The 2012 Olympics are a coming, we can’t ignore it, well you can try but the hype has started and it’ll get worse as it gets nearer.

Besides the ladies beach volleyball on Horse Guards Parade, a football tournament is being held which might or might not be of passing interest.

The 4 home nations are supposed to be all as one but Taffs, Jocks & the Irish are nervous about sending any players in case they lose their International birthright with FIFA.

Mr Blatter has stressed that it would only be a one off occurrence and that all would be well with the British associations, mmmm would you believe anything that Sepp says?

Anyhow the venues chosen for the games are The Rioch Arena, Hampden Park, The Millennium Stadium, Old Trafford, St James Park & Wembley with approximately 2,400 footballs will be used during the matches.

As well as the guys, a women’s tournament will also be held, the ladies first kicked off in 1996 over in the U.SofA.

Apart from 1896 & 1932 Football has been played in the Olympics, in 1900 & 1904 it was just an exhibition sport with medals only being awarded in 1908.

Great Britain & Hungary have won three football gold’s at the Olympics, more than any of the other nations, however Hungary top the list as they also have silver & a bronze.

So in order we have …..

Hungary

GB

Argentina

Soviet Union

Uruguay

Yugoslavia

Poland

Spain

East Germany

Czechoslovakia

France

Nigeria

Italy

Sweden

Belgium

Cameroon

Canada

Reigning holders are Argentina who beat Nigeria 1-0 in Beijing.

In the ladies listing of winners is basically not a list, unless you count two as a list?

USA have won it three times & Norway just the once, USA beat Brazil 1-0 in Beijing to come to our shores as the reigning Olympic champs.

What, when & where

www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/8325791/London-2012-Olympics-Football-schedule.html

 .

Buoyed by the outstanding success of the inaugural First Avenue Soul Night in October, we’ve decided to do it all over again on the 25th of February. Again, it be at the Whelley Ex-Servicemen’s Club, Vauxhall Road, Scholes, from 7.30pm until late, again it’ll be an evening of Modern, Crossover and (mainly) Northern and yet again, it’ll be those extremely soulful chaps Blunny, Andy Garside and Tony Mundey from the Orrell Soul Club spinning the platters that matter alongside your First Avenue Resident DJ’s Sean Livesey and Finton.

Doors Open - 19.30 - 00.30 (Midnight Bar)

£5.00 on the door but to avoid disappointment after the success of the last event get your tickets in advance by visitiing http://www.laticsunited.co.uk/

For more info : 07930 397960

The annual game contested between Ashton Athletic FC and the Wigan Athletic Past Players for the Peter Catterall Memorial Trophy is on!

The game will kick off at 7-30pm on 29th October at Brocstedes Park and Ashton Athletic will be hoping to finally get their hands on the trophy at the fourth time of asking.

This game is eagerly anticipated by the Latics community and the welcoming club house and warm hearted, genuine football people at Brocstedes Park are always a highlight of an enjoyable evening.

I am a supporter of Wigan Athletic, the town's Premier League football team. I am not alone. In fact there are as many people if not more who watch Wigan Athletic in the town of Wigan than watch Wigan Warriors. There are probably thousands more football fans in the town who watch Premier League football than watch rugby league.

Yet you wouldn't know this upon entering the borough of Wigan, as your council has seen fit to use taxpayer's money (our money that is) to change the signage. The signs upon entering Wigan through Standish said 'Welcome to Wigan, Home of Premier League Football & Super League'. They now say 'Welcome to Wigan, home of 2010 Super League Champions' and no mention at all of the football club, which last time I checked, was a Premier League football club watched all over the globe and also actively supported by many thousands of your taxpayers.

I have no objection to the town celebrating the rugby league club's achievements. But as a fan of Wigan Athletic, I do not think you have any right to ignore our football club in this way. This is an abuse of power, misuse of public money and a mis-representation of Wigan Athletic Football Club.

As one of many Wigan Athletic fans who will no doubt be contacting you, we simply ask for all signage to be reverted back to include Wigan Athletic and a full public apology for choosing not to respect the thousands of taxpaying Wigan Athletic fans who live in this town which you have been appointed to represent.

We are not asking for favourable treatment. However, we are completely within our rights to expect parity.

Many thanks
A Wigan Athletic fan.

Just 50yards from the DW Stadium the home of Wigan Athletic is the Robin Park Arena, home of Wigan Robin Park FC.

Saturday 21st August (the same day Latics host Chelsea @ 5.15pm) WRPFC play Irlam in a Vodkat Div 1 game with a 3pm kick-off.

See where this is going?

The Robins are offering reduced admission to anyone who has a ticket for the Chelsea game or a Latics season ticket, it’ll cost just £3 (£1.50 concessions) to watch what will no doubt be an entertaining non-league fixture.

If you love your football then this is an ideal way to spend a Saturday afternoon/early evening and take in two matches in one day, you know it makes sense, see you there.

Sat Aug 14 Blackpool A
Sat Aug 21 Chelsea H
Sat Aug 28 Tottenham Hotspur A
Sat Sep 11 Sunderland H
Sat Sep 18 Manchester City H
Sat Sep 25 Birmingham City A
Sat Oct 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers H
Sat Oct 16 Newcastle United A
Sat Oct 23 Bolton Wanderers H
Sat Oct 30 Fulham A
Sat Nov 6 Blackburn Rovers A
Tue Nov 9 Liverpool H
Sat Nov 13 West Bromwich Albion H
Sat Nov 20 Manchester United A
Sat Nov 27 West Ham United A
Sat Dec 4 Stoke City H
Sat Dec 11 Everton A
Sat Dec 18 Aston Villa H
Sun Dec 26 Wolverhampton Wanderers A
Tue Dec 28 Arsenal H
Sat Jan 1 Newcastle United H
Tue Jan 4 Bolton Wanderers A
Sat Jan 15 Fulham H
Sat Jan 22 Arsenal A
Tue Feb 1 West Bromwich Albion A
Sat Feb 5 Blackburn Rovers H
Sat Feb 12 Liverpool A
Sat Feb 26 Manchester United H
Sat Mar 5 Manchester City A
Sat Mar 19 Birmingham City H
Sat Apr 2 Tottenham Hotspur H
Sat Apr 9 Chelsea A
Sat Apr 16 Blackpool H
Sat Apr 23 Sunderland A
Sat Apr 30 Everton H
Sat May 7 Aston Villa A
Sat May 14 West Ham United H
Sun May 22 Stoke City A

To live in the world without becoming aware of the meaning of the world is like wandering about in a great library without touching the books.

May the fourth be with you !