THERE WAS A time quite recently when some of us surely started to believe there would be football on our TV screens everyday forevermore.
Go tobann! It was gone, and we had to start ‘doing other things’, apparently.
But there will be only a few more days of this New New Normal. On Friday, we must all retreat into isolation once more, annexing our living rooms and meeting nobody in person for several weeks — for there is no vaccine for Euros Fever.
But we’ll give you plenty with which you can scratch the itch during those rare hours over the coming month when you’re not glued to the football.
We’ve already launched our Euros WhatsApp group, a forum in which our members can discuss all of the tournament’s goings-on among themselves and also with our journalists. Later in the week, we’ll give you the details on our Euros fantasy football league, including the prize for the winner.
Members and non-members alike should keep an eye out for all of our preview pieces over the coming days, including long reads with legendary Boys in Green kitman Charlie O’Leary; the Irishman in the Wales camp, the Chris-Armstrong-to-Ireland saga and everything you need to know ahead of the tournament.
Plus: as you might have seen announced last week, the great James Richardson will join Gavin Cooney (also great in his own way) on Thursday, the eve of the tournament, for a live recording of Behind The Lines in front of a Zoom audience of The42 members.
Top of the agenda will be James’ time presenting Channel 4’s ground-breaking, live Serie A coverage in the ’90s and the much-loved and hugely influential Gazzetta Football Italia.
We’ll also chat about podcasting and his many years at the seminal Guardian Football Weekly, his decision to strike out with the Totally Football Show, his thoughts on the Euros and his work with BT Sport.
Like our recent members’ event with ESPN’s Wright Thompson, we’ll also open the floor and camera to you and, as always, we’ll give away a nice prize for the best question.
Earlier in the week, of course, we’ll have Rugby Weekly Extra with Murray Kinsella and performance analyst and coach Eoin Toolan who will look back on the action that tickled their fancy in both hemispheres over the weekend. That one will land on member’s phones early on Tuesday.
And on Thursday, hours before we catch up with ‘AC Jimbo’, GAA Weekly will return with Maurice Brosnan, Kevin O’Brien and Kerry legend Marc Ó Sé sussing out the league weekend ahead and much more.
We’ll also have our usual Insiders newsletters throughout the week.
Members should dig into the archives of Bylines, too: our new writing initiative in which we commission exclusive sports essays from some of our favourite authors. Previous contributors include Donal Ryan, Rachael English and Eimear Ryan while ‘The Sugar Factory’ by the brilliant Dave Tynan is the most recent addition to the collection.
A reminder that The42 Membership — and all of these great benefits — costs just €42 a year (or 12 cent a day, if you prefer to look at it that way). Monthly memberships are also available for €5 a month. You can join us here to support our independent sports journalism. Catch you during the week.
