Derby Day - What Does It Mean

Sheff Wed players go and celebrate with their fans

When the new batch of fixtures are released over the summer, fans of clubs across the nation eagerly await when they will face their city, or local rivals in the football league calender, with the date very thickly rounded on the calender at home, usually noted down as 'derby day'.

Forgive neutral fans who may ask, why is 'Sheff Wed vs Sheff Utd so huge, its a League One derby'. To fans of other sides, its just a derby in the fixture calender which is just like watching another derby as a neutral. Say to them, why is the Forest vs Notts County derby so big, you'll get a differance response from their sets of fans. Only fans of the clubs involved know how much these two fixtures mean to them, no one else.  

Passion, Pride, Heart, Desire, Determination judge
the outcome of derby matches

A Derby game for me, is two stand alone home and away fixtures of the season, the form book goes out of the window, and its who has the most, heart, passion, and determination to be victorious by full time. Some fans will say this is their biggest game of the season and they don't care what happens to them, so long as they do the double. Its okay saying this, especially if you're a smaller club who isn't expected to do much. For larger clubs, such as both Sheffield sides for example, these kind of comments shouldn't even be said, as both sides should be rallying for promotion over anything else. A derby victory is nice, but to watch your side have the double done over them by your city rivals, is   
a small price to pay if you see the side you love lift the trophy at the end of the season.

Are foriegn players taking the passion out of derbies on the pitch?

Some sides in the football league do not have a 'city' rivalry, which I feel actually is the only pure derby you can have in honesty. Doing one over your city rivals is better than anything else. Fans of Cardiff, Swansea, Leicester, Derby may disagree, none of these sides share city rivalries with league sides. All are 'local' derbies, but will still carry the same passion to their sets of fans.

One sad thing I do think is, in the higher leagues, 'derby day' has lost its touch on the pitch, and its starting to lose it in the lower leagues too, the passion between the fans will always stay the same, on the pitch, with the introduction of more foreign players, who don't understand what this game means to everyone, they may have an idea, but not a full idea. Players who have grown up in the area and played for their boyhood clubs know exactly what it means, Steve Gerrard, Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney are fine examples. Two played for the red side of Mersyside, the other the Blue, and they will know how much more this game means, than someone from the continent. The same example can be drawn to foreign players playing in Europe too I guess.

One thing, I do disagree about derby days, is the fact it is an excuse to go out and fight and 'rep' your club. I know and understand all the passion of a derby match having been present during our recent trip to Bramall Lane, the atmosphere was buzzing from both sets of fans, passion was on the pitch and the will to win was there from both sides, fans having bits of banter during the game, made the occasion what it should be. But it shouldn't be taken any further than this. Whats the point, its a game of football at the end of the day, and seriously, is there any need to actually go out and kill, stab, or badly injure somebody in the 'name' of your club, you bring shame to the side. Not pride.


Whether you go and watch, Plymouth vs Exeter, Sheff Wed vs Sheff Utd, Cardiff vs Swansea, two non-league sides compete in their derby of the season, the passion will always be the same between the fans.