or makes you want to fly across the ocean to see just one game live?

There is more than one layer to this blog referring to "red". It's TFC, Team Canada, but also the team that I was drawn to was Liverpool. I can't really think what it was that made me pick them though. It might have been Fowler, Owen, the UEFA cup win in the late 90s. Something about Liverpool and the Reds, their passion, I couldn't help but think "this is the team, this is my team."



Now if you read Pt. 1 of this 13 part series you'll know one part of my family history, and that is on my mother's side, going back to my great grandfather is Jamaican. My father's side is a bit of a different story. I don't really know the details beyond my grandfather, who was born in Canada. My last name is Clarke so I just assume it's British. This week my mother received an email from ... My Grandfather's sister's son - I have no idea who that is to me, some sort of cousin I guess. He is researching our family tree and forwarded his findings with regards to the Clarke name, of which I am the final male (OH THE PRESSURE!!!).

It turns out that my great, great grandfather John Clarke was born in 1841, was a police constable and lived his entire life in ... LIVERPOOL. Holy shit! My great grandfather James Henry Clarke, was born in Liverpool in the 1890s and also lived there until he immigrated to Canada around 1920. This means the Clarke's were in Liverpool upon the founding of Liverpool FC, which happened in 1892 when Everton FC refused to pay the lease increase on Anfield and moved to Goodison Park. Thus Liverpool FC was formed. If I have my way there is no doubt that John and little James Henry were no doubt original Liverpool FC supporters and would be proud to know that generations later across the ocean their great, great grandson has continued the family line of being a proud scouser. (And no, I am not entertaining any thoughts they might have supported Everton, there is just no way!)

Wow, even though Stephen HATES Liverpool I think there might be one exception in this case based on his mantra that "you don't pick your team, your team picks you!"

COME ON YOU REDS!