Here's my new and exclusive interview with UK based blogger and Asian football writer, Charlotte Patterson.
Please can you introduce yourself
Of course. My name is Charlotte and I'm a 26 year old Nurse from Durham in England. I've always been an avid football fan since I was a child, growing up with the rest of my family in supporting Sunderland (For my sins) and playing football from when I was 8 years old. I've only just taken up writing about football in the last two years.
How long have you been following Asian football?
I've been following Asian Football since around 2014, but been following it a lot more closely the last 5 years. It has been helped by the fact that Asian football coverage is improving, with various broadcasters in the UK showing occasional games. But also some leagues providing free and live coverage as well through their social media or creating websites.
What first got you interested?
Before my infatuation with Asian Football, I was always quite obsessed with Asian culture and history from a young age. It bizarrely started when I played a video game called Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors which are games that are loosely based on Chinese and Japanese wars respectively. From there I became incredibly intrigued by Asian Culture and started studying about it through books. Before I decided on my nursing degree, I was contemplating doing a degree in Asian Studies and History.
In terms of Asian football, for me it has to be due to the different style and footballing culture across the continent. A lot of Asian countries rely on their own homegrown talent as they don't have the funding or finances like you see in Europe. They also have a strong cult following which I love to see! I think you find in modern day football, especially in the west, that whilst a club may have thousands of 'fans', there are a lot who only stay for the glory. Whereas in Asia, you might have a club with a smaller following but the intensity, passion and loyalty from those fans more than compensates. I just find the whole continent as being a place with so much potential, stories and intrigue.
What are you thoughts on the current state of the game in the region?
Overall, I feel like the game is improving. The continent is starting to get a lot more coverage now, thanks to people writing books, people starting podcasts and coverage being shown in Europe. Because of this, it brings in more publicity, money, networking and scouting. In recent years, we are seeing Asian countries qualifying for international tournaments such as the World Cup and doing well. For example: In the World Cup in 2018, Japan finished second in their group, facing the likes of Colombia, Poland and Senegal. They put up a great performance against a strong Belgium side in the Round of 16, nearly taking them to extra time until Belgium scored the winner in the 94th minute to finish the game 3-2. Since then, I feel like Japan as well as other Asian countries have made strides in their progress. Particularly when I have watched some of the latest World Cup Qualifiers, there are some teams which look to challenge other world countries.
Continental competitions such as the AFC Champions League has also gotten more coverage recently and looks to improve each year. The tournament is a lot more open and there is a good battle between the East and Western zones
Which do you consider to be the best leagues in Asia?
I can only answer this in terms of which leagues I have watched. There may well be some incredible leagues in Asia, but because there is no coverage and not able to watch them, means I'm missing out. At the moment it is primarily East Asia and South East Asia which is getting the most coverage and easy access to watch games. I have recently started watching the Singapore Premier League, Malaysian Super League this year through YouTube.
But for me, my favourite and best league (in my opinion) is the J.League. From the kits, the fans, the stadiums, the coverage and the football which is played, it is incredibly entertaining to watch and of great quality. Very attack orientated, the games regularly have numerous goals and are end to end. They are also hard to predict, with some shock results and upsets occurring every now and then. It would be good if someone could challenge Kawasaki Frontale at the moment, but they are an incredible side. There are currently a lot of Japanese players playing in Europe, which is seen as the highest level and this season alone, there has been many young talented players joining big sides and big leagues.
What are your thoughts on Thai football?
Thai football is still somewhat new to me. I've only been following for the last year, with the gents at Tao Lao Podcast/Thai League Central being a big reason for that. I feel like the league is growing and becoming more interesting lately due to the fact that BG Pathum United won the league last season. For so long it has been dominated by Buriam United and Muangthong United. So it has been nice the last two seasons to see two different winners. I feel that league is starting to open up and become more competitive now, in the sense that any team can win it. Well maybe not any team. Also there are a lot more teams from across Thailand which are competing in the top division. Whilst there is of course a number of teams from the capital, it has become a lot more diverse, with clubs from various regions.
I'm quite a big fan of the stadiums and kits as well. A lot of the stadiums in Thai Football are football specific and resemble almost some European football grounds. Whilst I do love Asian football, there are far too many stadiums which still have the athletics track surrounding it, which I feel it takes away from the atmosphere you're trying to create.
Thai football is also starting to produce some great football talent with some making moves to other leagues. I enjoy watching Theerathon and Chanatip playing in J.League, who have been fantastic since joining for their respective sides. But also Kawin Thamsatchanan in Belgian Pro League with OH Leuven.
I do feel though that more emphasis needs to be placed on developing young talent in the league and on a national level. Whilst there has been some improvement, the Thailand national team was heavily dominated by 'older players' and veterans, it would be great to see some 18-20 year olds given the opportunity to play and be incorporated into the team alongside these veteran players so they can pass on their knowledge and experiences.
Overall though, I feel like the football is improving and the league is becoming alot more exciting and competitive.
Are you hoping to get over to the region to watch some matches?
I have plans to visit Japan next year to do a groundhopping tour of a few stadiums to watch various games. The plan was to stay primarily in Kyoto to watch them play, but make trips to see Gamba Osaka, Cerezo Osaka, Vissel Kobe and maybe a few others. However, I have been thinking more about visiting more than one country, likely Japan, South Korea and possibly Taiwan and/or Hong Kong. It depends on how much time I can get off work, finances and current state of the world. But it is definitely a goal of mine!
Now on to your new blog. Please can you start off by telling us what it's called.
It is called Lost In Translation or LIT for short. I'm not quite sure where the name came from to be honest. I was trying to think of potential names in my head and that was one which kept coming to me, so I stuck with it.
Why did you decide to start it?
I've been writing on Asian football for a while and decided to turn what was already a hobby of mine into something more. The website isn't intended to be anything serious, but maybe a good way of getting some casual football fans slightly more interested in Asian football. I think some may be surprised by the quality of the football and hopefully start watching more games or following certain leagues, clubs or players more. Like i mentioned before, I don't think Asian football quite gets the plaudits that it should and hopefully by shining some limelight on the region it will increase it's attention.
What kind of things are you planning to feature?
I'll be covering anything from stories, players in focus, previews and reviews of matchdays, football kit releases, transfers and just any general news about Asian football. I've included tabs on books, podcasts and where to watch in hopes that it may just help pique peoples interests that little bit more. I do hope to do some interviews in the future where possible!
Most of the time I just get excited to put the ideas in my head out onto paper, or in this case, in articles online. I love watching football and learning more about leagues, players, clubs and countries. So when something sticks out to me, I love doing the research side of things and find myself become fascinating at the potential hidden details. Whilst I do the articles for a hobby, I do enjoy when people respond positively and message to say they have started following certain leagues. It makes me feel like I'm helping, even if it is on an incredibly small scale. I suppose they say 'Rome wasn't built in a day'
There aren't many females writing about Asian football. Why do you think this is and are you hoping to inspire others to follow?
It's a tough one to answer. As I can only speak from my experience really. Perhaps if it wasn't for my fascination in Asian culture and history when I was younger, I may never have decided to write about Asian football.
I think women's inclusion in football is something which is still relatively new and growing at the moment. But is definitely has a long way to go. It is still something which is struggling to be accepted by people, as some have these 'traditional' views shall we say, that football is a man's game. Whilst it hasn't been often, I have been subject to sexism a few times in my life, whether that was when I was playing football, going to matches or even now when I'm talking about football online. I think because of this, some women don't feel like they can talk about football. But since starting the website, I have had a few girls message me, thanking me for what I'm doing and ask to write for the website. Because it is still new and it is more of hobby, I am just keeping to myself for the time being. But may look to branch it out into something bigger in the future. Hopefully by normalising talking about football and sharing things about Asian football, it will help there be more interest from women. I have created a tab on the website which covers women's football in Asia and I am going to place some emphasis on this in particular,
When it comes to writing, who are your biggest influences?
My biggest influences have primarily come from podcasters. Over the last few years I have listened to a lot of English speaking podcasts which covers various Asian Leagues such as J-Talk Podcast, K League United Podcast, Thai League Central Podcast (Ta Lao), The Final Whistle and the Asian Game. The latter podcast was what really inspired me. The fact that they knew so much about football in various countries, having fantastic interviews, covering specific leagues or clubs in episodes and the articles they write on the website, motivated me to do something similar.
Here's your opportunity to promote Asian football to a wider audience. What are you going to say to get people interested?
Give it a chance. Stick with it. Learn more about the league, the clubs, the players and the history. After the debacle of trying to create a European Super League and modern football becoming more about money and greed. Asian football provides a means to watch genuine football. Teams which rely on developing their own talent, where players wash their own kits and matches have this exciting rawness to them. Asia is a huge continent made up of 47 countries (which can be disputed based on your opinion) and whilst you might not like one league, you will hopefully find one which draws in your interest.
Finally, I can't let you go without asking about your impressive football shirt collection. Please can you tell us all about it.
I've been collecting shirts since I was young, but it only recently grew into an addiction in the last 18 months when the covid pandemic started. I think to compensate and cope with everything, I began to get my football fix in the form of clothing, seeing as at that time there was barley any football being played. It started off small, but then I started following more football shirt accounts and began to focus on collecting predominately Asian football shirts (Mainly 90's J.League). The last time I counted which was a few months ago, I think I had 147, but i may have more now. In terms of my favourites, I am focusing a lot on one club which is J2 side, Kyoto Sanga, their shirts are absolutely gorgeous and I'm aiming to collect them all. But I am currently also trying to collect at least one shirt from every J.League club.
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