It might come as something of a surprise to many, but not everyone lives for football.
In fact, Euro 2020 is likely proving a terrible time of year for the sport allergic: it seems like all anyone can talk about are penalties, group stages and who’s going to come out on top. Hardly interesting stuff if a fascination with football evades you.
With England set to face Germany in the knockout round of the competition on Tuesday night, it can feel even more inescapable. So if you’re looking to avoid the match – or maybe you’re so nervous you can’t actually face watching it – there are plenty of things you can do instead…
1. Go to the gym or cinema
For 90 minutes (or more…) on Tuesday night, the streets will likely be dead as everyone hunkers down at home or squeezes into a pub to watch the game. This means non-football fans have a glorious window to do something for themselves, without having to fight the crowds. Pick your poison: maybe go for a leisurely session at the gym, or catch a movie in an empty theatre.
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You can go basically anywhere except for your local watering hole – we’d give that place a miss if you want to steer clear of people chanting ‘C’mon England!’
2. Go out for a nice meal
See above: you might find your favourite restaurants are considerably more empty than they would normally be. If your partner or friendship group are all football fanatics, why not indulge in a solo date?
3. Watch Love Island
This summer, your friends will likely fall into two camps: football fans or Love Island watchers. If you have zero interest in sport but still want to participate in at least a few conversations, we’d recommend you switch on ITV2 and find out who’s coupling up with who.
4. Have a bubble bath
Watching a tense football game can be stressful – but that doesn’t mean your evening has to be. Grab a glass of wine and run yourself a hot bubble bath – just make sure you’re playing music or a podcast in the background, to drown out any cries of jubilation or despair that might be coming from your living room.
5. Go and play football in the park
If you’re too nervous to actually watch England play, why not have a kick about yourself? Even if you find watching footie on the TV incredibly boring, you might enjoy a bit of fresh air and exercise by running around outside.
6. Do some really boring chores
You know the ones we mean: the really dull ones that have been on your to-do list for months now. No one else is going to be doing anything useful tonight, so why shouldn’t you? You’ll feel smug in the morning – and will likely have much less of a sore head.
7. Watch another sport
You can still get your sporting fix without having to watch the Euros. Catch up on the highlights of the Tour de France or watch back some of the day’s matches at Wimbledon – despite what some people think, sport doesn’t begin and end with football.
