SLA World Football Caucus? Get in there.


Sheffield Wednesday v Santos. 1972, originally uploaded by The Wednesday.

Anybody who knows me (or at least glances at this blog or my Twitter account) knows how much I love football. Or soccer. Or whatever you want to call it. Outside of improving access to transportation information and libraries, and collecting Billy Childish records (like this Pop Rivets record I got this morning) – football is pretty huge in my life. Whether it’s moaning about Sheffield Wednesday (and when Santos came to Hillsborough in 1972!), breaking down Dortmund’s victory over Shaktar , or fantasizing about a world in which liberos had a comeback, I love talking about football.

I’m not alone. My partner in crime Chris Zammarelli first met at the 2009 SLA Leadership summit in Savannah over a mutual love of the game. I’ve found that wearing my Wednesday scarves (or my Everton scarf) is actually a pretty effective networking tool. I think one of the first things Sara Batts said to me was something along the lines of “You don’t actually support Sheffiled Wendesday, do you?” (This is why I keep my Wednesdayite card next to my SLA card in my wallet.)

So yeah, there’s my bonafides.

Here’s where you come in. Chris and I are circulating a petition to start the SLA World Football Caucus. There’s a Baseball Caucus, which is great if you like baseball. (Which I do! And I’m a member.) But to network with librarians around the world, we’d like to have a World Football (read: soccer in the States) Caucus. Here’s the blurb:

The World Football Caucus Purpose:

The World Football Caucus serves members of SLA by providing them a forum to network over a mutual appreciation of the world’s most popular funny old game – football (soccer).

Football is a global sport, and many members of SLA have already organically developed working relationships and friendly rivalries based a love of the game. The Caucus will provide a more organized platform for members to discuss major tournaments, the history of the game, and other aspect of the game.

Please respond by Friday, April 19, 2013

Goals of the Caucus include:

  • A platform to discuss major tournaments like the World Cup and Champions League
  • A means to share information about clubs members support
  • Discuss history of the game
  • Develop information resources and data visualizations on the game
  • Hold regular meetings during the SLA Annual Conference
  • Establish a dynamic mailing list and blog

So, if you’re an SLA member who likes the “funny old game” and want to get together with other librarians around the world to talk about it, please consider signing our petition.


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