Tag: Stadium

Marylebone Cricket Club

by knystrom

Today, the Sports and Globalization group traveled to the nearby Marylebone Cricket Club-Lord’s Cricket Ground to learn how to play cricket and better understand the sport’s history. This location is just a 30 minute walk from our apartments in Camden and offers some pleasant sights of London on the way. To start off our learning experience, our gracious coaches led us in some basic calisthenic drills to warm up our legs and arms. During this warm up, we performed several reaction time competitions in pairs. Next, with our partners, we played catch with a smaller version of a cricket ball in order to further warm up our throwing muscles and get to know the feel of the ball. Finally, we were able to begin bowling the ball like the professionals, incorporating a small running start as well. This eventually started a competition within each pairing to see who could hit a small cone near the middle of each person the most times in 5 minutes.

After learning the mechanics of bowling the cricket ball, we were then taught by our coaches how to hit the ball. After covering the most basic rules of cricket, our coaches broke us up into two teams and we started a match. In the match, one of the coaches pitched to all of us in order to ensure everybody had a fair chance of getting a hit. Each person on the team batted once before we switched which team was batting. During the match, several students connected on ‘sixes,’ the cricket term synonymous with a ‘home run’ in baseball. Also, there were some impressive defensive plays in the field that resulted in the batter being out. In the one of the images below, Sean lunges for an out as the second team to bat attempted to comeback from a large deficit. The game ended very close, with the first team to bat eventually winning by 5 runs.

  • One of our coaches instructs us in batting and defending the wicket
  • Sean lays out as our two teams battle in an exhibition cricket match

Upon the conclusion of the match, the group regathered itself to go on a fascinating tour of the Lord’s Cricket Grounds. On this tour, our guide sat us down on the lower level of the stands and described to us the lengthy and prestigious path to becoming a member at Marylebone, which requires several people to endorse a candidate along with a waiting period of over a decade. Next, we saw the opposing team’s changing room, which was remarkable not only for its small size, but also its very aged, historic look. Along its walls were plaques to commemorate great accomplishments achieved by players at those grounds, with many of the plaques dating back to the 1800s. Our tour then concluded at the indoor museum, which happened to be the second oldest sports museum in the entire world. This room was filled with trophies from all throughout cricket’s history, including several world cup trophies.

The trip to Marylebone Cricket Club-Lord’s Cricket Ground was an enriching experience for the group due to cricket being a rather unfamiliar sport to most. Learning about England’s long history of cricket was important for understanding more about how sports have shaped the country’s history. The engaging, energetic, and kind coaches and tour guides at Marylebone made this day all the more special and one we will not soon forget.

  • The gang stands for a picture in the historic Lord’s Cricket Ground

Learning About Arsenal with Simon Inglis

by knystrom

The sport and globalization class had the opportunity to learn about the famous English football team Arsenal. We had famed Football Historian Simon Inglis talk to us about the history of football in London. We learned about the origins of football, from when it was less a sport than a community event, with goals being town landmarks. We also learned more specifically about the history of Arsenal Football Club, taking note of the difference between what they consider their heritage (like their red jerseys with white sleeves) and their actual history, which they overlook at times (like when they were mysteriously promoted to the First Division despite finishing fifth).

  • Simon going over the history of Football
  • Simon talks about the founding of The Arsenal Football Club

Mr. Inglis was very generous with his time–after talking with us for about an hour and a half, he rode the tube with us and gave us a tour of Highbury Stadium (Arsenal’s former ground, now an upscale housing complex). You can still see the old facade of the stadium, but it has been gutted other than the entrance. It is clear that the stadium was meant to stand out with its bright colors and art deco style, yet blend in to the neighborhood with its relatively low profile and proximity to other houses. It was really amazing to be standing in a place with so much history, now nothing but a group of apartments.

  • Simon, Sean, and Connor on the Tube
  • The crew and Simon on the Picadilly Line
  • The group walking from Arsenal Station to Highbury
  • Simon talking at the entrance to Highbury
  • Everyone waiting to get inside Highbury
  • Inside the entrance to Arsenal’s old stadium
  • The East Stand at Highbury, now apartments
  • The West Stand at Highbury, now apartments
  • The rear entrance to Higbury, set in amongst all the other houses

Next, we went and ate at a small cafe, a traditional thing for fans to do before a game. The atmosphere was certainly a bit mediocre, but the food was cheap, hot, and tasty, the perfect combo for a fan looking to warm themselves up for a cold-weather match. The owners were kind and churned out our food in no time–an impressive feat considering the size of the group.

  • The cafe near Arsenal’s stadium
  • Raba waiting for a delicious meal

We capped the day off with a tour of the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal’s current home. We got to see the director’s entrance, the executive suite and restaurant, the owner’s box, the players’ dressing rooms (both home and away), the trophy case, and even a pitch-side view! Needless to say we had fun, and occasional tidbits from Simon made the experience far better than the average tour. All in all, it was an exciting day!

  • The gang walks across the bridge to the Emirates
  • Ian pretends he is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but he knows he could never be as fast
  • Simon shares some more knowledge on the steps to the Emirates
  • Viewing the Emirates up close
  • The Emirates Stadium