Situated in an ideal location for any English football fan, the Corner House Pub is located on 313 Harrow Road, just a short walk from Wembley Stadium- home of the English National football club and arguably the most famous stadium in the country. Originally known as an Irish pub called Mannions, the Corner House Pub was renamed in 2014, undergoing a complete renovation to represent a classic London style, made evident by the exterior that is designed to look like an English telephone booth.[1] Being in close proximity to Wembley Stadium and the Wembley Station stop on the London tube, the Corner House Pub can become quite packed on match days, as fans would flood the area looking for the nearest bar to grab a pint at before either heading off to Wembley to watch the game or staying at the pub to follow the action on TV.[2] The Corner House Pub is an important stop on this tour not for its uniqueness or significance, but rather the complete opposite. Being one of many pubs around Wembley Stadium and one of hundreds of pubs around London, the Corner House Pub signifies the heavy drinking culture that is associated with England, and more specifically football hooliganism. Exemplified by the pub's late hours of operation, closing at midnight on Monday nights and 3am on Saturdays, it can be seen that Londoners love to drink, and London football fans love to drink even more![3] Thus, the Corner House Pub will be used as a symbolic stop to represent the drinking culture associated with football hooliganism and how that plays into the unruly nature of many hooligans.

This destination is the second stop on the Football Hooliganism Tour

It is no secret that alcohol and sports have a very close relationship, but the drinking culture in England brings this to a whole new level, increasing instances of violent football hooliganism through obscene amounts of alcohol consumption. As Geoff Pearson and Arianna Sale point out in their article, "'On the Lash'- Revisiting the Effectiveness of Alcohol Controls at Football Matches," several laws and policing strategies have been developed specifically to combat alcohol consumption at football matches, but the lack of enforcement regarding these laws has led to the perpetuation of the stereotypical drunk English football fan.[4] Given the fact that the Corner House Pub is one of many pubs located just steps from Wembley Stadium, it can be seen that Londoners have no intention to stop drinking anytime soon, but this has greatly harmed their international reputation. Despite instances of football hooliganism significantly declining since the 1980s, other countries remain weary of English football fans when they come to town. Going so far as to put a ban on alcohol for twenty-four hours, the French city of Lens was not willing to take any chances when England played Wales in Lens during the European Championships in 2016.[5] Not only does this provide evidence to show that the drinking culture surrounding football in England has gotten out of hand, but that other countries would halt any and all consumption of alcohol for the safety of their citizens. In a much more unfortunate example from a 2017 friendly match between England and Germany, English fans "occupied" the German town of Dortmund and chanted unwarranted songs about '10 German bombers' and how "the RAF from England shot them down."[6] Once again fuelled by alcohol and mean spirits, English hooligans seem to take any chance they get to target opposing fans and cause unrest. Using the Corner House Pub to symbolize the drinking culture associated with football hooliganism, it can be seen that alcohol has caused a real problem, not only for football clubs in London who have to deal with these hooligans every game, but on an international level as well. Through these examples, it can be seen that mass alcohol consumption greatly contributes to the problem of football hooliganism in England.

[1] "Corner House, Wembley." UK Pub Guide, Campaign for Real Ale. August 20, 2017.

[2] "The Corner House." Fancy A Pint Ltd. February 4, 2015.

[3] "The Corner House, Wembley | Pubs - Yell." Yell.

[4] Geoff Pearson and Arianna Sale. "'On the Lash' - Revisiting the Effectiveness of Alcohol Controls at Football Matches." (June 2011) 150.

[5] "Game of no halves: England and Wales fans hit by alcohol ban." Times [London, England], 25 May 2016

[6] Ian Herbert. "English football dragged through the mud once again by braying, beer-fuelled scum who sing anti-German war songs," The Independent [London, England], 23 March 2017

"Corner House, Wembley." UK Pub Guide, Campaign for Real Ale. August 20, 2017. Accessed March 29, 2019. https://whatpub.com/pubs/MDX/11967/corner-house-wembley.

"Game of no halves: England and Wales fans hit by alcohol ban." Times [London, England], 25 May 2016, p. 1. Academic OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com.proxy.library.brocku.ca/apps/doc/A453310301/AONE?u=st46245&sid=AONE&xid=b6aa7c86. Accessed 29 Mar. 2019.

Herbert, Ian. "English football dragged through the mud once again by braying, beer-fuelled scum who sing anti-German war songs," The Independent [London, England], 23 March 2017. https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/england-fans-10-german-bombers-braying-beer-fuelled-scum-songs-dragged-through-the-mud- a7645321.html. Accessed 29 Mar. 2019.

Pearson, Geoff, and Arianna Sale. "'On the Lash' - Revisiting the Effectiveness of Alcohol Controls at Football Matches." Policing & Society 21, no. 2 (June 2011): 150–66.

"The Corner House." Fancy A Pint Ltd. February 4, 2015. Accessed March 29, 2019. http://www.fancyapint.com/Pub/london/the-corner-house/3786.

"The Corner House, Wembley | Pubs - Yell." Yell. Accessed March 29, 2019. https://www.yell.com/biz/the-corner-house-wembley-8162748/.