Unlike our men’s football team, our anglers are picking up some silverware.
Here are 10 further reasons why fishing beats the beautiful game, hands down!
1 - Everyone can fish, young or old
While the average professional footballer is past their sell by date at 34, class is truly permanent in angling. In how many other sports can a 70-year-old and an 18-year-old compete on a more or less even footing? Fishing rewards experience rather than pace or strength, which is a great thing for longevity.
2 - No play-acting
Unlike professional footballers, our top match anglers never pretend to be hurt, or constantly argue with officials. You’ll never see Jamie Hughes or Andy Power squirming around in agony because they chipped a fingernail or lost
a fish at the net.
3 - Fishing is amazing value!
From a fan’s perspective, fishing offers far better value than football. Even a £10 day ticket gives you a whole day out, compared to several times that for just 90 minutes.
And that’s not even taking into account buying food and drink, as the price of a fishery fry-up wouldn’t get you a pint at most Premier League grounds!
4 - No VAR
Big fishing events never get called to a grinding halt while officials debate whether someone was offside by a toenail. You’ll never see the FeederMasters final bought to a complete standstill while the organiser announces: “Sorry lads, you’re all going to have to reel in for 10 minutes while we check Steve Ringer’s hooklength.”
5 - The stars are closer to the public
These days, multi-millionaire footy players buy mansions and enjoy lives that seem pretty remote to most fans and amateur players. Not so in fishing, where you could easily find yourself on the same riverbank as Martin Bowler or pegged next to a living legend in an open match. Good luck organising a kickabout with Kevin de Bruyne or Mohammed Salah.
6 - Lower hooligan element
Okay, so on occasion an angler might have had too much to drink on an overnighter. However, there’s absolutely no risk of getting beaten senseless by a tribe of Barnsley Black Ultras on the way to fish Lindholme. Similarly, no angler ever got into a tangle only to be jeered by a chorus of forty thousand singing “you don’t know what you’re doing,” or “you’re **** and you know you are!”
7 - The underdogs can win and success isn’t simply bought
Sponsored teams and anglers have something of an advantage in fishing, granted. Anyone can use the same bait and tackle as the experts, however, while the underdog always has a sniff. Middle Eastern despots or debt-ridden Americans don’t buy angling clubs as playthings, while the sport’s top trophies have been won by complete outsiders.
8 - Less foul play
Besides Oscar-winning play-acting, footballers carry out some pretty dastardly fouls. Ex pros toe-curlingly refer to the most cynical offences as “professional fouls” or even “game management”. To our knowledge, nobody has ever pulled Bob Nudd’s shirt or elbowed him in the face to prevent him landing a skimmer.
9 - Angling connects us to nature
God help anyone whose idea of the great outdoors is a stadium full of crazed footy fans. While those who fish get to see kingfishers, deer and dragonflies, there’s not a great variety of flora and fauna at the football. And no, we’re not counting the Anfield Cat or Highbury Squirrel. Angling puts us in touch with wildlife, as opposed to just a bunch of animals.
10 - Fishing is way better for stress levels!
The ultimate clincher has to be angling’s huge benefit to our stress levels and general mental health. When was the last time you saw your favourite football team lose 4-0, only for the bloke next to you to declare that everything was all right with the world and that “just being there” was enough?
