Norwich pub's bid to attract World Cup punters
Peter WalshBosses at one city pub are hoping football fans will be able to follow England's bid to end 44 years of hurt by lifting the World Cup this summer from the comfort of a bar - in the beer garden.Peter Walsh
Bosses at one city pub are hoping football fans will be able to follow England's bid to end 44 years of hurt by lifting the World Cup this summer from the comfort of a bar - in the beer garden.
The Stores bar has a fully licensed bar in the garden of the Dereham Road site, complete with draft pumps, and will soon have a big screen TV to follow all the action from South Africa.
The pub is getting Sky 3D TV in the main bar next month and will then be switching the screen which is currently inside the pub to outside in the beer garden for the summer.
Graeme Watt, bar manager of the Stores, said: 'We've got one that's out there, but it's a small screen and its just at the door and can be viewed through a window in the door.
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'But we're going to move the 36ins screen from the front of the pub into the garden for the world cup. It's not out there at the moment, but will be in the next couple of weeks.'
Mr Watt said he hoped having a screen outside in a beer garden which was fully licensed would help lure football fans to the pub this summer when football's biggest show gets under way.
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He said: 'We will be having barbecues and special events while the world cup is on - we think it will bring in football fans. We've got quite a lot of football fans coming in at the moment to watch the Premier League. There's quite a mix of fans and its not just all Manchester United or Chelsea.
'Hopefully it's going to be a great summer and if it's a nice hot day people won't be wanting to sit inside anyway so they will be able to go and sit in the beer garden and watch the football and buy a drink from the bar.'
The World Cup kicks off On Friday, June 11 with the hosts South Africa playing Mexico in Soccer City, Johannesburg, in a game that will be screened on ITV1.
Fabio Capello's England team, who will be without the talismanic David Beckham who tore his achilles tendon earlier this month, play their first game in Group C against the USA the following day in Rustenburg.
That game will be screened on ITV1 too as will England's second Group C game against Algeria in Cape Town on Friday, June 18. Fans will be able to watch the action from England's final group game against Slovenia in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday, June 23 on BBC1.
Both terrestrial channels will show the final and any semi-final featuring England, while ITV1 will show the 3rd place play off game.
Plans to put a TV screen outside for fans to enjoy at the Stores fits in with the Evening News's Love Your Local campaign which urges people to support their pub.
To find out more about the campaign or to see more stories log onto www.eveningnews24.co.uk and click on news then campaigns and then Love Your Local.
Is your pub doing something unusual to attract punters this summer? Call reporter Peter Walsh on 01603 772436 or email peter.walsh@archant.co.uk
