Team England fans got a taste of home before their game yesterday against Croatia. The Londoner, a Dallas pub with locations throughout the Metroplex, held a soft opening at its new Arlington location just in time for the game. The wholesome hooligans were out in force.
The venue markets itself as an authentic British pub and has the pedigree to prove it.
“Our owner, he’s from England, so he knows exactly what it takes to be an English pub, from the tables to the decor to the beers,” said Manager Oscar Chapa. “Everything we do is authentic, because that’s where we come from. … Over 90% of the people in here right now are from England. It’s insane.”
The pub was packed with singing soccer fans. Chapa thinks that as many as 300 people filled the space on game day.
“We didn’t even advertise our opening,” he said. “This was just a soft opening for us, and they found us. We were trying to be a speakeasy, and we wanted to warm up to give the best experience that we could, and it’s just been an outrageous support from the England fans.”
The Londoner offers British pub classics like fish and chips, bangers and mash, and plenty of beer on tap. With a limited menu and hundreds of hungry hooligans at the doorstep, the pub was somewhat caught off guard. The Britons downed beers faster than waitstaff could pour. Doorman Murtadha Hatem didn’t know what he had gotten himself into.
“I was looking for a job,” he said “I came here. They employed me. It was fast. When the Cup started, it became crazy. That’s the first time I’ve seen something like that. They’re all united. They cheer the same. They sing the same. They’re crazy. I thought it was going to be crowded but not like this, like most people are standing because there’s no tables left.”
An estimated 15,000 English nationals had descended upon North Texas for the FIFA World Cup. Fans didn’t take long to make themselves at home and import the proud tradition of football hooliganism.
The original Londoner, in Dallas, closed early June 16 after police were called to the scene to escort out the hundreds of England fans who had consumed over $40,000 in booze over the course of the evening.
The next night, the Dallas Fire Marshal went on to close the main pub until morning, after management lost control of the crowd and the number of attendees became unmanageable. Damage to the site’s property and landscaping were reported.
After England fans left the stadium to celebrate their 4-2 victory, the Arlington location soon reached maximum capacity itself. Chapa and hired security used their bodies to block the door to prevent the English masses from overcrowding the pub.
“We’re being very careful right now, and we hope it doesn’t happen again,” he said. “We got a good head count on who’s in the building, and it was a hard lesson learned, but it’s the safest thing, and it needed to happen.”
In the hour after the game, Chapa queued up “Sweet Caroline” three times to soothe the savage Britons.
“Their love for their team is unmatched,” he said. “It’s really amazing when you hear 200 people singing the same song at the same time. We’ll be celebrating all week long. We don’t know when the party’s going to be over.”
Outside the pub yesterday, the chaos continued. Bumper-to-bumper traffic and tens of thousands of pedestrians all vied for their spot on their intersection. Some football fans even briefly gave chase after being cut off and honked at by impatient drivers.
On the evening before the match, some England fans had been in Texas for just six hours — others, six days. For some, it didn’t make much difference.
Adrian Sims from Redding, England, said his time in Arlington has mostly been a drunken blur. “Alcohol and sing songs, that’s it. That’s all we’ve been doing. I haven’t even had any Texas barbecue. I’ve told my wife I’ve been on a work trip for three days.”
Sims, who described himself as a “good hooligan,” nevertheless enjoyed himself despite the toll the local climate and infrastructure had taken on him and his travel companions. “Texas is amazing. The traffic’s a bit shit. The heat kind of sucks. I’m overweight. It’s hard on the legs. My old man almost died today. Look at him. Bless him. Looks like fucking Victor Meldrew over there. Dirty, dirty old man.”
Stephen Allen, originally from London himself, had been at the Londoner since noon after stepping off the plane earlier that day.
“We came straight here,” he said.
Ian Gill, from Bristol, has been in Arlington since June 11, seeing the sights and partaking in local cuisine.
“We ate at Golden Corral,” he said. “Well, that was amazing, absolutely amazing. It was our first time at a buffet, all-you-can-eat. We’re trying to find good places to go to: pubs, bars, sightseeing.”
Gill has been impressed by the grandeur of the state, finding one of its old mottos to be true after all.
“Everything in Texas is bigger,” he said. “Large amounts of traffic, massive highways. It’s just a lot. We love Texas. We’re looking forward to the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. It’s massive, the best in the world, and we’re loving it.”
After the Texas game, Gill and his mates plan to drive up to Boston to catch Game 2 for England. They plan to make the experience a road trip, stopping in Nashville along the way.
In the meantime, Gill’s biggest adjustment so far has been trying to understand Texas twang and lingo. “I heard ‘honkytonk’ today and I don’t know what that means.”
The Arlington Londoner ultimately fared better than its progenitor. English soccer fans got into some friendly verbal spats with Americans, sang songs well into the night, and were not forced to vacate. Local security staffers credit themselves for making the difference.
