Teaching Ideas

Though it’s hard to believe not everyone is a fan of football. In the first of our series of interviews with people who just don’t like the game, Alan from Scotland tells us why a 5-4 ‘thriller’ left him completely bored. Listen here to the interview. To help you understand there are some comprehension questions, as well as a vocabulary list containing the words in bold at the foot of this post.

DF: So continuing in our series of people who just don’t like football we have Alan. How are you doing Alan?

Alan: Very well thank you.

DF: Alan, can you tell us where you are from?

Alan: From Scotland.

DF: And tell us why don’t you like football?

Alan: It’s a completely pointless game. What is the point of seeing 22 grown men running around a field kicking a ball into a net and being happy about it? I really don’t get that, now that’s a superficial reason. There’s a deeper reason to it as well, it’s like, you… you have these teams that represent cities and they’re all saying ‘my city’s better than your city or my area is better than your area’. It’s kind of like the old ancient argument of ‘our women are more beautiful than your women’. It’s just stupid, pointless, boyish, rubbish.

DF: So Alan, have you ever seen a game live? Have you ever been to a stadium to watch a game?

Alan: Once.

DF: Can you remember who was playing?

Alan: I petitioned my father, he didn’t want to take me because he knew that I didn’t like the game but I wanted to go with my dad and see a football match just for the hell of it when I was a young kid, I was probably less than 10 years old I think, about 9, 8 or 9. He took me to Aberdeen versus Celtic. Now, at the time Aberdeen was a very big team in Scotland and Celtic still is. The score was 5-4. I was pleading to go home at half-time because I thought it was incredibly boring and I really didn’t understand what the big fuss was about and this thing called ’scoring goals’, which as far as I could see was some little man on a pitch hitting a ball into a net at some point and I really didn’t find that that was very interesting.

DF: So do you think in the future there’s any chance of you returning to watch another game of football?

Alan: Absolutely none.

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Comprehension Questions

Listen here to the interview


1. Where is Alan from?

2. Alan uses 4 adjectives to describe football. What are they?

3. What age was he when he went to see his first game?

4. Which two teams were involved and what was the final score?

5. Aberdeen are no longer a big team in Scotland. True or False

6. What was Alan doing at half-time in the game?

7. Why?

8. Will Alan ever go and watch another game again?

Answers below

Vocabulary

Pointless: Having no reason to it, no point, can’t understand why

I really don’t get that: I just don’t understand it

Superficial: Not deep

Represent: To play or perform for a particular area (He represented England on 25 occasions)
Ancient: Extremely old, from very earlier times

Live: To be physically at the game, watch the game in the stadium

Petitioned: Asked (suggestions here that he asked quite a lot)

Just for the hell of it: No real reason just decided to go or do something

Pleading: Begging, really asking to do something

Didn’t understand what the big fuss was about: He didn’t know why everyone was talking about the game (why people were excited with football)

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Answers

1. Where is Alan from?
Scotland
2. Alan uses 4 adjectives to describe football. What are they?
stupid, pointless, boyish, rubbish.
3. What age was he when he went to see his first game?
About 8 or 9
4. Which two teams were involved and what was the final score?
Aberdeen versus Celtic 5-4
5. Aberdeen are no longer a big team in Scotland. True or False
True. ‘Aberdeen was a very big team in Scotland and Celtic still is’ which suggests that Aberdeen no longer are a big side
6. What was Alan doing at half-time in the game?
Pleading with his dad to go home
7. Why?
Because he thought it was so boring
8. Will Alan ever go and watch another game again?
No