[Archived] Supporters from outside England, how do you maintain your support and love of the club?

[Cowan]

Serious question.

The championship isn't shown on TV over here unless you fork out an extra big handful of cash and even then you're not guaranteed to see Rovers play. I've been going by live text updates and I'm becoming increasingly frustrated. I watch the EPL matches because they're all on TV and I support my local club who also have their matches shown on TV.

I come on this forum a few times a week and I'll read news articles and such, but I've never felt so disconnected from the club before and reading the news/posts about the club tends to just frustrate me.

[eire3382]

Serious question.

The championship isn't shown on TV over here unless you fork out an extra big handful of cash and even then you're not guaranteed to see Rovers play. I've been going by live text updates and I'm becoming increasingly frustrated. I watch the EPL matches because they're all on TV and I support my local club who also have their matches shown on TV.

I come on this forum a few times a week and I'll read news articles and such, but I've never felt so disconnected from the club before and reading the news/posts about the club tends to just frustrate me.

It all depends where you are really. In Ireland we probably have as much exposure to the championship as those in England do. So no real issue maintaining support due to that. More an issue due to owners etc.

[BooyakaSha]

Betfred show the live matches in some countries I believe. Worth checking out at least.

My understanding is all matches are televised but not shown due to licensing etc. But I hear Venkys get to watch every match even in India so they must be showing somewhere.

Also Rovers Player shows the matches afterwards now I hear, not great but better than nothing if you're starved of watching the games.

[chor808]

Move back to the UK I did!

Last year was very hard trying to listen to the hopeless comentry on radio rovers. I used to plan trips back around home games so I could at least see a couple a year. It really gets to me when people online comment that because you don't live near by or have a season ticket it does not matter as much to you, I think it matter more and relegation was a massive hit for me. I had access to every EPL game live onlive (legal) for about 8 pounds a month then to drop down a level and nothing just radio rovers.

Remote fans have it just as bad!

Back now in the UK no regrets and season ticket in the Riverside.

[oreilly]

Coming from Ireland I try to get to a couple games a year but its a costly excursion when you factor a weekend full of gargle etc.

Other than that there is the weekly job of looking for links of the matches online, reading boards like this, whatever highlights you can get and match reports. Playing in the Championship has been a tough going though on that front

[Mafioso]

Im maltese with no connection to blackburn whatsoever. IMO it was tougher last time we were relegated. The only matches I saw in those 2 seasons were beating Liverpool in the fa cup and losing 3-1 or 3-0 to Arsenal. Limited internet access (and slow).

my coverage was so limited I actually got Ostenstad 10 printed on the back of an, albeit fake, navy blue and red kit, thinking he was good.

[speeeeeeedie]

My Rovers interaction is now confined to this website. I don't read the LET Rovers stories, and I don't even bother checking the score on my phone during games anymore.

When we were in the Premier League I probably saw 50% of Rovers games live, spent a good bit of time on here, and the BBC. Not anymore.

BEIN sports (Al-Jazeera) offers a Championship package here in the USA but it's extra so I don't bother paying for it.

Being a Rovers fan is a bit grim at the moment.

[mode_m]

Cannot watch games here in Canada. There was a time when for paying for Setanta included Championship but since Setanta is no longer in Canada the new service that took over doesn't show Championship games.

I read this site and follow a few people on twitter for updates. I still watch Premier League but don't have a favourite at the moment.

[Mr. E]

Not being able to watch games is a bummer but not the end of the world. I've followed Rovers in the championship before. The real tragedy is Venkys.

[Brfcrule1]

Cowan this could just be your lucky day apart from buying merchandise from the online club shop you could always subscribe to Rovers player which is what I have done & cancelled sky as a Rovers player subscriber you get to see 90 minutes of every rovers game from this season they upload the 2 halfs seperately and so long as you have a broadband connection on there you have the radio commentary live from every game home and away and the complete match (video) is available on rovers player 48 hours after the game and for £4.49 per month is a complete bargain on there is all the games from the champ the complete carling cup game inc E/T & Pens & it has the full 90 mins of preseason from Wrexham,Preston,Crewe all apart from the portugal game IMO definitely worth subscribing to Rovers Player!.

[Cowan]

Im maltese with no connection to blackburn whatsoever. IMO it was tougher last time we were relegated. The only matches I saw in those 2 seasons were beating Liverpool in the fa cup and losing 3-1 or 3-0 to Arsenal. Limited internet access (and slow).

my coverage was so limited I actually got Ostenstad 10 printed on the back of an, albeit fake, navy blue and red kit, thinking he was good.

I dealt with out last relegation better, because at that time we didn't have subscription television anyway so I didn't get to see anything other than EPL highlights.

But the cause of our relegation and our current situation makes it far worse.

I also don't care for watching replays, I'd rather just read the live text updates.

[Pugg]

I live in Jersey which isn't a million miles away I know but it's still an expensive trip if I come over for the weekend. My partner's Father is buried in the same graveyard as the great Uncle Jack and everyone here knows our story through the connection with him. I've also bumped into Le Saux once in a restaurant here.

I probably find my passion for Rovers doesn't dwindle because Ive only just moved here really (a year and a half ago) and I used to have a season ticket and have grown up going to Rovers with my dad.

It is harder to watch games, especially now we are in the championship but I actually enjoy doing other things with my time now, like golf or kayaking and enjoying the sun! I don't think defeats hit me as hard anymore because I'm not there. I'll always watch Rovers if they are on Sky and I check this website daily. I will travel across at some point but unfortunately at the minute I have better things to spend £500 on than watching us get beat to Doncaster.

And before anyone says it yes I know you should support your team through losses etc and i do, but when your finances are limited its harder to justify making a trip.

[McClarky]

Best way to maintain your love for the club? Don't watch any current games, they are usually sad and depressing, ignore any news reports for the same reason. Just watch DVDs and YouTube clips of our past glories whilst drinking a large carry out. That's the best way to do it.

[tonyoz]

I like Roversplayer. Live audio commentary by guys who know something about Blackburn Rovers - except I have to stay up real late! And I love the full match replays. It all depends what you're looking for I guess. There are ways of watching any televised games live. I too cancelled my paid subscription when we were relegated.

[Stuart]

It's a good sign that our overseas supporters are cancelling subscriptions because they can't watch Rovers - as opposed to just picking another team to support.

Let's hope we can make ourselves more accessible before they lose interest completely...

[Baz]

I live in Jersey which isn't a million miles away I know but it's still an expensive trip if I come over for the weekend. My partner's Father is buried in the same graveyard as the great Uncle Jack and everyone here knows our story through the connection with him. I've also bumped into Le Saux once in a restaurant here.

I probably find my passion for Rovers doesn't dwindle because Ive only just moved here really (a year and a half ago) and I used to have a season ticket and have grown up going to Rovers with my dad.

It is harder to watch games, especially now we are in the championship but I actually enjoy doing other things with my time now, like golf or kayaking and enjoying the sun! I don't think defeats hit me as hard anymore because I'm not there. I'll always watch Rovers if they are on Sky and I check this website daily. I will travel across at some point but unfortunately at the minute I have better things to spend £500 on than watching us get beat to Doncaster.

And before anyone says it yes I know you should support your team through losses etc and i do, but when your finances are limited its harder to justify making a trip.

Could go and see Jacks other team, who play on the Island.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Tower_United_F.C.

[Cowan]

It's a good sign that our overseas supporters are cancelling subscriptions because they can't watch Rovers - as opposed to just picking another team to support.

Let's hope we can make ourselves more accessible before they lose interest completely...

It's pretty evident over here that any supporter that hasn't supported rovers for more than 10 years has jumped ship because it's too inconvenient.

[Pugg]

Yeah Baz I do

[Robin]

Here in Finland(im a swede though) ive been lucky enough to be able to watch the first two games(Derby and Carlisle) on bet365.

And i have to say that i had felt more positive before this season than previous ones, dont ask me why.

But now im almost down in the same mood as last season and its bloody hard to be positive at the moment.

A win today would help a lot!

And how do i maintain the love and the support?

Love i guess.

I would still support and follow this club if we would go down to the conference or the lower leagues.

Pity that we have idiots as owners though.

[moerpho]

I really think Football League-members should own the rights to stream their games live on the net to countries outside of Great Britain. I truly think FL-clubs would be better off this way. Make it possible to buy a matchday online ticket or something akin to a season ticket. Most clubs in the FL have fans outside of GB - even small clubs like Dagenham and Redbridge have a supporterclub here in Norway so it would probably mean I signinficant increase in income over time. Off course...FFP bla bla bla.

Now I know the clubs will have to abide by the current deal also for foreigners, but it really is poor for all teams outside the PL. Here in Norway it's TV2 that own the rights and with a rather expensive subscription I would probably get to see Rovers 4-5 times over a season. Ditto for those following a team like Wolves in League 1 (rather popular over here). I'd rather pay more if it meant I at least could see every game from Ewood live over the net.

Source: http://www.tv2.no/sport/fotball/england/premierleague/tv-2-endrer-kanaltilbudet-alt-av-engelsk-fotball-i-en-pakke-4056043.html

Upcoming games next 2 moths: http://www.tv2.no/sport/fotball/england/championship/disse-championshipkampene-sendes-paa-tv-2-3857739.html

As for following Rovers on matchday is mainly OneRovers twitter, Skysports/BBC/etc for text-updates as well as BRFCS. Will get my subscription for Rovers Player renewed sometime next month as I'm waiting for a new adsl2-line to be installed. I really really miss life in the PL and remember 4 years ago I was able to see every single league game Rovers played streamed in good quality legally for app. 10£ (100kr) a month thanks to a deal between TV2 and my ISP at the time.

[Stuart]

I'm not sure that would be in everyone's best interests morpheo but you raise an interesting point.

In the FFP era, is it fair that all clubs receive an equal share of TV money?

If Rovers have a greater international (or even national) following than, say, Yeovil, is it right that they should both receive the same money from televised games? IMHO, we should be entitled to a greater share which would add more to our coffers compared to theirs. To not do so undermines the FFP "principle" that higher numbers of supporters is a fair way to limit income.

[Steve Moss]

BEIN sports (I pay extra for it) is pretty good about showing Rovers.

When it's not on, I also go to ESPN Gamecast.

And, of course, this website.

I'm lobbying a friend of mine to put together a team of U10 boys and do one of those soccer tours of England next year. Hopefully we can get 8-10 boys interested and I'll have a chance to see the Rovers play live in 2014 (last time was in 2010). He wants to wait until they're U12 but I think there's no time like the present.

It's pretty evident over here that any supporter that hasn't supported rovers for more than 10 years has jumped ship because it's too inconvenient.

This is untrue. I think I started following the Rovers right around 2007 and I haven't jumped ship. I've watched other games, sure, but I always have (depending on who was on before and after the Rovers) and there is no emotional investment in who wins or loses.

[Atomicrover]

There's a similar topic to this on the Man Utd website except it's entitled, "To the dozen or so Supporters from Inside England how do......."

[Rovers_Dan]

Im in Australia and the rovers coverage here has been indeed been crap. Setanta have probably only shown about 5 games max since we got relegated, they are hardly ever on an internet channel either.

It's a shame as the Fox Sports coverage is exceptional and you can choose which 3pm kick off game you want to watch. I never missed a rovers game all season when we were in the premier league. Now I'm lucky to catch them once a season.

Grim! Another reason why venkys are so useless!

[BrisRover]

I'm in the same boat as you Dan. The coverage is horrible so I gave Setanta away. I even struggle to find a radio link to listen to the game online due to region restrictions.