Fans at River Trail Brewing
Fans at Mr. G’s Sports Bar
What are you up to on your average Sunday morning?
If you’re like Cory Hulsizer, there’s a good chance you’re sitting at a bar, eyes glued to the TV, surrounded by some of your closest mates and cheering like a madman.
While you might be catching up on your sleep, Hulsizer is at Mr. G’s Sports Bar, which, for much of the year, opens early to accommodate the rabid, Harrisburg-area fans of Liverpool F.C., an English Premier League football (soccer) club.
Because of the time difference, matches typically air during the morning hours on Saturdays and Sundays.
“Community life and civic life is in doubt, simply because people don’t go out as groups as much as they used to,” said Hulsizer, 30, president of the Susquehanna Valley Official Liverpool Supporters’ Club. “It may be a bit quirky to support an English soccer club, but it brings people together. It’s just good for people to be together.”
In central PA, Liverpool fans are not alone in their commitment to Premier League soccer and the camaraderie it inspires.
Across the river, the Harrisburg Spurs, local fans of the Tottenham Hotspurs, are bellying up to the bar at Grateful Goat Brewing Co. in Camp Hill. Meanwhile, the Central PA Gooners, supporters of Arsenal FC, also claim space at Mr. G’s. In Lancaster County, another scrum of Liverpool fans gathers at River Trail Brewing in Marietta.
“Every fan says this about their sport, but soccer is a sport meant to be watched with other people,” said Hulsizer, of Mechanicsburg. “There’s just this social aspect to watching soccer. There’s just a community feel that makes the club make sense. Plus, there’s something about going to a bar at 10 a.m.”
Fortunately, George Giannaris, owner of Mr. G’s, is a big soccer fan himself.
“When they walk in, they’re decked out in full gear,” Giannaris said. “We’re very dedicated to the soccer fans of Harrisburg. We don’t let them down. We’re loyal to them, and they’re loyal to us.”
For Hulsizer, Mr. G’s is the perfect setting for Sunday morning soccer mayhem.
“You can tell when a bar is a soccer bar or just trying to show games,” he said. “From a financial point of view, we’re able to bring in customers. But the club doesn’t exist without the bar.”
According to Giannaris, the main motivation isn’t financial.
“We don’t do it for the money; we do it for the love of the game,” he said. “If there’s a soccer game, I don’t want to be home alone watching it. I want to be with other people. When we’re in there (the bar), we blend in with the rest of the crowd.”
Extra Layer
Famous as one of the finest soccer leagues in the world, the 20-member Premier League’s 10-month, 38-match season begins in August and concludes in May. It’s one of the few leagues anywhere that does not conduct playoffs at the conclusion of its regular season.
“It creates a full season of intensity,” said Hulsizer. “Every game matters, which means you hit the ground running with high stakes. Every game is a playoff game. I love it.”
The Susquehanna Valley Official Liverpool Supporters Club is in its infancy as an organization.
From modest and informal origins, the club officially became affiliated with Liverpool about a year ago, near the start of the 2022-23 Premier League season. Hulsizer said that about 50 official Liverpool supporters’ clubs exist throughout the United States, in places like Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, D.C., and New York.
“I consider myself a pretty self-controlled person, a rational guy,” Hulsizer said. “But there’s something that just turns on and turns off when I’m watching a game. There’s this build, and you can see them (the players) building this play. When that goal hits, it’s just delirium, and everybody’s on their feet going absolutely nuts.”
With an estimated fan base of 4 billion people, soccer is the most popular sport in the world. But competing with pursuits like American football, baseball, basketball and even hockey, soccer has struggled to gain a foothold in the United States.
The phenomenon may have been summed up best by podcasters Men in Blazers who said, “Soccer is America’s sport of the future since 1972.”
However, the tide may finally be turning, and you can witness it for yourself by dropping into Mr. G’s when, let’s be honest, the rest of the world thinks you should be in church or working on your weekend chore list. Just look for the guys wearing matching jerseys, downing a pint and letting loose a cheer (or a groan).
“I think soccer is definitely growing,” Hulsizer said. “It can feel a little isolating to be a Premiere League fan, as opposed to, say, an Eagles fan. It’s not mainstream. It’s almost like a secret club. But it’s like an extra layer of fun.”
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