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A few questions with EPL Talk's Christopher Harris
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The Gaffer and some friends in Bern for Euros 2008
Christopher Harris, aka The Gaffer, is a native of Wales living the sun-kissed life in West Palm Beach. A former contributor to Matchday Magazine, Harris began EPL Talk, an insightful blog focused on the Premier League, from a North American point of view. Reporting and commenting on EPL footie since 2005, Harris has moulded the site into a multi-faceted source for Premier League news, complete with podcasts and a valuable guide for any fan hoping to embark on a jaunt across the pond for a match or two. Recently, the Gaffer was kind enough to answer some questions.
EPL Talk has become one of the premier websites covering the EPL. What was your vision when you began the site? Do you feel the site has progressed as you had wished?
My vision in the beginning is the same as it is today: To bring Premier League fans, no matter where they are from around the world, closer together via the Internet. The heart of EPL Talk is the blog with news and analysis updated on a daily basis, but we also bring fans together via live online chats, and podcasts, as well as giving away a free eBook on how diehard football fans can make their dreams come true of seeing a Premier League match live in England. EPL Talk has definitely progressed admirably, but there are always more features to add to make the experience more interactive for soccer fans such as ourselves.
What is your professional background with football? And how did you end up in Florida?
My family and I visited Miami Beach in the early 80s, and we were all dazzled by the sun, opulence, beaches and job opportunities. After returning to dark and dreary Wales, my parents sold their businesses and emigrated in 1984 to West Palm Beach, where I still reside. As for my professional background with football, in the late nineties I was a freelance writer for Matchday Magazine, which was a beautiful glossy soccer magazine distributed nationwide, but it sadly didn't last long. The publication was 10 years ahead of its time. For more than 13 years, I was an Internet entrepreneur launching websites for Fortune 500 companies such as Bank of America, Merck and others. But after doing that for so long, I decided that it was finally time for me to practice what I preached. EPL Talk launched in November, 2005.
In your opinion, what is the current state of the EPL in America? How does it rate with other leagues in terms of popularity?
To me, the Premier League is an underground hit in the United States. It's like anime was before it hit the mainstream. Some of the EPL games in the early hours of a Sunday morning on Fox Soccer Channel, which is in 30 million homes, are getting almost as many viewers as Major League Soccer on a Thursday primetime slot on ESPN2, which is in 96 million homes. All it will take is for ESPN to acquire the US TV rights after next season, and the Premier League will hit big time in this country.
Serie A and the Bundesliga have their cult followings. But Mexican soccer and MLS are tops with the Premier League coming in a close third.
What sites or shows do you regularly watch?
I'm the proud father of four children so I don't have much time to watch shows other than live matches. I am, though, a RSS junkie with subscriptions to more than 230 feeds to stay on top of the soccer news from around the world. My favorite sites right now are The Telegraph, 101 Great Goals and Two Hundred Percent.
You’ve interviewed several North American football personalities. Are you friends with any of them?
I try to keep my professional distance with many of the personalities so I can ask those questions that others may be too afraid to ask. I owe it to my readers to remain objective, so while I have good relationships with many personalities like Bobby McMahon (Fox Soccer Channel), Ray Hudson (GolTV) and Shane O'Rourke (Setanta), it's professional, not personal.
Check out the rest of Christopher Harris' interview here.
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