Website of the Month

#4) Soccerway

The blurb for this site proudly claims that 'two pioneers of Internet Soccer, together with almost 20 years of experience, joined each other in October 2003 in order to create one of internet's most complete soccer-sites.' This new site is actually a merger of Dutchman Arjen Robben's SoccerWay and Finn Riku Soininen's International Soccer Server, which was our first ever 'Website of the Week'. It combines the news and articles of the former with the comprehensive results, tables and statistics of the latter, to make a huge football resource.

These two sites dated from the early days of football on the Internet, when football websites were in their infancy - my own (now defunct) 'Absolute Football' was another such site - and, over time, they have become highly respected major players in the field. The new site offers football news content to other websites who wish to carry the stories without having to provide their own content, and it offers aspiring journalists the chance to submit articles.

Verdict: the best bits of both sites are still there, and having everything in one place is an obvious advantage. The site loads quickly, and doesn't carry too many adverts. In short, this is one of the very best football news and results sites around.

#3) Football Culture

There is enough on this website to keep you occupied for many a happy hour (or longer if you happen to lose track of time whilst exploring each and every fascinating section). The BBC and the British Council are responsible for the content which is diverse and interesting to adults and children alike. The stated aim is 'to explore the culture of football around the world' and they certainly go a long way towards achieving this grandiose undertaking.

There is always plenty to read, on top of games, quizzes and photos to satisfy a variety of interests. The 'footy themes' section explores such diverse issues as media, money, violence, love, community, globalisation, faith, race and gender. There are selected articles on each topic and readers are invited to contribute their own opinions.

Other sections are devoted to writing on (and by) players, fans, people in the game and teams. There really is a wealth of things to read and investigate. You can even submit your own fan profile!

Verdict: a top site, especially for people who want to find out more about what the game means to people in different places around the world. (Site also available in Japanese)

#2) Futbolero

The self-styled "Academic Soccer Site" is a well-organised resource aimed at anyone interested in the study of the only truly global game. It describes itself as "a football site that focuses on the study of soccer as a social and historical phenomenon." Whether or not you are involved in serious football research, this site contains a lot of useful information. The idea is to provide a starting point for football academics and to generally point researchers in the right direction by way of a bibliography of football writing.

The bibliography is the central part of the site and you can find an impressive list of academic related football/soccer articles. These are sorted in alphabetical order by author with full reference details and, in many cases, a short abstract. There is also a page containing lists of football articles on the specific subjects of gender, hooliganism/violence, and race/ethnicity. Finally, there is a list of academic football books, often with a short description, and a selection of authors under the heading 'recommended reading', with a passage describing the work and themes of each author.

The courses section is aimed at those of us who wish to take our passion for sport to an extreme: a list of university departments worldwide that either specialize in or at least encourage the study of sport at the post-graduate/graduate level. There are a surprising (and increasing) number of courses out there. Finally, there is a very good collection of football links (with many other useful sites for those studying the game).

Verdict: It's a shame that there are no actual articles on the site, but that's not the point of it. Print out the printer friendly version of the bibliography and get down to a good library. Futbolero is a good and useful site, although it could be updated more regularly.

#1) International Soccer Server

One of the oldest and longest running football websites on the net, the International Soccer Server has changed little in format since it was launched in 1994. Its beauty is in its simplicity - there are no fancy graphics, no adverts, and no gimmicks - which makes for a neat, well-organised and accessible site that loads quickly.

Based in Finland, the site aims to provide up to date football results from over 130 leagues around the world, as well as from many international, continental and national cup competitions. It caters for lower divisions in many countries, in addition to all the major top divisions. Scores usually appear online very promptly after the final whistles, along with league tables and other statistics.

The real strength of this site lies in its statistical content, which makes it a goldmine for those wanting to check the form of a particular team. Each league table can be viewed in order of total, home, away, form (last 6 games), last 3 home, or last 3 away. In addition to this, you can go to the status page and compare head-to-head the records of any two clubs in the same division. It also shows the most recent results between the selected teams. Finally, there is an archive section allowing you to find statistics for previous seasons for all the major leagues.

Verdict: The International Soccer Server is an unrivalled resource for football supporters, statisticians and anybody trying to predict results.