 Welcome to Toffy TV. It is part of our overseas blue second and I'm delighted to say I'm joined by Clay from the Nashville Evertonians all the way over from Nashville to watch Evan take on Wolves on Sunday and there How are you finding it? It's it's been great. I've been here for a couple days. This is a trip We've been trying to do for I think about two years two years. We've been trying to put the group together to come over Ended up being a lot bigger group coming to the game that I was anticipating. So We've got about a dozen folks in town right now. We have another nine showing up before the match tomorrow We've had our own we're spread out. They can't put us all together obviously, but But we're all in the upper Gladys for the game on Sunday. Superb. Yeah superb So before we will go back to the game and and obviously the Nashville Evertonians in a bit but I want to know how a guy from Tennessee Nashville Support Evan and why what's your what's your origin story? Okay? Well, it's a little bit weird. So Originally I'm from Indiana. Okay, and so Love the middle by the way. Oh, yeah quality. Yeah. Yeah, and so I had moved all around I was a press officer in college sports for about 10 years and The first place that I worked in I was a student was at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana and Muncie If anybody watched Parks and Rec Muncie, it's what it's what Pawnee is based off right, okay? Which is like I don't really watch a lot of that show, but it's my favorite little piece of trivia Yeah, and while I was there the captain of Everton was Davey Weir and and this is another good piece of trivia David Weir played college soccer in America Yeah, and he played for the University of Evansville, which is a school of about 2,000 people in my hometown Directly next to the high school that I went to and when he was at Evansville. He was their all-time leading scorer He was a center forward for Evansville and he took us to the the national semifinal in 1990 and I've run into him since I've not run to Davey Weir since but I run to this person since and I told him I was like if it wasn't for you Evansville would have had a national championship and that person was a Lexi Lawless Because Lexi Lawless was the guy who shut down Davey Weir in the national semifinal and so, you know You're picking teams to follow obviously they're American ties with Everton, but you know Small school next to where I went to school like that's about as close as you can get and you know the big difference between the US and the UK in my experience and when it comes to the teams that you follow is that a lot of it comes from local pride sort of the way that we feel about colleges and So I don't really have a local team from the UK. Obviously, but I have The captain of this team was very local to me So I can kind of tie in in that way. So that's kind of what that's kind of what like flip the switch fully Okay, so when you see them at Everton and Yeah, and that was at the end of his career like he was kind of done So he was moved on to Rangers and his own run, but but yeah, like Davey Weir I mean I've got his book in my car back home On the off chance and I'm ever in Evansville and he's in Evansville. I can run it over, you know, so Yeah, just so when did you make when did you actually make that choice then? When did you or when we had chosen that would have been? Yeah, yeah, it's We had to do shirts. We had to do that, right? Got it, but That would have been probably around 2008 2007 2008 somewhere around there. So I'm out with here as well Yeah, absolutely In and I knew about you know, obviously Joe Max more had been here precky Yeah, you know what a guy. Yeah. Hey, I'm a big very big MLS guy. So so Yeah, played in MLS as well. Yeah, there's there've been lots of ties over the years and you know in the years since like Marcus Hanuman Brian McBride, we didn't even mention him. So right up. Yeah, obviously lives over there. Yeah. Yeah, he works Still works for SKC, right? Yeah. Yeah, so There's been all those ties, but the big one for me is, you know the the career defender who was the all-time leading goal scorer for the University of Evansville I mean, it is it's really interesting isn't it with the like the college sport, how It seems mad when you don't understand it. It's like certainly from the UK and then you start Understand, you know, you start learning about it. I was telling you off-camera before about a good mate of mine lives in the American Albus from Liverpool When he was at Gainesville we went up to see him, we were in Orlando and went up to see him spend a couple of days with him and He took me to the college. He took you to the club. He took me to the club. No, no, no, I don't know. It might be called the club. Yeah, yeah He took me to the American football stadium. Yeah, yeah, the club. That's what it's called. Yeah, we get we get 85 that and I was just like Sit what say they can and he was like 85,000 watching the kids when I was like when I was at university playing football and soccer football Yeah, we get like 130 people watching these like these kids these kids are like super stars and you're like He'll definitely the swamp that's what it's called He'll appreciate this shout out One of one of the guys I told you there's a couple people in my life that are Everton fans Yeah, yeah, because of like the relationship. I have one of them his name's Clyde. He's watching this He's gonna appreciate me giving him a shout out my name He used to cover LSU football and LSU they play in front of a hundred thousand every Every game and they call theirs Death Valley. So there's all kinds of good nicknames. So I remember I'd moved around a bit and so I was working in Texas and The last day that I worked for this school called Lamar We were playing at Texas A&M and I was down on the field for a football game between Lamar and Texas A&M in a hundred And I think it was a hundred five might have been a hundred and seven thousand people were at the game And to that point was the most people to ever watch a college football game in Texas And then the next day I got in a car drove to Atlanta to the new school I was gonna be working at and I had to work college soccer game the next day and So I go down there get set up we're setting up the stats and right at kickoff the coaches or right before kickoff the coaches come over to shake hands and Coach turns me and goes you're a long way from college station now, and I look over in the stands about 30 people Well, I mean what just we will get back on to yeah, but why is that with college sports? Why why is that? Is that just because it's local there's this connection because there's not a Mobile everywhere. We're losing it a little bit on the low local especially with the smaller schools I typically worked at we call them mid majors, but they're they're schools that are typically You know at most 20,000 students kind of regional basis So those schools have certainly suffered as TV has become more and more prominent fans pick up on bigger teams, but Especially for college football where I'm from college basketball is a bit much bigger deal in Indiana than than football It's the closest approximation that we would have to like Premier League following. Yeah, that's like you will not find the same level of passion Pretty much anywhere for example like University of Kentucky like they play in a 20,000 seat basketball arena It's full every every week. They have this grand history where I'm from Indiana University I grew up with it. We would go to those games packed house, I think it's 19,000 in assembly hall and The they unfortunately haven't been pretty good for a while. They won a title in 87 and it's been downhill ever since I don't know if that sounds familiar Indiana has some of it has five national titles, which is among the most in college basketball But they haven't won one since 87 and I'm just like, well, I guess I guess I really was chosen So it was about what 2,000 any can you remember that can you remember the first game you kind of watched? I can't really it so it's watching watching it now It's so different than what it than what it used to be and and I do remember I Would try and catch what was on I remember watching the FA Cup final Yeah, but like it's sort of bits and pieces because it's like oh, I got this feed that worked for 30 minutes and then And unfortunately, I remember I'm a typically a positive person But some of those early games that I remember watching one of them is that Arsenal 6-1. I think that was on And then but The funny thing is So up before Hummel between that Hummel sells big guy jerseys Yeah, they sell jerseys that fit me shirts that fit me and they the first time that they had sold shirts That fit me since I had LeCouc sportive. Okay. Now the problem with that is that when they had LeCouc sportive One of the guides that I was most excited about because he scored two just worldy goals in the same match was Jack Rodwell Against I don't even remember the name of this. It had a sugar almond. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, so for a decade I had a Jack Rodwell shirt That was all Just like I can't buy another one And they had to apologize because he didn't touch him we're still getting done now Yeah, yeah, but that was back in 2010 Yeah, like uh, but uh Yeah, while, you know, he had some he didn't exactly cover himself in glory in that Sunderland documentary And I was like, I'm gonna get questions about the Rodwell shirt Peeling it off Fortunately now Hummel's around. I have probably too many shirts When you when was the first time you you got to see Evan play them Well, the first time I saw them play in person was here several years ago I came over and did a whole run through the country. I went to nine matches in 16 days And yeah, it was yeah, it was I had some really good games and the Unfortunately the ticket that cost me the most was a scoreless draw. So but uh, the the first game I came to was boxing day in 2013 and that was Not ideal it was Everton hadn't lost a home home match in a calendar year back when things were good and uh They're facing foot of the table Sunderland about 20 minutes in Tim Howard gets a red card And Everton dominated the game just absolutely dominated the game But couldn't score and lost 1-0 and I'm like, all right So I thought I couldn't bring any bad luck and they hadn't lost or they lost It's the worst team in the league. There's that and then the only American in the side gets sent off I'm just like You were in then Yeah You were never getting out We've been never letting it out from one of the kids I used to cover when I was in Ohio Her first ever game playing against indiana goes in there a few minutes in Gives up an on goal So the coach calls her over right after she goes on goal and he's like It only goes up from here. That's it. Yeah. Don't worry about it. It'll only get better. It'll only go If someone with a sense here that day Play don't worry. It only gets better from here. I don't it did later that week But looking at the table right now, but uh later that week Like three days later Southampton came to go to some park. Yeah Sheamus scored just an unreal goal and then Southampton equalized and then rom scored the winner and then I felt good Yeah, and I didn't even know about like trying to catch the players outside in the car park Nice. Yeah, and so I just kind of happened upon it And then I got to meet Sheamus and Romelu and all these guys I got photos with him and I was like, this is This is what I hope the other day And so and that was a great. I mean just an unbelievable doing it that way was better though I'm asking if we'd have beat sunderland and then lost the next one. Oh, yeah, you've had the low Yeah, you had the high well and If you're gonna come over and watch everton, I mean that's That's the way to do it. I feel like to get the full experience get the full experience you get the joy and you get Just the how on earth Did this team do that? Yeah Actually, well aware of yeah, we're quite good at those kind of ones where you say You scratch your head and it's it's gotten to the point where it's gotten to the point where the how on earth Did this team do that is something I say about the positive ones It is that's not good. That's not great. Yeah, that isn't great. Uh, so from then You've just been following obviously mbc signed a big deal and made Access to the premier league a lot easier than if from yeah, so you weren't having to set your arm for dodgy streams or such That was a big part of it. And then also like, uh, I'm very you have their scarf over here somewhere I'm very I was very active in the atlanta everton group from right and so when I moved to georgia When I had the free saturday or sunday, which was rare in the field. I used to work in I would go down to at that point. They were at a place called fedo I go down to fedo and there was a big group to watch everton. Uh, a lot of weekends As I understand it. It's still pretty big. I haven't been down there a few years though So I was pretty involved actually from british. I saw that. Yeah I met her in florida. Yeah, she's great. Well, she yeah, she was she told us all about it Yeah, she was come she was here and then she was going back for the florida cup. So yeah, she was great, but it's yeah Yeah, it's and I she wasn't part of the atlanta group whenever I was down there. Yeah, the same guy was kind of running things and Then Nashville our local club nashville sc our first ever mls match They've been around for a while, but our first ever mls match was against atlanta And so we had a lot of the atlanta group at our pub The next morning like and that was That was the united game where they For no reason at all disallowed the winner in the last minute and so we had a we had Chris cabane. Yeah, we had I'll tell you we had one hell of a two minute celebration It was unbelievable But we uh, we we have shared our pub for years with manchester united and then the following 10 minutes was not nearly as fun No, no, I mean, yeah, I mean again talking about Being robbed. Yeah, that was scandalous. Yeah Saying fella, of course, you come up with the rod who doesn't love a monday morning apology. It sounds like it happens a lot Yeah, that's right. You know So from there then back to to nashville. Yeah, and so, uh, I I've been I lived in nashville previously for a couple years and then I lived in nashville now for I live actually just outside nashville in murfreesboro about a half hour down the road and And I restarted our group about three years ago and Kind of built it back up and I've been there for about five years. Okay. Yeah, so there's always been everton fans in nashville, like I said, I lived there previously and After the world cup there was like the 2014 world cup. There was a push to kind of like Turn it into a thing and um Unfortunately defense performance. Yeah, exactly. Um, and There's kind of been this It's very funny like Nashville now versus what it was even five years ago anybody who followed the sport in nashville felt like we all knew each other Like and so all the people who are trying to run premier league fan clubs like we all knew each other We all kind of went to the same bars. There's not very many soccer bars, you know, as we call them over there and Uh And so now that we have our own club things have kind of gotten pretty interesting, you know Like a lot of our a lot of our members are season ticket holders for the local club And they've people have hopped on because like well, I follow this team So I should follow the sport and so we've gotten some some very new everton fans that are kind of learning Had a real tough time to learn How to like the club so Uh All the credit goes to I mean that's one of the things I like to joke about is like we weren't We weren't born to like Following this team out of the womb, you know But man, it would have been better if we if we got something early Yeah, just a hook. Yeah. Yeah, just like just something like The most annoying thing is like watching of course our rivals just gain all new fans who've only been watching for Two or three years. It's the most annoying thing in the world because they're winning all sorts Yeah And now we just a couple of years of doing all right it would probably be a big help And then oh man, I think that's the biggest thing and obviously It's so frustrating because I've How I have seen everything being the best and seeing those wins trophies and you try to I'm like that to me youngest, you know I'm trying to say it We'll get better, but you know You're looking thinking Willie so for people like yourself who I'm everybody in Nashville and everywhere else all over the world who were evertonians who aren't Can't just go the game because it's down the road and We haven't got that it it's it is difficult to hook people in when you go This team come across this team. It's not very good. It doesn't win very often As you keep that going and that enthusiasm So one of the things that I always tell people because I've You know, I've been a fan of the sport for a while and I've been a fan of this particular team for a lot longer than most people in America probably watched it, you know, I mean, yeah, yeah because it's really something that People have been playing the sport For over a hundred years in the u.s. US has a very proud history in it and I think that it sometimes gets overlooked unfairly, uh, there's just a real bad period, but One of the things I always get questions like well, who should I follow? Who should be my team? And my question has always been the same I don't tell them to go be an eversin fan But I tell them like do watch some games do your research like find something that speaks to you in a way that That would make you feel inspired to go Like do more with this club. Yeah, and so similar to the way is like I had a local tie and like that's something that hooked me in And then, you know, you find out about the community work. That's a big deal to a lot of people Um, you find out about the history. That's obviously a big deal to a lot of people even if it is Now perhaps too far in the past. Yeah, like So I don't I don't ever really try to force anything on them. Yeah, and and I think by looking at it that way Like that's the way that You can get a more like Engaged Yeah fan base. Yeah, and that's what Eversin now is fortunately starting to do because the way that you do that is you tell your story Kind of in addition to what's happening on the field like you tell your story about the community stuff about You know the ties to the history like and that's where you can kind of pull people Where it doesn't always have to be like you guys got battered by Tottenham Yeah, yeah, like because that's unsustainable. You're not always going to win and uh regardless of what the neighbors think You're not always gonna win and so what are you going to do when you're not winning? And that's how you can kind of find ways to like Shape your identity and I think that that is that is something that I think speaks to A lot of the fans that are looking to support something like they're looking to win games But they're looking to feel something where We don't have the local ties. We don't have something that we can walk to every week We have to have some reason to like this to hook you then and so that's kind of the way I look at it Not a good way and listen. You're absolutely right in sport Football you're not going to win all that someone wins someone loses and We have been losing a bit more than we've been winning You know and hopefully that will change and and then what a day that'll be when we we've achieved something, but It is it it's fascinating, but it's amazing as well that the the amount of people I have to do Actually jump on and go yeah, I will follow everything because of this reason or this reason. Well, and that's something that I wish Obviously it happens on twitter like every three weeks. There's something about Supporters that aren't from Liverpool and all this stuff and it's annoying. I understand it to a certain extent But it is annoying and One of the things that like I feel like I have to say is like hey like It costs us a lot of money To come watch this team play like this trip is going to cost me probably 1500 bucks You know minimum and like that's how many season tickets could you buy for that? And that's to watch one game and I don't mean that to lord it over I'm just saying like it's it's a tough thing to do to wake up at 6 a.m To watch us lose to some team we shouldn't lose to like There there's effort so the fact that people feel engaged and invigorated enough To do these things Even when the team's not winning is not something that should be frowned upon in any way That is a that is a testament to the power that the club holds Even in its bad moments And I think sometimes that gets lost like How much of an effort it takes like and that's where it's easy in the u.s. It's easy there are places that have Hardcore Everton fans that they're lucky to see a match sometimes. Yeah, yeah, like and And we should celebrate, you know, like that the club can pull You know what is at its heart a community club can pull from all over the world Absolutely And you know, they're their main goal like another main goal But one of their biggest tenets is celebrating their community and this is people around the world that feel That identify with their community and I just That's a really cool thing the club has going for it and it should be celebrated Yeah, listen, I've never been that, you know, you should only support ever Yeah Liverpool and all of that stuff because That's been in some respects part of our problem why we haven't grown because we have looked Too close to home where there's our neighbors will take anyone from anywhere and have been ahead with that and that helps by Growth and everything else and I think in general It is put out and it's certain things on social media walls and all that and different things But I think the majority have ever thrown It's you're a blue. That's the biggest thing. You're a blue nose. Yeah, so no matter where you're from you're a blue That's the thing. Yeah, and I think I think also some people in the u.s. We don't always necessarily understand a A scousings of humor. Yeah, and sometimes it's it's like they'll be playful stuff Yeah, yeah, you know, we've been net in here. Yeah, you know, I'm not a wolf We can have it stolen. Well, it's like I I gave him a poster earlier And and it says if y'all know your history Which is something that we have on our scarves and you know Kind of rehashing that in the way we talk down south and And we got some stick for it On the scarf and so when I did the member gifts this year for the poster I was like, I want the y'all to be the biggest thing I don't know Why not that's who we are. I mean we could we could show it if you want to show it. Yeah. Yeah, I don't know if it would be cool But that's what it is. Yeah. Yeah, and you If y'all know your history. Yeah, I mean look how big the y'all is you can see that Yeah, and that's what it is. Yeah, but that's what it is. Yeah, yeah That's the same thing, you know And the guy in the Pittsburgh group saw that and said we should do one that says if yens know your history Because that's you could have your little play on that. Yeah, yeah, so you have your nose what what the message in is Yeah, so you're over here for obviously the walls game at the weekend Which is a huge game. Yeah, it has turned into a huge game. How long is this trip being booked for? so We had booked A weekend in Liverpool For two years and we were trying to find something and so we had it We had it booked for a spring and then we had it booked for a fall and then we had a book for a spring and then Last year it was like, all right, we're going to shoot for some time in March and That's a round spring break for a lot of people. It hasn't mattered for most of our group but there are a few folks that spring break matters, you know for lining up and myself included and the The only match the only home match in March was wool. So And this sounds sort of weird. I didn't want it to be a derby game Like because there's just so much going on with that Like I wanted it to kind of be a standalone thing where we can make it our own thing But not only that like a big group of people coming over can have The the blue carpet if you will rolled out for them. So like we had a tour this morning We're going to this event tonight We're going to go to the ever we're going to go to the football museum tomorrow. We're going to catch a train and You know if nothing happens they can at least focus on the positivity for everton at the football museum and then we're going to come back and go to the everton women match and then Sunday will be all match day. So just down there and do as many things as possible and so it By it not being You know a derby game or one of those bigger games It kind of gives us a little bit more freedom to do some fun stuff and maybe next time it'll be a derby game But this time it's been really it's lined up quite right for why I wanted Most of my group has never been to go to sim before so it's I mean you're saying it's not a big game. It's one of well, you know what I mean And now we understand but actually the in context it's one of the biggest games in years. It really is That's how big this game isn't So you're going to be there experience and yeah in the gladus all of us are in the gladus where it'll go off There will be limbs Maybe score at the weekend. Yeah It'll all be about the three points. So how many to say 21 all together is it? So I think it's 21 it might be 20, but it's 2021 Like I said, we have a dozen of us here. I know we have nine coming tomorrow. So Yeah, yeah, and I'm I'm actually kind of looking for One of the things that is so weird for american everson fans Is that we're the weird ones in our like groups of soccer friends, right? You know like like oh you're you're an everson sport like, you know, like Okay, there's like three of you in this bar There's four of you in this bar And so it's wild for some of our fans that come out to the pub when we have a good pub showing Unfortunately hasn't happened a lot this season But when we have a good when we have like 20 30 people there, they're like, oh man, there's a lot of There's a lot of blue here. Yeah, and so they're gonna be in a situation for the first time where it's not 30 people and it's amazing That's 38,000 people and like It's the first time that that uh a lot of My friends in this group are gonna experience being on that'll be the whole yeah being part of like Being a part of it part of the whole feeling the the the whole That the team actually holds, you know And there's like cars and there's hairs on the back of the neck and all that when they come out it's gonna be What a day Yeah, just need him to score on the Gladys end. I need that. Go down the Gladys. Just win the game Yeah, it'll be what a what a trip that I you know, I I have some worries if uh, if it's a win tomorrow night About a couple of our members that I gotta hop on a maybe I have to hop on some trains and In an interesting state, you know, yeah, it's gonna be interesting Yeah, a little part of the fun. Absolutely. Can't wait part of the fun like lovely to meet you. Thanks for talking to us Glad to finally be in this place, you know Yeah, there you go. You've seen if my father now you're a part of it. Just have to close my eyes when I come down the hall Yeah, no one else There is some bread for the handle There you go big thanks to clay for coming in and uh, don't forget you want to get your origin story into us Just hit us up and you've done it and uh We'll talk you through it. So thanks for watching. See you later