Socrates | Football Bloggers meet up in London

Socrates 10 confirmed for 7th October 2011

2011-08-29T21:06:00.006+01:00

The tenth Socrates Football Blogger’s meetup in London is confirmed for 7th October 2011 in Clerkenwell, London. The event will be sponsored my I AM PLAYR.

As usual the event will be held at Picklive Towers the food and drink is gratis, courtesy of I AM PLAYR.The exact address is as follows:

2nd floor, White Bear Yard, 144a Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1R 5DF. (Click here to see a Google Map of the area.)

If you’re a football blogger and can make it to London for 7th October then you’re welcome to join us at Socrates 10.

E-mail us at events@s.ocrat.es

Tweet us at @SocratesMeetUp

Confirm you’re coming on Facebook.

Socrates 10 kicks off is anytime after 7pm on 7th October 2011. There will be a top UEFA Euro 2012 international qualifier on the TV. We hope to see you there.

About I AM PLAYR

I AM PLAYR is the only football game to let you live the life of a superstar striker, on and off the pitch. It combines video footage with 3D gaming. Find out more on their official website, check them out on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Socrates 9 confirmed for Wednesday 18 May 2011

2011-05-11T07:58:00.000+01:00

Apologies for the short notice but we're delighted to say we've managed to crowbar in our 9th Socrates Football Bloggers Meet-Up for Wednesday 18 May. Festivities start at 7pm, but please note - there's a new venue!

Regular attendees will know that our previous events have been held at the Vauxhall outpost of our generous sponsors Picklive, but this time we're asking you to meet at Picklive's other headquarters in Clerkenwell, London.

The exact address is as follows:

2nd floor, White Bear Yard, 144a Clerkenwell Road, London, EC1R 5DF. (Click here to see a Google Map of the area.)

As ever, Picklive will be not only giving us warmth and shelter for the night but also drinks and chicken balti pies, the like of which you won't find anywhere else. In addition to this, you'll also get the chance to watch the Europa League Final between Braga and Porto in the company of your fellow football enthusiasts.

It therefore just leaves us to say that if you’re a football blogger, podcaster or writer and you’d like to join us between 7pm and 10.30pm on May 18th, please get in touch with us at socrates [at] the-onion-bag [dot] com or send us a tweet to @SocratesMeetUp to let us know you’ll be coming along. We look forward to seeing you there.

Socrates is the official media partner for the Supporters Direct Fan's Weekend and SD Cup between Chester FC and FC United of Manchester

2011-04-14T14:55:00.006+01:00

We are delighted to announce that Socrates is the official partner of the Supporters Direct Fan’s Weekend and Supporters Direct Cup between Chester FC and FC United Of Manchester.

The Conference will be held at The Queen Hotel, Chester on the Friday 15th July and the SD Cup will form part of a Fans' Day held on the Saturday 16th July at the Exacta Stadium, home of Chester FC.

Delegates include David Conn, David Goldblatt, Mark Bradley, senior figures from the Football authorities and much, much more.

More details on the event itself can be found at the Supporter's Direct official website.

Press accreditation for the event and SD Cup match is available to any interested football blogger. For more information please e-mail Socrates[at]the-onion-bag[dot]com

Announcing Socrates Ryton Saturday 9th April

2011-03-06T14:06:00.009Z

After the success of Socrates Lewes we are delighted to announce that there will be another non- league Socrates Football Bloggers Meet Up at Northern League Ryton FC on 9th April for their Division One clash with Billingham Synthonia.

After promised sponsorship money failed to materialise in the summer, Ryton had to sack their management team and every single player except one followed them out of the club. £5 of your money here would go a very long way.

The Socrates meeting will start in the Boathouse pub next to Wylam Station from 11am onwards. Ryton vs Billingham Synthonia kicks off at 3pm. Ryton have a clubhouse but no bar so after the game (depending on the plans of the bloggers attending) we'll either go to a pub in Crawcrook or Newcastle itself. Bloggers will also be involved in producing content for Ryton's match day programme.

If you want to attend then drop the event organiser a line. He is Michael Hudson and can be reached on Twitter here. Alternatively, e-mail socrates[at]the-onion-bag[dot]com.

The stadium address is:

Kingsley Park
Stannerford Road
Crawcrook
Tyne and Wear
NE40 3SN

By car:

From North, South and East

Leave the A1 at the south side of the River Tyne, ( A696 ).At the roundabout take the A695 sign posted Blaydon. At Blaydon take the B6317 through Ryton to Crawcrook.Turn right at traffic lights, ( sign posted Clara Vale). Kingsley Park is situated approx. 500 metres on the right.

From the West

Leave A69 at Corbridge taking A68 South. Turn left at roundabout. ( A695 sign posted Prudhoe).Follow signs to Crawcrook / Ryton.Turn left at Crawcrook traffic lights ( Signposted Clara Vale ). Kingsley Park is situated approx. 500 metres on the right.

Socrates 8 is confirmed for 24th February 2011

2011-02-10T22:23:00.002Z

We are blown away with happiness to announce that Socrates 8, the football bloggers meet up in London will, once again, be at the home of Mint Digital in Vauxhall on 24th February.

The event is sponsored by our good friends Picklive Footie who will be supplying the drinks and balti pies.

Details of the venue are here. Already we have over thirty bloggers who have said they're coming so if you would like to attend, tweet @SocratesMeetUp or e-mail socrates[at]the-onion-bag[dot]com.

"The Open Sauce"
Mint Digital
W125-127 Westminster Business Square
1 Durham Street
Vauxhall
London
SE11 5JH

Socrates Lewes Arrangements

2011-01-21T18:11:00.003Z

When and where to meet:

From Brighton

The Lord Nelson, Trafalgar Street in Brighton. This is where Danny Last will be from 11am. If you've not been there before then you need to turn right as you leave Brighton Station and then walk down the slope back under yourself (so essentially you are now walking left from the station). The Nelson is around 200 yards down this road on the right. You can actually see it from the station concourse but cannot directly access it in this way.

The plan is to leave there about 1pm and get train to Lewes.

Direct to Lewes

From Lewes Railway Station simply turn right, walk 60 yards to roundabout and
turn left. Ground is straight ahead. Less than 2 minute walk.

Meet in the Rook Inn at the ground from 1.30pm. The ground has two entrances. One is a set of turnstiles next to the Blue Square Bet South sign in the car park, and the other is in the corner of the car park, parallel to the wall and by a access road with a gate. All names will be on this turnstile. Go through here, down the slope and then down the painted steps (aka the tunnel).

Turn left and bottom and you are in The Rook Inn.

Driving to Lewes

Exit A27 at roundabout signposted Lewes Town Centre. Follow road up hill for about a mile until you reach crossroads with traffic lights (prison will be on your left). Turn right at these lights. Steep down hill and then round a few corners before road climbs again. At mini roundabout turn left. Follow this road, straight over next roundabout. Finally you get to a bigger roundabout - go straight over and ground is on right. There is a small pay and display car park at ground, alternatively street parking further down this road (Mountfield Road).

If anyone has a spare club scarf from a team they support then it would be nice to bring so it can be put up in the bar.

Socrates Lewes Confirmed for 22nd January

2011-01-08T18:07:00.008Z

Football bloggers are invited to join us at Socrates Lewes on 22nd January 2011 at the Dripping Pan, Lewes FC where the home side will be playing Staines Town in the Blue Square South.

Socrates attendants will be the guests of the club. Admission is free for all those on the guest list. After the game we plan to retire to the club bar where we are promised a warm welcome from the board. All being well, there should be a chance to chat with the club manager, Tim O'Shea and some of the players.

If you would like to join us for an afternoon of top non-league action in Sussex than e-mail socrates [at] the-onion-bag [dot] com or tweet @SocratesMeetUp.

Click here for the location details for Lewes FC.

Hope to see you there.

Nopa Award Nominees Announced

2010-11-22T18:25:00.005Z

Picklive's NOPA football blogging and podcasting awards have been announced. The categories are below.

There will be an additional Socrates award for a football blogger or podcaster chosen by the founders of the Socrates Football Bloggers meet up.

Click here to see the full list of nominees.

#Socrates7 is confirmed for 1st December

2010-11-11T18:40:00.002Z

The seventh Socrates Football Bloggers Meetup in London is all set for Wednesday 1st September. Kick off is at 7:30pm.

As usual, our hosts and generous sponsors are the fine folk at Picklive Footie. Venue details are below:

"The Open Sauce"
Mint Digital
125-127 Westminster Business Square
1 Durham Street
Vauxhall
London
SE11 5JH

The Carling Cup will be on the telly.

Follow @socratesmeetup on Twitter more more updates.

#Socrates6 is confirmed for Tuesday 14th September

2010-08-18T16:41:00.003+01:00

The sixth Socrates Football Bloggers Meetup in London is all set for Tuesday 14th September.

As usual, our hosts and generous sponsors are the fine folk at Picklive Footie. Venue details are below:

"The Open Sauce"
Mint Digital
125-127 Westminster Business Square
1 Durham Street
Vauxhall
London
SE11 5JH

Follow @socratesmeetup on Twitter more more updates.

Socrates 5: Ghana v Uruguay

2010-07-04T11:57:00.001+01:00

A big thank you to everyone that attended our fifth Socrates event at Mint Digital in London on Friday night. We hope you had a good time like we did, and that you'll do the decent thing and tell everyone about PickLive Football - the online football game that our fine sponsors produce for everyone's collective entertainment.

Undoubtedly the perfect accompaniment to all the footy-related chat and beer consumption was the World Cup quarter final between Ghana and Uruguay. You'll know about the thrilling events that unfolded by now, but here's a sound clip of the moment at Socrates 5 when Asamoah Gyan's penalty in the dying seconds of extra time hit the crossbar...

Warning: You might want to keep the volume on your PC or headphones down a bit...

Start your World Cup Quarter Final weekend at Socrates 5

2010-06-23T17:30:00.006+01:00

The next football bloggers meet up in London will be on Friday 2nd July and will coincide with a World Cup Quarter final. We've chosen that night as England will NOT be playing, should they progress that far. That way, most of us can relax and enjoy the game.

If you are a football blogger but have never joined us at Socrates then this is your chance to hob-nob with some of the best football heads in the Capital and beyond. Take a look down the side bar for a sample of some of the top bloggers who have joined us.

Socrates5 is sponsored by the live interacting fantasy game Picklive Footie. They are laying on free food, booze and footy. The venue is in Vauxhall, south London.

If you want to come, send an e-mail to socrates@the-onion-bag.com or give us a tweet at @socratesmeetup.

Socrates on Twitter and Picklive Footie

2010-03-09T17:07:00.005Z

Socrates has painfully dragged itself in 2008 by finally setting up it's own Twitter ID. You can now follow the doings of the Socrates London Bloggers Meet Up on @SocratesMeetUp.

There we will keep you abreast of the latest developments with any and all the bloggers who have beaten a path to Socrates door. This includes our generous sponsor Football3s who have now rebranded themselves as Picklive Footie.

If you're new to this site and fancy joining us at the football bloggers networking event in London, then drop us a line through Twitter or if you think Social Media is evil the e-mail us at socrates[at]the-onion-bag[dot]com.

The date and venue details can be found on the right of this post. We hope to see you then.

Socrates 4 confirmed - 12th May

2010-02-17T21:56:00.001Z

After a successful Socrates 3 we are delighted to confirm that Socrates 4 will be on Wednesday 12th May.

Football3s have agreed to sponsor and host the event once again. The venue will be at their bar in Vauxhall as before.

Socrates is a fantastic opportunity for football bloggers, writers and podcasters to get together and share their passions. The free food and beer plus football on the telly only adds to the enjoyment of the evening.

If you would like to join us at Socrates 4 then drop us a line at socrates(at)the-onion-bag(dot)com and we'll put you on the list.

The Europa League Final will be on the telly.

Images of Socrates

2010-02-17T12:06:00.008Z

Despite the inclement weather, the bloggers and podcasters of London battled through the rain to indulge in complementary beer, balti pies, Milan v Man Utd and some top football chat. Here are a selection of images below.

(All images by @noamso)

Balti Pies! Exclusive to Socrates!

2010-02-01T20:13:00.004Z

These are just a sample of the Balti Pies that have been ordered for the Football Bloggers meet up on 16th February. If you are a football blogger, love Balti Pies and are in the London area, the e-mail socrates[at]the-onion-bag[dot]com and we'll put you on the list.

Kick off is 7:30

The venue details are below:

The "Open Sauce"
Mint Digital
W125-127 Westminster Business Square
1 Durham Street
Vauxhall
London
SE11 5JH

Next Socrates 16th February!

2010-01-07T18:10:00.004Z

The next Football Bloggers Meet Up in London will be on Tuesday 16th February.

Socrates is an opportunity for football writers and bloggers to get together in an atmosphere of conviviality and alcohol to discuss such diverse topics as Football and Blogging.

The venue is at Mint Digital's exclusive "Open Sauce" bar with booze and grub supplied by Socrates' generous sponsor Football3s.

Man United will be on the telly.

If you are a football blogger and want to join us at Socrates then drop an e-mail to socrates[at]the-onion-bag[dot]com and we'll put you on the list.

The "Open Sauce"
Mint Digital
W125-127 Westminster Business Square
1 Durham Street
Vauxhall
London
SE11 5JH

Socrates In action

2009-12-10T11:16:00.002Z

These were the scenes at Socrates last night. Thanks to all who attended. Thanks to Football3s for laying on the booze and food and football. Hope to see you all and more soon.

Play and win at #socrates

2009-12-09T16:46:00.003Z

Our generous sponsors Football3s are putting a bottle of whisky up for grabs at tonight's Socrates.

There will be a couple of laptops available for folks to play the real time fantasy game. The player who score the most on the night gets to take the bottle home with them.

As always the venue details are below. Here's hoping for a cracking night.

"The Open Sauce"
Mint Digital
W125-127 Westminster Business Square
1 Durham Street
Vauxhall
London
SE11 5JH

Socrates: Roll call

2009-12-09T10:07:00.005Z

The second football bloggers meetup in London is tonight. The following blogs are among those who are coming.

Just Football

A More Splendid Life (all the way from Canada)

The Football Ramble

Who Ate All The Pies

Craven Cottage Newsround

eChelsea

The Tottenham Blog

Shake Your Tactics

Pitch Slap

Who Are Ya

The 6 Yard Box

There is still some room so if you fance coming, e-mail socrates[at]the-onion-bag[dot]com. The venue details are below:

"The Open Sauce"
Mint Digital
W125-127 Westminster Business Square
1 Durham Street
Vauxhall
London
SE11 5JH

Welcome aboard Kwaitoball

2009-11-30T09:47:00.002Z

Our very own Mr Twofootedtackle Chris Nee is so excited about the forthcoming shenanigans in South Africa that he has launched a new World Cup blog.

It's called Kwaitoball and was launched yesterday amidst a huge media fanfare (he plugged it on Twitter and we retweeted it).

Anyhoo, why don't you get yourself over there now and feel free to congratulate/poor scorn on his efforts in person when you come along to Socrates next Wednesday.

What's that? You're not coming to Socrates? You are now. E-mail socrates[at]the-onion-bag[dot]com.

A warm welcome plus booze, food and football awaits you courtesy of our generous sponsor Football3s.

Venue details

"The Open Sauce"
Mint Digital
W125-127 Westminster Business Square
1 Durham Street
Vauxhall
London
SE11 5JH

The next Socrates is less than a month away!

2009-11-08T22:41:00.004Z

Yes folks the next Football Bloggers Meet Up In London is less than a month away on December 9th 2009.

We're back at the same venue and the event is once again being sponsored by the good people of Football3s.

This website has spruced itself up a bit and has a new logo designed by @delboydare.

If you didn't make to the last Socrates in September, why not join us for an evening of football chat amidst like minded football bloggers. Share stories and experiences, swap jokes or just network. There will be a big screen telly and we'll be screening a Champions League game.

The venue details are below. If you want to come then e-mail socrates[at]the-onion-bag[dot]com and we'll put you on the list.

"The Open Sauce"
Mint Digital
W125-127 Westminster Business Square
1 Durham Street
Vauxhall
London
SE11 5JH

Chelsea v Spurs - Feeling the Love

2009-09-18T15:18:00.002+01:00

Witness the power of Socrates.

Kristian from eChelsea and Dan from the Tottenham Blog have joined forces and interviewed each other for their respective blogs. These posts give their readers an alternative perspective of the two club's intense rivalry ahead of the big derby game on Sunday.

Read the interviews here.

http://www.tottenhamblog.com/view-from-the-opposite-stand-chelsea/

http://www.echelseafc.co.uk

If you want to come to the next Socrates on December 9th then e-mail socrates[at]gmail[dot]com and will sort you out.

Next Socrates December 9th

2009-09-14T19:07:00.004+01:00

We are delighted to confirm that the next London Bloggers meet up will be on Wednesday December 9th.

Once again, Football3s have very kindly agreed to host the event which will kick off at 7pm.

The venue details are below. If you want to come then e-mail socrates[at]the-onion-bag[dot]com and we'll put you on the list.

"The Open Sauce"
Mint Digital
W125-127 Westminster Business Square
1 Durham Street
Vauxhall
London
SE11 5JH

Socrates - What a night

2009-09-10T11:47:00.007+01:00

This is just a flavour of the first Socrates last night, Wednesday 9th September. Everyone had a great time and we're grateful to all those bloggers who came along.

The pretty much unanimous feeling was that we should do another one soon. So we're chatting with Noam at Football3s with a view to setting one up for December. More details to follow.

If you couldn't make it and want to be kept in the loop, drop us a line at socrates[at]the-onion-bag[dot]com

Socrates - Who are ya?

2009-09-09T10:07:00.010+01:00

These are the fine folk who are joining us at #Socrates tonight.

It's not too late to come along for our football bloggers meet up. E-mail socrates[at]the-onion-bag[dot]com.

Andrew McPhail - Timesonline Fanzone (Arsenal)

Ash - In The Stands

Ahmed Bilal - Soccerlens

Colin - True Blue Army and Pompey Fans

Dan - Tottenham Blog

Ed - Shit Shot Mungo

Ian - Twohundredpercent

Innes - 3nil

John - Low Life Opinions

Jonathan - Just Football

Kristian & Ben - eChelsea (about to launch a new project on 12th September)

Tony - Festival Of Football

and introducing...

Adam Lewis - Football blogger at large.

Not to mention Some People Are On The Pitch, Twofootedtackle, the Onion Bag and Fantasy Football Agent.

And of course, our magnificent and generous sponsors Football3s who are laying on the venue, booze and grub. As always the address is below. See you there!

"The Open Sauce"
Mint Digital
W125-127 Westminster Business Square
1 Durham Street
Vauxhall
London
SE11 5JH

Socrates - One week to go

2009-09-02T11:48:00.004+01:00

Yes folks, the inaugural Football Bloggers Meet Up in London is seven days away. If you cast your eye down the nav-bar to your right you can see the top bloggers who are joining us at Socrates on Wednesday 9th September.

Kick off is at 7pm and those fine folk at Football3s are putting on some food and drink while we watch England qualify for the World Cup. And if @soccerlens can avoid upsetting Liverpool fans, it should be a cracking night of football and chat.

It's not too late to get involved. If you want to join us, please e-mail socrates[at]the-onion-bag[dot]com.

Venue details:
"The Open Sauce"
Mint Digital
W125-127 Westminster Business Square
1 Durham Street
Vauxhall
London
SE11 5JH

Socrates - World Cup Fever

2009-08-28T10:26:00.002+01:00

The timing for our football bloggers meet up couldn't be better. The first football bloggers meet up coincides with the World Cup Qualifiers. What better way to watch an England match than in the company of like minded footy folk? (unless you're not English of course).

Our sponsors Football3s will, no doubt, have one of the games on and there will be a chance to have a go on their real time fantasy game.

We are looking to open the doors at 7pm . Someone should be at the door for a little while to greet people and direct them to the bar.

In the meantime, please feel free to promote Socrates. Wear the badge with pride! Also, don't forget to link the Socrates blog to your own site.

12 Days until the finest minds in the Football blogosphere assemble. Want to join us? E-mail socrates[at]the-onion-bag[dot]com.

Socrates Update

2009-08-19T12:39:00.008+01:00

The word is spreading and we're all looking forward to the main event on the 9th September.

We are thrilled that the fine folk at Two Hundred Percent, Soccerlens, Who Ate All The Pies, Tottenham Blog, Low-Life Opinions, Festival Of Football, Truebluearmy, echelsea and Just Football among other football bloggers are meeting up at Socrates.

If you're a football blogger or writer and you want to join us in London on the 9th September, drop us a line at socrates [at] the-onion-bag [dot] com.

Network

Jon from Goalpostr is working on a Socrates widget for all Socrates bloggers so if you're coming, get yourself signed up at goalpostr.com and get involved in some hard core football social networking.

Promote

You can promote Socrates by using the #socrates hashtag on Twitter when talking about Socrates. Also, there is a wee Socrates picture on the side bar of this blog. It would be great if you slapped that somewhere on your blog.

Venue

"The Open Sauce"
Mint Digital
W125-127 Westminster Business Square
1 Durham Street
Vauxhall
London SE11 5JH
map

Socrates is coming

2009-07-22T16:12:00.001+01:00

Socrates is a Football blogger meet up in London.

Why Socrates?
It's an opportunity for bloggers who are passionate about the beautiful game to get together, swap stories, share experiences, pass on tips and advice. Alternatively, in the event that we all end up hating each other, watch a game of football in stony uncomfortable silence.

No I understand that you plank! I meant why the name Socrates?
Oh, sorry. Well the idea was inspired by the Tuttle Club which is named after a character from the film Brazil so we thought that a name of a Brazilian footballer would be appropriate. Socrates seemed an obvious choice.

Who the Hell do you think you are?
I'm Terry Duffelen, editor of The Onion Bag who have be delivering a weekly dose of football satire into the RSS feeds of the discerning reader for over six years.

Chris Nee is the top man at the Two Footed Tackle blog and podcast. By serving the football community he is hoping to gain access to paradise despite being a PR by day.

Graham Sibley runs Fantasy Football Agent and is a writer and developer on The Onion Bag. He keeps the back end clean (phnarr).

Chris Oakley is the guy from Some People Are On The Pitch. He has been described as one of the Blogosphere's leading footballing academics by people who don't know him that well.

Gary Andrews is a Football writer and host of the Two Footed Tackle Podcast.

So I have to have a football blog to attend then?
Well you might be a blogger who is into football but doesn't blog about it that much or you could be a football journalist but yeah, the idea is for football bloggers to network.

When is it on?
The first meet up is confirmed for 9th September in the heart of swinging London and will be sponsored by Football3s who are very kindly laying on the venue plus some drinks and grub (there will be no actual swinging). Venue details are below.

If you want to attend please e-mail socrates[at]the-onion-bag[dot]com

Venue details:

"The Open Sauce"
Mint Digital
W125-127 Westminster Business Square
1 Durham Street
Vauxhall
London SE11 5JH
map