Category: Fun & Games

Football fans who have dreamed of supporting their club financially but never had the clout may finally have the answer – or at least the question.

Supporter Arena is a new football quiz game launched on Facebook that gives supporters the chance to earn real money for their chosen club while competing with each other in rival leagues.

It is a simple but ingenious concept, devised by a development company in Sweden but launched in the UK in order to tap into the world’s most passionate fans.

“We are very excited at the prospect of helping clubs of all sizes at a time when they need it most,” said Stuart Roach, managing director of Supporter Arena Limited.

He added: “The reaction we have had from fans is very encouraging. They love playing the quizzes and are desperate to tackle each other head on to flex their muscles and prove whose fans are the best. Most importantly, they are telling us what they want from the game and what they expect to see. Our launch app is a Beta version and we want to be as open source as possible to create an application the fans want to use.”

Supporter Arena allows fans to play fun football quizzes and earn points which collectively move their chosen club up their league table. Correct answers also earn the user Arena Dollars, which can be used to create a virtual stadium in their favourite club’s colours and packed with enough fans and facilities to make their rival users green with envy.

What’s more, when supporters play sponsored quizzes, they earn real money for their chosen club, creating potentially lucrative new revenue streams for those clubs.

“The feedback in Sweden has been remarkable and it’s clear there is an appetite amongst fans to become true supporters of their club,” said Roach, a former senior product manager with BBC Sport interactive.

He added: “They also want something more socially stimulating from gaming and a sense of social worth, so engaging with something that is socially responsible and raises money for clubs or communities is appealing. This app is unique and it gives fans who cannot regularly attend games to support their club financially, without spending a penny.”

Supporter Arena launched in the UK on Monday 1st November 2010. The game is currently only available on Facebook, though an iPhone app will be launched later this month.

Play Supporter Arena now

News of Wayne Rooney’s decision to leave Manchester United, the court ruling that Liverpool Football Club could be sold from beneath the feet of its owners and Gordon Strachan walking out on Middlesbrough reminded me of that often used Jimmy Greave’s expression ‘It’s a funny old game.’

Perhaps we football fans take it all far to seriously, but we all have our own ideas about how our football club should be run, who we should buy and sell and how we would motivate the players if we were in charge.

So thank god for Football Manager 2011, the latest and greatest edition of the top selling game that promises even more realistic drama with its latest features.

Incredibly this edition includes such things as real-time contract negotiations for more realistic dealings with agents, a new set-piece creator, and a completely overhauled training system.

Football Manager 2011 will be in the shops from November 5th but Mirror Football readers will have access to the game before anyone else on Thursday October 21st.

Fans are invited to visit the Mirror Football website on Thursday to claim their free download code and start enjoying the game long before its official release.

Take advantage of this special offer and start running own your club in the way that you feel fit, if you are a United fan you will probably be more concerned about finding a replacement for Wayne Rooney than trying to talk him into signing a new contract.

Or maybe you feel that a couple of hours of the ‘hair dryer’ treatment might bring him to his senses. Either way, with Football Manager you are in charge and the decisions are yours and yours alone.

If that sounds to real for you, maybe the Mirror Football Goals will be more up your street, a free facebook fantasy five-a-side game in association with Renault that allows you to pick a team, set up a mini league and invite your mates to join.

Be sure to take advantage of this exclusive offer and get Football Manager in advance with Mirror Football tomorrow, Thursday October 21st.

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When online betting first appeared and in so doing took over from the tedium of queuing at the bookies’ high street premises, a venue that certainly didn’t appeal to everyone, fascination with football betting soared. To make the experience even more accessible, internet-enabled TV entered the fray. For a great many football fans, online sportsbetting becomes a natural extension of the match-viewing experience.

Betting is a multi-faceted business, and it is quite possible to pay for tips and forecasts. Luckily for the novice –  like-minded amateurs happy to pass on their tips and strategies for free abound on the internet. Those that are hosted by true devotees of football and of the extraordinary vagaries among the results to merge each week are the best bet!

Sometimes by reading bloggers on the web such as ‘English Football’ blog, ‘Footieblogblog’ and ‘Caughtoffside’, to name but a few, you can pick up helpful nuggets of information. Most such sites are primarily the personal blogs of straightforward diehard football fans.

Of course, what betting is about is probability. The mathematical mind is the best one when it comes to weighing up just how likely a specified outcome is. It is bookmakers who calculate what odd to offer, and these, naturally enough, are slanted to benefit the bookies.  As a punter it is not your job to work out odds, but it helps greatly if you can read them intelligently in order to spot the more favourable ones. Many online sports betting websites offer free help with this.

The exciting thing of course is the fact that odds alter over time (as the match approaches) with the fluctuating behaviour of punters as they put on their bets, which is why the timing of bets is so crucial, and nail-biting! Never lose sight of luck’s part in the nerve-racking process and try hard to keep the fun factor in focus – and don’t lose your shirt!