The Olympics 2012 are here and I've already tasted my first bit of Olympic action after making the journey up to Coventry last night to watch New Zealand take on Belarus.
Back when I went into the ballot more than a year ago, I didn't have a clue that I'd be taking in this game, my thinking was that watching a football match in Coventry wouldn't be exactly packed nor expensive and I would be able to guarantee some Olympic action on the cheap.
Fast forward a year and that's exactly what it was - Olympic action on the cheap - not much atmosphere, an exercise in over-management and I left the ground feeling as if I'd just sat through a dull pre-season friendly.
So what of the Olympic football experience?
Well I took my pal Tony, a native Kiwi and in order to inject a bit of passion and fun into the game we arrived in the Warwickshire city with our faces painted, I went for a solitary black fern which Tony expertly sketched on my face, while Tony had done himself up a treat with a hint of the New Zealand flag and that famous fern.
We had to drive into the centre of Coventry and park and then take a bus to the Ricoh Arena which was a bit silly as Coventry City’s ground is surrounded by car parks. I thought it was simply to ensure that cash was spent in the city centre, but I think it was some kind of security measure.
After a beer and a burger we set off for the Ricoh on a bus – I was excited to see just what they’d done with the car park that meant we couldn’t park there. The answer was it was pretty empty save for hundreds of security staff, Games Makers, police and stewards - all for, as we would later find out, 14,000 people.
On the bus Tony got the ultimate compliment for his quality face paints when other fans asked if we had any spare. Once off the bus he soon got asked if the New Zealand players did the Haka before the game. He then got asked it again, and again!
One thing we noticed quickly was the lack of advertising inside the ground – the Ricoh sign on the stadium was covered over, all the advertising was gone and later as the fans left, we’d see that some of the seats which spelt out ‘Ricoh’ in the seats had been removed too.
Before we got inside we had to remove everything from our pockets and put them in clear plastic bags, a bit like being at an airport.
After that it was a gentle pat down and into the ground and ready for the game to start. New Zealand fielded a smattering of players with GB connections – Chris Wood, Ryan Nelson and Ipswich Town’s Tommy Smith all started along with Shane Smeltz, who figured at the last World Cup for New Zealand.
Coaching the side was former Norwich midfielder Neil Emblen and he won’t have been happy with the crazy early yellow card for Smith after no more than ten seconds.
The African man in the middle certainly made a rod for his own back with that decision for, as the tackles got tougher and tougher, each of them came with a request for another card.
New Zealand played the better football early on but couldn’t find that killer pass and after a goal just before the half-time break put Belarus 1-0 up, the Kiwis spend the rest of the game trying in vain to get that all-important equaliser.
It didn’t come and despite some late drama and great goalkeeping from the Kiwi shot-stopper, the game finished in 1-0 win for Belarus.
Leaving the round was the next challenge – 14,000 fans had come to the game over a few hours, but now they all had to find a bus back to the town centre.
As we walked past the massed ranks of security, police and Games Makers standing idly outside the ground it felt as if we’d actually been assigned our own individual security guard.
We finally got on a bus and headed back to the town centre.
It was great to go to the Olympics before they actually started, but the match, occasion and event in general will be soon forgotten.
Great write up Nick :)
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