How to combat the long dry summer of no club football

Footy fans around the country are currently staring down the barrel of a long, dry summer with no club football until August. Considering that last year we were treated to the exhilarating sporting spectacle of the 2012 London Olympic Games; this year’s football drought is going to be harder to swallow than ever before.

Alongside Olympic football matches, 2012 also saw plenty of other pivotal matches grace our football pitches. There was the European Championships, where England surprised no one by putting on a characteristically average display, then Team GB surprised and delighted everyone with an unprecedented medal haul at what many people are calling (in the UK at least) the greatest Olympic Games in history.

That’s not to mention the once-in-a-lifetime finish to the Premiership which would have been enough to last any footy fan the summer. Unfortunately there isn’t quite the same high drama this time around – so what can fans do to combat a long hot summer of no club football?

Get stuck in to the European U21 Championship

The U21 Euros may not get the same media attention as the senior competition but there is some fantastic football to watch and plenty of exciting talent on display. England crashed out at the group stages, despite coming into the competition on a sterling run, but it wouldn’t feel like a proper competition if we played with panache and plenty of goals from the start!

With transfer gossip reaching fever pitch – where it is likely to stay for most of the summer – the U21’s is a great source of speculation and excitement.

Enter a competition or two

Getting withdrawal symptoms from a lack of competitive club football? There are all sorts of competitions you can enter to get your competing fix. The Strongbow Earn It competition, for example, is throwing the gauntlet down to those brave enough to take on a range of high-pressure challenges; from facing a fast bowler at the stumps to taking a spot kick.

If the Strongbow advert for the competition doesn’t having you lining up to take part then we’re sure the take-no-prisoners professionals they’ve roped in will!

Become a transfer gossip

With no actual club football to talk about, the media is full of rumour, gossip and speculation about who’s going, who’s staying put and who’s being chased.

Not a day goes by over the summer that a new morsel of tasty gossip isn’t thrown back and forth between the back pages of various newspapers. Enter the online realms and it’s even worse. The suggestions and rumours range from the sublime to the ridiculous so why not get involved? Become a transfer gossip and share all the news and opinions you’ve collected. It’s certainly one way to pass the time!