'It brings our culture together': European soccer championships good for local business

More than 100 people gathered at the Croatian-Canadian National Sports Centre on Westminster Drive in London, Ont. to watch Croatia take on Spain Saturday.

While the 3-0 result on the pitch was not what they were hoping for, the match provided a chance for fans to get together.

“We love gathering for these sorts of events,” said Stjepan Prtenjaca, vice-president of the club. “It brings our culture, our people together. Even if you do not come here regularly, a lot of people love coming here watching the games. It's a big fundraiser, and we make some money from it. It just keeps our club afloat because, right now, some clubs are hurting.”

At The Scot’s Corner in downtown London, the bar is full of soccer fans during every match of a major championship like Euro 2024.

The place was packed Friday afternoon as Scotland took on Germany, and it will be rocking Sunday afternoon when England meets Serbia.

Fans gather at Scot’s Corner during the match between Scotland and Germany on June 15, 2024. (Source: Submitted) “The games are usually at times when the bar might not be full,” said Billy Thomson, manager of The Scot’s Corner. “We have 12:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. games or whatever, and they (TSN) have them all televised. It's always a good help and a good month of sales for sure.”

With these major events being played in June and July, it also allows for people to watch outdoors. Large screen TVs are set up on the patios for people to enjoy not only the weather, but a few drinks during the matches.

The Scot’s Corner originally started as a small pub showing Scottish League games, but as the popularity of global soccer matches has increased in Canada, the bar on Dundas Street has become the headquarters for fans of all teams and countries to gather.

Croatia fans in London, Ont. cheer on their team in a match against Spain on June. 16, 2024. (Brent Lale/CTV News London)“It used to just be England, but over the last few tournaments, we've picked up a pretty good French following. The Dutch come in a little bit and Portugal fans actually, too. Rather than sit at home watching it by yourself, if you wanted to come down and get the atmosphere of other fans or just like-minded people that just like watching football, having a beer and lunch,” said Thomson.

Back on Westminster Drive, the Croatia fans know they have two more matches against Albania and Italy in hopes of qualifying for the next round.

“'We’ve been very lucky,” said Prtenjaca. “We've had some deep [World] Cup runs and that's been a great boost for our club and all clubs all around southwestern Ontario. Our main goal is to stay around and keep staying around as we have been here since 1961. We just love being here and we love supporting our team.”

A full match and television schedule can be found online.