Graduation... revisited

Christ has it been two years already? I cant believe that in 2005 I got my last degree! This week I attended my graduation for my MSc Econ in Poltical Theory, thus also ending my academic career for the immediate future. Although that could change if I am successful in some of the jobs I am applying for, as they offer studentships in Housing at a Masters level. Im keen to get into the world of work and get cracking on my mountainous student debt, but also the opportunity to learn more and receive another qualification gives a warm feeling inside. I have often siad that I started to embrace university and the life that goes with it way way too late, and now I am trying to grasp it all over again.

But enough about potential university courses. For this post is a reflection of those years gone by and possibly my last tie with anything related to tertiary education. The graduation ceremony was predictable but enjoyable, with a host of honourary fellowships up for grabs. In my last graduation I had no other than Mike Ruddock, the grand slam winning Wales rugby coach, to give a rousing speech which was supposed to gear us up for life. Of course, it was littered with references to his own experiences and the famous Six Nations grand slam win of 2005 - where Wales overcome the odds and achieved the seemingly impossible. In this ceremony, we had three fellowships but only one of them had really caught my attention; the fully fledged environmentalist-journalist- novelist, George Monbiot.

I admit I hadn't heard very much about him before my stint at Sustainable Wales, just who he was and what he stood for really. It is funny how one day you know very little about a person, then all of a sudden their life is thrusted straight in front of your eyes! I first spied one of his more recent books, Heat, which outlines his thoughts on how to stop climate change without creating too much discomfort to our extravagant lifestyles. I then noticed on the BBC website his strong thoughts on the proposed Severn Barrage and how it would not have the desired effect predicted by the planners of scheme. It was then I started to read his blog and then I realised how addictive his comment can be. Then, out of the blue, he appears at my graduation ceremony and delivers a ballsy, meaningful speech which I think I will remember well for years to come. He said that in today's society we are faced with choosing between liberty and security, and although security presents the illusion of a safer world, it is not a free one. In addition to this point, he distinguished the need of doing things that you want to do, not what you compelled to do.

Very simplistic point - but at this stage of our lives, it carries a heavy message which all would be wise to follow. To lose sight of what we are through working that job which would clear the debts and get the lifestyles we need would be a travesty to yourself. Many people settle for the life they always said they was to be temporary, as they become fixed to their new lifestyles and to coin the phrase, 'slaves to the wage'. What Monbiot was saying was getting through to me perfectly clear - because it was the very thing I tried to do myself. I'm in the position where I don't have to rush to get a job and although I moan about doing nothing, I will bide my time and wait for something I want to do to come along. And to those who have no choice but to work in any job they can, I appreciate it can be hard to keep looking down the line of that vacancy of choice. But like the man says, remain true to yourself and I'm sure that you will prosper.

A big well done to Jen, who also graduated this week and she will now go on to do a Masters in Computing. Lets hope it will not give her too much grief!! It looks like before long Jennybear.co.uk will be undergoing a revamp so check it out over the summer!!

I myself will be working at Sustainable Wales over the summer on a placement, so it is finally good to get a job on the go in an environment I enjoy working in and one where I am also learning so much. So please don't expect a lot of updates here on One Man, but don't switch off completely. Shabba never disappoints his audience.

The future of football has arrived

The TTFE League team c.2006 pre-match at the Gol centre (left to right, Dale Thomas, Chris Phillips, Gareth Jenkins, James Pugh, bottom, Dave Weller). Taken from Chillout Central (thanks again Dale!)

Sunday mornings, dog mess littered everywhere, oranges in halves and quarters at half time and the occasional walker who stands to admire twenty-two men trying to emulate their idols. These are the things you associate with when you think of park football, a tradition which is as a British as the red telephone box. Yet football stands at a crossroads - evolving into something quite different. Today is the golden age of five-a-side football; a game which before was condemned to the school gym halls, the local leisure centres and the city arenas when Masters Football is in town. Now the roots of this game are embedding deeply into the very foundations of our society, creating a new craze for everyone to enjoy and a new niche market for entrepreneurs to exploit.

The discussion of this topic is brought on by the opening of the new Powerleague 5-a-side arena here in Cardiff later this month. Powerleague, a new chain which is slowly building its footballing empire across the country, claim to host the hottest and most modern football stadia around, trouncing the competition with its state-of-the-art pitches and plush sitting areas with a fully licenced bar. They will boast a massive nine pitches for general use and to host their own tournaments and leagues, not to mention that the latest in astroturf technology will be used in each. The brochure could wow any self-respecting football enthusiast. The leagues are open to all and anyone can set up their own team and compete against others in the hope of winning their own trophy.

This however is not a new idea. Leisure Leagues first came to Cardiff over five years ago and their arena has proved to be real success, opening up leagues on almost every day of the week. Gol opened their arena roughly two years ago and have tried to muscle in on the dominance of Leisure Leagues in Cardiff, by enticing teams to try out the new ground technology used by none other than Real Madrid. Other minor places have even tried to emulate the success of Leisure Leagues and Gol, but have so far failed to rival them. Now that Powerleague is on the scene, things in the 5-a-side market will undoubtedly get a little heated. With three major players in the city all crying out to host your teams, the race is on to see which one will be crowned champions and which one will be relegated into oblivion.

So why has this type of football proved to be so popular? Complete and utter convenience. By playing in a 5- a-side league you have control over the team, not some over-zealous coach who wants to relive his playing days in the dizzy heights of the WPL. You can pick the day you play on, you can pick which mates you want to play with and you can decide your own team name. Not many pub football sides can offer that type of freedom and flexibility. In some places, the commitment doesn't even have to be great - you can quit instantly and walk away if things go pear-shaped. You can start up teams with workmates, schoolmates, uni mates, family etc. and represent places of work, institutions and so on. With more people liking this idea of a more 'casual football' which fits easily into everyday twenty-first century life, it is easy to see why this type of football is inundated with requests of new teams very week. There seems to be no saturation point either at present.

It is also no surprise that this surge into football is so great, even here in the Welsh capital, the very centre of what is still classed as a rugby nation. Football, unlike rugby is a big market to tap into from any angle, whether it's selling scarves on Queen St. before a big clash in the Millennium Stadium, or even using tired old cliches and corny innuendo on gimmick t-shirts such as 'I like to score', 'have you seen my balls?' or 'back of the net'. Football, very much like sex, sells. It amazes me how much advertising is based on using some kind of football associated item to flog a shaver, a crate of beer, or even ethical issues such as the stamping out of bullying. Football is powerful - and the 5-a-side craze rides the wave of this hysteria in the media quite happily. The government's drive on keeping the nation fit also does the business many favours.

Which brings me onto the image of the 5-a-side football arena. The beauty of the industry is that it is incredibly two faced, but not in a deceitful way might I add. In one light, these arenas display themselves to be a service to the city, delivering facilities in sport which the council can only dream of. I know this because I play at the outdoor 5-a-side facilities Sophia Gardens every week and it fares very poorly to the pitches of Gol. Yet, they are primarily cold-hearted businesses, which does its utmost to blow the competition out of the water and increase profit margins. This latter point I have no problem with, but from the constant pressure which can placed upon slightly interested parties to sign up and leave their current league can be little unsettling. Business is business, just like football is proving to be nowadays, but when one place is egging you on to quit one arena for another you get an idea of 'cut throat' this industry is proving to be. Cut throat? I guess it is - in a world where one badly officiated game can give you doubts about the integrity of a venue, it is no wonder people tend to jump ship to find the fairer green.

Which of cause, means it is essential to grab punters and keep them. But it is even more important to pay the bills and in 5-a-side football, there is no denying that the whole business can be a fairly hefty financial venture. Consider the mass capital one must provide to create an arena and the facilities which accompany it. It quite simply must succeed quickly or face the wall if it has no real financial backing behind it. Llanishen Arena felt the pinch after it faced closure - failing to get the interest it needed to survive. Gol received a grant and both Leisure Leagues and Powerleague are safe as they are chain businesses. The mighty Powerleague is even sponsored by technology juggernaut Microsoft. As a result of this tremendous support, the economies of scale would soon kick in and I can imagine the rewards would be massive. With match fees around £21-£25 and the size of some of the leagues, on average around 24 teams paying each day you can do the math. Although it maybe expensive to maintain a football arena I find it hard to accept that these companies are making little profit. Powerleague will charge a £25 match fee here in Cardiff, but in other places in England they are known to reach the £40-£50 which again begs the question of who the real winner is in this game.

This post may seem like a vendetta against this new capitalistic breed. But on the contrary, I play regularly in both Leisure Leagues and Gol, and will soon be representing my Argos store in a retail tournament at Powerleague. I have no problem with them and I must admit, I enjoy playing in each to have an idea of what they are all like to play in. I have never won a trophy in my five years at Leisure Leagues, nor have I ever won anything at Gol. I am not a great player, but I can claim to be a 5-a-side veteran who has witnessed the game at first hand, day in day out each week for five years. With this experience I can only say that the golden age of football has arrived. But will it be the end of park football as we know it?

God is in the rain

(Picture is courtesy of Chillout Central)

Well it has been a while. I can now talk in depth about my struggles with One Man and dispel any theories and rumours about my prolonged web absence. Indeed, I have not blogged properly since May and it is now July. But my reason for such One Man neglect has been purely technological as I exceeded my disc quota and so I was unable to blog until I off loaded some old posts to make way for newer ones. Therefore if you want to look at anything from 2005 I'm afraid for now you are out of luck. I am in talks with our generous sponsor Plasmo to secure some more space for One Man and hopefully a hiatus of this kind will be thing of the past. But anyway, how are you?

I myself am fine. June may seem like a lost month now, but I do remember it very well. Above you will see one delightful image of the hijinx typical during the TTFE Pub Golf outing, where most of us dressed in golfing attire and attempted to complete 18 holes (pubs) each with a fiendish feature - a different alcoholic drink! I played it safe by missing the shots but I still felt the aftermath very clearly in the morning! It was a great night and was enjoyed by all, especially Karl who had to play catch up on the sixth (Gassy Jacks I believe)!! For more pics from the night, check out Dale's site here.

June is more rememberable however for the volunteer work I had been doing at Sustainable Wales in Porthcawl. I have enjoyed my time working for a charity with such a good cause, met some really nice people and I have learnt a lot about how the work in the third sector is carried out. Not only that, it was finally good to be doing something again. As you may have guessed I have had no luck in finding a job - but since last time I posted I have been asked to attend some interviews which is at least a step into the right direction. Next week I have an interview for a student scholarship at Cardiff University through Newport Council in the field of housing, something which does interest me greatly. My fingers are crossed.

Jen and I will also be going to Mexico in September (have I told you that already?) and I am now pretty excited about that. My first transatlantic flight and my first long haul flight all in one! And of course those firsts apply to Jen too! Cant wait!

My title comes from V for Vendetta - my current favourite film. I have watched it several times lately and am hooked. Have watched An Inconvenient Truth again too in sync with the whole Live Earth hysteria (or lack of it or the negative press) and once more it is a thought provoking heart-squeezer. Also Election - another brilliant film. Just got Hundred Reasons' most recent album Kill Your Own - so far not a bad listen. I have also got back into some vintage Offspring too - Ixnay on the Hombre is a brilliant album which I can listen to from start to finish. The new Artic Monkeys album is also predictably pretty good.

Well that's your lot for now - I'm merely waving to you from behind the window in this encounter. Maybe next time I will open my curtains, undo the latches and unleash some proper literary delight into the open sky with my next exciting post. I know that I want to blog about Porthcawl and the new niche market of 5-a-side stadia pretty soon, but for now you'll have to settle for my rather constipated look above. Enjoy!