I know a bunch of people on the boards are from the DC Metro area, and what I'm wondering is how many people would come to the bar I currently work at [Houlihans in Chantilly, VA] if it was a soccer bar on saturday/sunday match days? I'm asking because I'd like to turn it into one of those, but I'm not sure my GM will let me unless we know for certain there's some kind of desire for it. So if you live around Northern VA and want a closer football bar than DC, chime in and you just might get it! And while Arsenal are my main team to follow I do of course enjoy seeing our local boys do well so if I'm still at the bar in the summertime it'd become a United bar.
I think the Arlington folks tend to head for Summers, by the Courthouse metro. But maybe Fairfax people want something a little closer.
yea that's true, but sometimes summers does other sports don't they and football gets relegated to not being on any of the tv's? [don't know cause I have yet to go]
The games tend to be pretty early in the day. So, unless, you already have a lot of traffic in the mornings, I can't see what the problem might be. Flanagan's in Bethesda does it and they get some pretty good traffic. More than once I've driven by it wondering why so many people were lined up to get in.
As a proud resident of the beautiful burg of Annandale... I will standby my trusty Summers as soccer venue of choice...
it's off rt.28 near the Expo center, we're half connected to the gigantic Holiday Inn Select. and really in the mornings [as earlyl as the games are] we have little to no traffic so it wouldn't really be a big problem with fitting them there, and our bar is pretty decent sized [can fit probably 60-70].
The EPL is on in the morning - those games are always showcased because they always bring in big crowds. United - normally those games are showcased too. But, on very rare occasions, those games will be placed on smaller TVs or in one corner if there is a MAJOR event of some sort going on at the same time - i.e. NCAA tournament or big rivalry college FB game not on local TV. Summers does show other sports (it's a pretty big place for a sports bar), but it's known for soccer...
Loyalty is a great thing, and there's a lot of people who are going to stick with Summers, and rightly so. I salute them. Heck, the next time I'm in DC, I'm going to make sure to catch a game at Summers. But the more soccer fans we get, and we're gettting them, the more crowded places like Summers are going to get. And then they have to turn people away at the door. Especially when it comes time for USA qualifiers and even more especially World Cup matches. I know I would've liked to have someplace different to go catch the match when the George & Dragon sold out for USA World Cup matches here in Seattle. Now would be a good time to position Houlihan's as a place where you can go to watch soccer, scudly, even if this is the off year in the USA qualifying cycle. A push in that direction now might very well result in some packed houses for next year's semis, '05's hex and, of course, your GM will look absolutely brilliant when the June '06 sales reports are totaled up.
If you can get it going, let me know and I can spread the word to the SE membership (we're spread out all over the metro region and the world!) The big hurdle I see is getting your manager to spring for the satellite packages so if you can line up some guaranteed groups of people it would help (is there a DC Arsenal fan group?) K
I'd be down for Houlihan's for both Gunners and United (DC that is)! Let me know if you get it going.
I always thought Capitol Lounge was the area's Gooner/DCU bar (despite having to share it with Chelsea/ManU supporters). That's where I've been going. Chantilly is too far out for me.
Yeah, we had an Arsenal fan show up at the Capitol Lounge for the United-Portsmouth FA Cup match at 7:30 in the morning a couple of weeks ago. He cheered, etc. when Portsmouth scored, but the beauty of it was that he paid 10 bucks to watch United win.
Hey, can we help it if Pires, Henry, Bergkamp et al are really hot... It's not my fault you guys have Luke Chadwick...
The proliferation of soccer bars in Northern Virginia is underway. If you add Houlihans to Ned Devines in Fairfax and Kilroy's in Springfield, we'll have a nice area covered to get together and watch futbol. Kilroy's is pretty much committed to showing DCU games and taking care of us. Who started the Ned Devine thread? And did they commit?
My wife and I would definitely be there. We live in Reston and can't stand Ned Devine's which is the only place out our way "claiming" to carry soccer. We were actually in your place last Saturday night, if you were working, you might remember us as the fun-loving Scuba-diver group from the Outdoor Show. We got a little wild and appreciate your staff's understanding in allowing us to have such a great time. Fun place!
yes but i know that since i live near chantilly going into the city JUST to watch a game is a bit far, and i know there are some people who live our further west in manassas and whatnot where it's even tougher. and i figured i would toss it to my managers as we're not especially busy in the moornings and we're already open from 6am because we do breakfast for the hotel. also i wanted to be able to watch the matches i kept on missing because i was at work, and the satellite deal i don't believe is that much. i think this weekend i'll ask to see the listing to figure out how much it'd be. voodoo, i wasnt there last saturday night as i worked in the morning but boy did i hear stories about what happened. i was hoping for this kind of a response but wasn't sure i'd get it, but i think if i can go to my manager telling her there's at least 10-15 people looking to come watch the games she'd go for it since normally on sat/sunday's there's maybe 4 bar partrons, total. i'll keep this thread updated with info as i find it out.
Scudly, we had a GREAT time, sorry it wasn't you. Were the stories the positive variety, "what a fun bunch we had in last night...," or the "what a set of bastards last night -- rowdy, breakage (I'm hazy) and didn't tip; we'll never let them in again!" I've emailed the group that was in about the soccer possibility and the several that live out our way are interested.
heh, no it was more like a 'oh my god it was crazy last night' and then i heard more of what happened from another bartender and just laughed. i'm suprised i had as many glasses as i did in the morning if they broke nearly half as many as i heard they broke. thamlin, yea anyone's allowed in because it's a normal restaurant. plus our food's pretty darn good too.
another one appears I would be up for venues outside DC or Arlington. Lets see some kind of schedule, and see how many live up to coming out. Mike