h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Football's probably the topic that's most likely to make people on this site switch off.

And who can blame them? It's ceased to be the sporting contest it once was. It's now at the most cynical end of the multi-billion-dollar global entertainment industry. It's "stars" are paid over £100,000 per week (some significantly more).

The industry raises the cash by:

flooding the stadium with advertising - those video ads on pitch-side hoardings are especially distracting;

fleecing their loyal paying customers - the cheapest season ticket to watch Arsenal is over £1,000;

aggressive brand loyalty - replica shirts are now the 'must have' item for both supporters and their children, they change the styles every year, and they cost £50 a time;

hooking themselves to global technology - you need to get Sky TV to watch the best games, then buy premium packages to get the channels;

changing the rules so that players are forced to play a game which encourages individual skills rather than teamwork - it looks better on TV and helps generate income through the above.

Yet it doesn't have to be like this.

There is another game which relies on none of these. It's the amateur game. It's dead cheap to watch (a few pounds), it's just as competitive. It's also to be found away from the TV - It's actually played outside your house in a breathable gas they call "air". You'll find it in a field near you.

Well, I say it doesn't appear on TV, the BBC actually showed some of it on Friday evening. The amateur club Warrington Town FC had won 5 matches in a knockout tournament called the FA Cup to earn a tie against a professional club, Exeter City. In a thrilling end-to-end match (actually mostly towards the Warrington end) they prevailed 1-0 - one of a number of shock results this weekend.

A few years ago I wrote a guide entry (A32364308) about another amateur club, Havant & Waterlooville, who beat a number of professional clubs to earn an FA Cup match against Liverpool. Well, I'm writing all of this today, as Havant & Waterlooville have the chance to do it again this evening. They play Preston North End - a club with a great history: founder members and first winners of the Football League.

Tonight's match is also on TV, but sadly not the BBC this time - you need to have invested either in BT Broadband or Sky TV to see it on the BT Sport channel.

And, as they sing on the Havant terraces, Come On You Hawks!

[Amy P]

Havant and Waterlooville is such a brilliant name!

Enjoy the name - there's nothing there worth visiting, unless you're a fan of council estates (Havant) or bungalow cities (Waterlooville)

Warterlooville has a Waitrose but thats the only bright spot in the middle class sameness

Hey, Bob, they're building a new Sainsbury's too! On the old Wadham Stringer site.

Sainburys not a bad place to shop but in their rush to be the cheapest they will soon all be the same

I watched my son's under-18s team play a match a few weeks ago. The skill and dedication were astounding. Come on Railway!

Dear me, I mean grandson's.

The excitement when Stevenage ended up playing Newcastle in the FA cup round our was was immense, especially when it was a tie, so they got to do it again.

My son shows signs of being interested in football. I keep hoping it will wear off.

The peer pressure must be so much greater today than it was in my day, what with all the branding/sponsorship. I can see why you'd want to resist it, and I hope you can.

Hawks lost 3-0 and had two sent off. Oh well.