On a recent Sunday morning, the human sea of red at Hendoc's Pub watched in disbelief as an Arsenal FC forward put an early penalty kick straight into the hands of the Liverpool goalie. The collective groan that followed had barely subsided when, 69 seconds later, the crowd erupted in jubilation as the ball found the back of the net off the same player's foot. And, just like that, Theo Walcott - a veteran of the English Premier League, with probably the top professional soccer competition worldwide - went from goat to hero.

On a recent Sunday morning, the human sea of red at Hendoc's Pub watched in disbelief as an Arsenal FC forward put an early penalty kick straight into the hands of the Liverpool goalie.

The collective groan that followed had barely subsided when, 69 seconds later, the crowd erupted in jubilation as the ball found the back of the net off the same player's foot.

And, just like that, Theo Walcott - a veteran of the English Premier League, with probably the top professional soccer competition worldwide - went from goat to hero.

The fans at the University District bar shared hugs and high-fives, in some cases turning strangers into fast friends: Tyler Kendall kissed his girlfriend as well as fellow Arsenal supporter Kelsey Wooster.

Then came the celebratory shots of alcohol - at hardly past 11 a.m.

Arsenal had just scored its first goal of the season - a moment anticipated by the 70-some fans at Hendoc's since May, at the end of the 2015-16 campaign.

Such scenes have become increasingly common throughout central Ohio during the Premier League season, with large, raucous watch parties playing out at a host of hot spots.

Not so long ago, Columbus-area soccer fans counted themselves lucky just to find a match with a favorite club being shown at a pub.

Yet much has changed since 2013, largely because of a massive TV deal between the league and NBC Sports, and because of the reach of social media.

Roughly half of the 20 clubs in the league have fan groups in the area - including the Columbus Gooners, who meet at Hendoc's to support Arsenal.

Dues-paying members interact through fan websites and gather weekly at "home bases" to cheer in unison for teams that play across the Atlantic Ocean.

"It's definitely grown in the last year," said Kendall, an Arsenal fan since his teen years.

"There's more connectivity with social media. You know where to meet up."

Plus, the 27-year-old said, the atmosphere proves energizing, especially on weekend mornings - when, thanks to the five-hour difference between Ohio and England, most of the league plays.

Indeed, by 9:30 a.m. Aug. 13, Zauber Brewing Co. near Grandview Heights was almost packed with fans of Tottenham Hotspur FC.

The sight "flabbergasted" Kris Landis, who in previous years had watched Tottenham mostly at home by himself.

"Oh, my gosh," the 27-year-old said. "To see 70 people here - it took my breath away."

Like other Premier League followers, he figured that the area had other Tottenham fans; he just didn't know how to find them.

Until now.

Several years after Sean Cahill began trying to organize a fan group with other Tottenham die-hards, the results of their persistence are finally being seen.

They drew a high of 35 fans last season for a match. In the spring, the Columbus Spurs officially became a chartered "supporters group"; they named Zauber their choice viewing spot.

"Everyone here is in their kits (jerseys) roaming around in all their glory," said the Dublin resident, 35. "To be surrounded by your own, you can celebrate together, hurt together."

Although members of the Spurs took up virtually the entire bar, a dozen fans of the opposing club, Everton, posted up - loudly - in a corner.

"Everton is the greatest club in the world," said Harry Watson, who proceeded to poke fun at a Spurs leader who ordered a mimosa instead of a beer.

The 28-year-old belongs to the Columbus Toffees - an offshoot of the official statewide fan group, with 154 members.

Like most other fans of Premier League clubs, the resident of the Clintonville neighborhood has his reasons for supporting the team he does, even though he doesn't have any personal ties to it.

Watson, besides being drawn to its history as one of the eight original league members, also watched a favorite player join Everton - former U.S. goalie Tim Howard, who spent a decade with the club.

"Your week might have sucked, but, when Everton is on and winning, I get to hang out with these dudes," he said. "There is nothing else (beyond the Premier League) that creates this sort of community, yet it is still obscure to a lot of people in the state."

Matches enjoyed with organized groups also allows fan-club members to take part in the global culture of soccer.

The Ohio Blues, supporters of Chelsea, have received Christmas cards in years past from their counterparts in England, according to member Kristin Tucker.

The group, founded in 2008, is among the more established.

A week ago, Tucker gathered with 15 others at Fado Irish Pub at Easton Town Center to catch the Chelsea match against West Ham United.

Because of the 3 p.m. weekday start, she said, the crowd was thinner than usual.

Around the bar, just out of sight of the Chelsea fans, four men dressed in maroon and baby blue sat flanked by two large West Ham flags.

Kevin Grimm has favored West Ham since 1997, when he attended his first Premier League match between the club and Liverpool. In recent years, he began to envy members of fan clubs with a foothold in central Ohio.

"At Hendoc's, there was Arsenal stuff all over and the owner opens super-early," said the Italian Village resident, 50. "I'd go there with my buddy and watch Arsenal, but I wanted to watch West Ham like that."

Toward the end of last season, he filed paperwork with West Ham to become an official fan group - which he has dubbed Columbus E13 (a reference to the postal code of the club's original stadium).

Groups such as Columbus E13, among other benefits, provide access to match tickets, create locally inspired merchandise and plan trips to follow the team.

Somer Mager helped start the Columbus Gooners three years ago to organize the large group already found regularly at Hendoc's.

Though married to a British man and Manchester United fan, she has proudly supported Arsenal for 15 years.

So, during the first weekend of the season, husband Shaun Taylor watched his team earlier in the day before the couple hit Hendoc's with their 2-year-old daughter - decked out in an Arsenal mini-jersey.

"There's a total mix of people," said Mager, 36. "People will walk in and not know anything about it - just that this bar is open. We get a lot of international students from OSU. Or there are people like me who have been fans their entire lives.

"You're talking 7:30, 8 on weekend mornings. That's pretty cool, and it's not even for Ohio State football."

Premier League clubs with supporters groups in central Ohio:

• Arsenal: @614Gooners, columbusgooners@gmail.com

• Bournemouth: @OhioCherries, theohiocherries@yahoo.com

• Chelsea: @OhioChelsea, nathan.haas@gmail.com

• Crystal Palace: Central Ohio Crystal Palace Supporters on Facebook

• Everton: @Ohio_Toffees, Columbus Toffees on Facebook

• Liverpool: the Columbus Kop on Facebook

• Manchester United: Columbus Red Devils on Facebook

• Sunderland: www.safcnasa.com/nasa-regions.html, jgarde3@columbus.rr.com

• Tottenham Hotspur: columbusspurs.com, @ColumbusSpurs

• West Ham United: Columbus E13 on Facebook, djkevykev@gmail.com

Source: internet research





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@AllisonAWard