Football Fever on The Front Line

Today was to be D-Day for the English football team in South Africa, but out in Afghanistan, every day is D-Day for the British troops helping bring governance and security to Helmand.

Luckily those fortunate enough not to be on duty had the chance to watch our footballers in action at a variety of locations throughout the Province.

Troops in Camp Bastion get into the spirit early in the match

In Lashkar Gar, home to the Headquarters of Task Force Helmand (TFH), the men of 1st Battalion The Scots Guards and 1st Battalion The Mercian Regiment (Cheshire), as well as other military personnel from all parts of the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force, came together to watch the match on a big-screen TV and show their enthusiasm for the great game.

Members of TFH in Lashkar Gar watch the game on an improvised big screen

Lance Bombardier Terry Eaves of 4th Regiment Royal artillery said at half time “England always play better in the second half so the Germans should be worried. I think we’ll get a couple more in the second half.” Sadly that wasn’t to be the case.

With support for both sides strongly evident amongst the crowd, emotions ran high throughout the night. Nevertheless a great time was had by all, despite the night time temperatures being well into the 30’s and the wrong result for the English.

Captain James Ogglesby, part of the Joint Media Operations Centre from Camp Bastion commented that “England are a bit up and down at the moment; good in front but weaker at the back, they really need to tighten up and stopping making mistakes.”

However as the game slowly went downhill for England, so did the hopes and support of those the England troops watching the game.

Troops look on in anguish as Germany score again

Corporal Kirk Delaney was devastated. “I really thought we could pull it out of the bag. But Rooney wasn’t anywhere near his normal standard. And why wasn’t Crouchy on instead of Defoe? He’s scored every time he comes on. I can’t understand Cappello’s thinking.

Despite the only cold beer available being cans of the alcohol-free variety, the atmosphere was nonetheless friendly and offered a good opportunity for the troops to grab a bit of down time and relax. Roll on the Euro 2012 Championships in Poland.

World Cup Optimism Turns to Despair for England Fans in Afghanistan

WORLD Cup fever continued as troops at Camp Bastion watched England take on Algeria in their second group match.

SAC Graeme Simmonds (left) and SAC Ryan Hall (right) from the Camp Bastion Fire Section get ready to cheer for England

Service personnel from the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force gathered around screens throughout British Camp Bastion to watch England continue with their world cup dream.

Fans were optimistic prior to the match with most predicting a straightforward win following the disappointment of the opening match against the USA, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Corporal Scott Gilson, a flight operations assistant with 903 Expeditionary Air Wing Air Operations at Bastion and a Nottingham Forest fan, predicted a 3-0 win for England and said: “this one will be easy”.

Warrant Officer Mark Walsh, a flight operations manager from air traffic control at Bastion and an avid Manchester City fan, predicted a 3-1 win for England and said: “Barry will score 2 and Wright Phillips 1”.

England fans gather at the RAF Fire Section at Camp Bastion while live interviews go on to the BBC with Cpl James Johnson (left) and Cpl Craig Butterworth (right) both from the Royal Air Force Police Section

Corporal Natalie Williams, from the Royal Air Force Fire and Rescue Team at Bastion, predicted a 3-1 win and said: “this will be a tough game and we’ve got to play better than we did against the USA, but I think that Rooney will score tonight. Also I’m a Portsmouth fan so I’m delighted that James is playing in goal”.

SAC Lee Cuthbertson from 2MT (left) Cpl Nat Williams from the Fire Section (middle) and SAC Andy Houston from 2MT (right) get ready to support England in their Second, world Cup Match against Algeria.

At half time, with the score at a disappointing 0-0, the mood around Bastion was one of frustration, but with the expectation that things could only get better.

The majority of fans were still confident that England would win. Lance Corporal Aaron Hegarty from 1 Squadron of the Royal Air Force Regiment and a Coventry City fan, predicted a 2-1 win and said: “I expect Gerrard to have a massive second half and to score a goal”.

Senior Aircraftsman Joel Bull, a member of the Royal Auxilary Air Force but assigned to 1 Squadron of the Royal Air Force Regiment and a Tottenham Hotspur fan, agreed that England would win 2-1, but said: “I expect Algeria to score first, just to make the game more painful to watch”.

Sergeant Talib Sample, from the United States Crash Fire Rescue attached to the Royal Air Force Fire and Rescue Team at Bastion, said: “Before the match I predicted a 2-0 win for England and I still believe that will be the outcome. I look forward to a great second half, although I prefer watching the Atlanta Falcons play ‘real football’”.

England fans feeling the pain as they miss another shot on goal. England Fans watching the England v Algeria match at the RAF Fire Section, Camp Bastion, Afghanistan

The second half got underway and unfortunately followed the same pattern as the first, with the fans getting increasingly frustrated as the game petered out into a 0-0 draw. Few decent chances were made by either side and the fans earlier optimism had turned into despair, as England appeared to be on the brink of leaving the competition. That said, a win against Slovenia on 23 June will mean that England progress to the second round.

Troops throughout Afghanistan watched the game where possible. 300 television sets had been sent to Afghanistan in order for the off duty troops to watch the games and DVDs will be sent out to the forward operating bases and patrol bases to allow the front line soldiers to see the much anticipated game.

Pictures: Cpl Ashley Keates RAF

Frustrated England troops are confused after England’s first World Cup game.

Hundreds of British and US troops watched the opening match of England's World Cup campaign all over Camp Bastion last night.

The final score of 1-1 left England supporters deflated as they left the Bastion coffee shop at 1 am and the American troops left happier than they imagined they would.


Specialist Norman Stoddard from the US Navy said: “That was a great game for us but England deserved to have won really, I am not sure how they didn’t.”

Cpl Steve Clark from Royal Dragoon Guards said: “I can’t believe that we gave it away. We deserved to win. Roll on the next game when we can show what we are really made of.”

British and American soldiers watched the game in front of television sets located all around Camp Bastion.


Major Will Turner from the Counter IED Team said: “England have a great chance of going all the way if they have a confident start. Unfortunately we didn’t win this one.”

Regimental Sergeant Major Yorkie Wilson from Joint Helicopter Force (Afghanistan) said "It is massively important that the troops have a certain amount of welfare facilities available especially when they are coming back in from out on the ground. Being able to watch the England game is just an added bonus.”

Craftsman Sean Alsop and Michael Pearce from 1 Close Support Battalion, Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), painted their faces and donned flags like they would back home

“It is fantastic being able to watch this whilst we are out here. The US goal was disappointing in the first half but it has been fun watching it together in the same place.”

300 television sets had been sent to Afghanistan in order for the off duty troops to watch the games in their own units. Recording facilities have also been set up to produce DVDs of the match which can then be sent out to the forward operating bases and patrol bases for the front line soldiers to keep up to date with progress.

Whilst operations continue to take priority, the soldiers are very grateful to have the ability to catch the games that they can.


Royal Marine Dan Moxham, an ex professional player himself, said: “We are all here for operations first but there are loads of patriotic people out here, so being able to watch the game is fantastic. We are not going to get too excited but England really can go all the way!”

Staff Sergeant Teresa Jarnagin from the US Army said: “We are so lucky to be able to enjoy this freedom when our lads are out on the front line right now.”

Pictures: Cpl Gary Kendall RLC

VIDEO: GOOD LUCK MESSAGES OF SUPPORT TO ENGLAND FOOTBALL TEAM

A video of support and goodwill messages for the England Football Team has been put together by the men and women of the Armed Forces serving in Afghanistan. The light hearted video shows troops throughout Camp Bastion in Helmand province passing on their best wishes to the team. The scenes depict personnel in their work places and also during their downtime enjoying a kick around. Scenes from the dining hall, the flight line and the military working dogs provide a unique flavour of the environment in Camp Bastion.

Final editing of the video was undertaken by The British Forces Foundation and Editworks. Sir Dave Richards of the Football Association hand carried the video to the Team in South Africa.