It’s around 2 p.m. on a weekday and several people have taken up seats to enjoy the action from the Euro 2016 soccer tournament at the Telegraph Tap House in Lethbridge. But none are more locked in on the television then Adrian Larkin.
“Come on! Come on! Come on!” Larkin shouts at the screen in front of him.
There are other words mixed in, but they can’t be repeated here. Wearing a green shirt, Larkin feverishly cheers on his favourite team.
“I’ve followed football all my life,” Larkin says as his eyes drift between the TV and I. “On a league level, I’m a Manchester United fan and Celtic Rangers fan. Then of course on the international level, Irish fan all the way.”
You see Larkin was born in Ireland but moved to Canada when he was 20. A Lethbridge pub is the perfect place for him to cheer on Ireland, though the atmosphere is a little bit different than in his home country.
“In Ireland right now, everybody would be shut down,” Larkin said. “There would be no business open, everybody would be watching.”
Now it may not be like Ireland, but Lethbridge is getting on board with the Euro Cup.
“I’d say throughout the day that we’ve almost doubled in sales during the games,” Telegraph Tap House server Olivia Little says. “It’s been really good for us, a lot more beer drinking during the day and a lot less water.”
But the proud fans may not always agree on which game to watch.
“Today, we almost had a head off between the two games,” Little says with a chuckle. “They wanted two different games to be going for them.”
That passion is spreading to local sports stores too.
For all major international soccer events, Doug’s Sports brings in new product, and it’s paying off. He says throughout the Euro Cup, two thirds of their jersey sales have been soccer jerseys.
“We see sales spike and we see people way more interested and so it’s very, very nice,” Doug’s Sports assistant manager JD Clark says.
Back in the Telegraph, Larkin remains glued to the game. His Irish side tied, with Italy needing a win to move on in the tournament. As the second half winds down, his club finally breaks though.
Larkin jumps out of his seat, shouting “Yes!” and begins pumping his fists in the air and as he starts to laugh as though he can’t believe it.
Larkin’s Ireland squad is off to the round of 16, and as a result, local establishments may stand to benefit a little longer.
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