England can be described as the birthplace of football. Likewise, its capital city of London can be considered as the worldwide football capital. In fact, there are about seventeen football clubs based in London. These are located in different parts of the English capital and play in the Premier League, Championship, and League One.

At the moment, there are seven football clubs playing in the English Premier League which are based in London:

Other London football clubs that play in lower divisions include Fulham, which on a number of occasions played in the Premier League; Millwall the south London team mostly known for the aggressiveness of its supporters. Their chanting “…we are Millwall and nobody likes us” sums it all up. Queens Park Rangers located in the Western part of London and who have also had their share of playing at the top level of English football; Charlton Athletic who’s football history indicates some glory days at Premiership level; AFC Wimbledon coming from an area of London better known for the renowned tennis tournament.

There are other London-based football clubs like LeytonOrient, Sutton United, Barnet, Bromley, Dagenham, and Redbridge and Wealdstone.

When it comes to choosing which football team to support, Londoners and other football fans are spoilt for choice. Some say that when you are young it is important to reflect carefully on which football team you want to follow and support. The decision you make on which team to support becomes part of your life. He/she will carry the joys and disappointments of the club; check out the results of the team every Sunday morning or make time to go to the stadium every Saturday afternoon; follow the transfer market and have your own opinion on which new players should be brought in or which coach or manager should be recruited to ensure success for the coming season; discuss the team and players with friends over a pint or two of beer make sure that opposing supporters are hashed down as soon as the referee blows the whistle to start the game and; be the first one to defend the team when the ongoings are not so bright. These combined elements will form what is called a truly loyal supporter whose love for the game and the favorite team will never diminish.

Will joy in triumph and will feel down when the team loses but the urge to do better next time will still be there and still burning inside oneself to continue to support the team at the next game.

Londoners have a feast when it comes to football derbies. Arsenal against Tottenham Hotspurs brings out the rivalry between the two clubs that traces its inception when Arsenal moved their location and base to Highbury in 1913. Chelsea against Arsenal. The football rivalry between these two giants of English football goes beyond the boundary of London. Neither side of supporters are welcome to support their team when playing at Stamford Bridge or the Emirates Stadium. Chelsea versus Tottenham Hotspurs. Both batches of supporters are not exactly friends and losing to one another is not cherished by the losing side. Millwall against West Ham United at London Stadium is one of the oldest and most intense of London’s football derbies. Supporters of these respective clubs are not known for the traditional English cliché of sportsmanship. For them, the derby seems like a matter of life and death and on occasions, they see it appropriate to fight for their club. Background historical check indicates that Millwall and West Ham United were founded by dockers and this can resonate with the behavior of their supporters.

Football derbies are real and unique football rivalries. They provide the necessary adrenaline for supporters; raise the blood pressure levels and provide more than normal high vocal decibels. All these ingredients combined together lead to a perfect recipe for trouble on the stands, outside the football grounds as well as hard tackles on the football pitch.

Defusing such situations is imperative not only to keep the public order but most importantly for football supporters to have respect towards each other, keeping their urges to acceptable limits and this also applies to the footballers on the pitch. The positive behavior will surely enhance the name of the game as well as the name of the country. Intense football games should serve as a window of opportunity to promote the clubs and country rather than creating a bad image for both.

Board directors and coaching staff have a leading role to defuse any pre-match squabbling between respective supporters. The media should also be more responsible and evaluate carefully what is printed to ensure that it does not fuel any tensions between opposing supporters. But most of all supporters need to be more tolerant and realize that behaving badly will not procure the desired results. On the contrary, it may tarnish the club’s reputation and inflict penalties on themselves and the football club they support.

Although nowadays the game of football has evolved into a business structure with all the money involved to pay high salaries to players and coaching staff; money involved in the transfer market and the advertising campaigns, football still basically remains a means of entertainment to the public in general. Whether physically attending stadiums to watch your favorite team watching the game from the comfort of your home, football provides joys, excitement, and sometimes disappointments. It’s all part of the sport. To ensure safety and enjoyment supporters need to rise above their somewhat animalistic urges and support their team in a civilized manner.

In the meantime, football continues to go on, with spectators, fans and punters all welcome to the stadium. If that fails and your favorite footie team is not playing this coming weekend, how about visiting the Black Magic casino online for some casino fun, lotto, live racing events, or even virtual sports without restrictions? The gambling world is your oyster, and you are invited to indulge.