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Bored of the Summer Transfer Gossip? These Leagues Will Keep You Entertained

Fans of the bigger clubs can pretty much guarantee plenty of entertainment at this time of year, as the continental giants dominate the headlines with their blockbuster signings. However, the rest of us following clubs that are decidedly more modest with their spending, usually have to settle for the scraps and leftovers.

Supposedly “in the know” gossip columnists build up our hopes, claiming some great star or other is hours away from signing for our team, only for the story to disappear into obscurity days later. Meanwhile, with rumours and speculation everywhere, journalists try to guess what moves are going to happen, ready to lap up the plaudits if they actually happen.

Well, sod all that! There are better ways to spend our time than reading such drivel. Likewise, there’s still plenty of football action to follow right now, beyond the top European leagues.

Here Come the Vikings

In the far north, many of the Scandinavian countries are actually in the midst of their domestic football seasons. Indeed, the acca tipsters at Betting.Betfair are having a grand old time trying to predict results for teams that most of us have perhaps never heard of before, with several Nordic leagues offering plenty of action to follow during the summer months.


Image Source: Pixabay

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his Manchester United squad have jetted off for a tour of Australia and Asia, but his former club Molde are firing on all cylinders right now, leading the charge for the Eliteserien title in Norway. The football season there runs from the end of March until November, so they’re actually in the middle of the campaign right now.

The Emerald Isle

Just like the Nordic countries, there’s plenty of action to follow in the Republic of Ireland, with the Airtricity League in full flow through the summer. The Irish top-flight has been reformed several times over the years, with the most recent changes coming to the League of Ireland ahead of the 1985-86 season, when the Premier Division and First Division were formed.

 

With tongue firmly planted in cheek, the Irish Premier is now known as the #GreatestLeagueInTheWorld via Twitter, while the league season runs between the end of February until the end of October in Ireland, spring until autumn. However, in Northern Ireland, the league season runs from August and through the winter until April the following year, roughly parallel to its counterparts in England, Scotland and Wales.

Timeless Japanese Flavour

It’s not just in the northern European countries that domestic seasons are still in full swing. The Japanese J-League recently passed the midway stage of the 2019 campaign, with FC Tokyo extending their lead at the top of the table, aiming to win their first-ever title after 18 years in the top flight.

 

Indeed, football in Japan has matured considerably. Dropping down a division to the J2 League at Yokohama FC, there’s the remarkable story of Kazuyoshi Miura. While contemporaries who peaked during the 80s and 90s have long since retired, evergreen 52-year-old Miura is still playing, making him the oldest active professional footballer anywhere in the world.

Mind you, it looks as though Yokohama FC are now switching their attention to up and coming youngsters. They recently announced the signing of 41-year-old whippersnapper and former Celtic star, Shunsuke Nakamura. Some believe this young chap has a really bright future ahead of him in Japanese football.