SUPERFAN!

April 2001 Table of Contents

SUPERFAN!

Not only is Malcolm Spicer a superfan, he has been declared so by his football club and Western Union. They were so impressed by his single-mindedness that they paid for him to go to England from Marsh Harbour and party in Manchester United's domain - Old Trafford, the Theatre of Dreams.

>From his early boyhood Malcolm Spicer, a born Mancunian, was a Manchester United fan. Home and away, he followed them - not as a fan, that's tepid: not as a partisan, that's single-minded; but as a superfan, wholly committed to having his emotions wrenched by every single game result.

Who else but Malcolm would leave his family and, one son under tow, go to Europe to see Manchester United win the final, deciding game of the Premier League, the FA Cup Final, and the European Championship in Barcelona? All on his bank account. But this time, Malcolm was paid for by Western Union.

We reported earlier how he won the prize as one of Manchester United's chief fans but now we have Malcolm's report. He says he was treated like a king. He met the English national coach in passing while staying at the Worsley Hotel and Country Club, a five star establishment. This was after crossing the Atlantic first class on Virgin Atlantic and (in his words) taking every advantage of it.

What did he do when he had his first breakfast in England? Eat pork sausages, bacon, ham, eggs, mushrooms, beans, hash potatoes, tea and toast. Such a light English breakfast would obviously leave him famished by midday. Then his sponsors gave him pounds (like big dollars) to spend in the Megastore, t Malcolm confesses that the rather regulated English way of life was no longer his cup of tea and his fellow winners, 14 of them, looked upon him as a free-spirited rule breaker. The average bedtime during the stay was 3 am.

Was there a centre to all this extravagance? Yes, indeed. Manchester United were playing Arsenal. Malcolm and the other superfans were applauded and Malcolm even kissed the Old Trafford ground: "The turf didn't taste too good".

There was a crowd of 70,000 present and obviously Manchester United wanted to make sure Malcolm was happy. Within 30 minutes they were 5-1 up, the equivalent of a 42-7 American Football half-time score. It ended 6-1. Was Malcolm happy? Go figure.

He was able to get together with his parents 200 miles away (chauffeured limousine, aha, courtesy of Western Union) and meet the Mancjester United players of the past whom he had worshipped as a little boy. He was over-overcome. If you have ever met anybody who is a greater fan of his club than Malcolm, lock him up.

Malcolm was even allowed to attend a pre-game practice that no press were allowed to. And you think that first breakfast was excessive? The banquets and dinners that were held in the fan winners' honour did not include chicken wings and meat balls.

You deserved it, Malcolm. Anybody more rabid or avid than you could probably be certified. And I'm sure there were plenty of people you met who learned an awful lot about The Bahamas and Abaco in particular. We are a special place, and you are a good ambassador

April 2001 Table of Contents