The Frustration Begins
Right, so I got this idea yesterday. My buddy Pete was ranting again about how impossible it is to get proper scores for our local University City league games online. One site says Wolves won 2-1, another has it as a draw, and the official league page? Last updated sometime before the pandemic, feels like. Absolute mess. Pete’s always whining, but this time I thought, screw it, maybe I can actually figure this out myself. How hard could it be?
Diving Headfirst Into Chaos
First thing this morning, fueled by slightly burnt coffee, I grabbed my laptop. Tried looking up “University City Football Scores” like a normal person. Boom. Ten different websites pop up, all claiming to be the official source. Clicked the first one – a maze of pop-up ads trying to sell me bootleg jerseys and dodgy betting tips. The scores listed were for a tournament played three months ago. Useful. Not. Closed that tab real fast.
Next up, social media. Figured the teams themselves must post results, right? Ha. Scrolled through five different team accounts. Found a blurry photo of someone celebrating labeled “VICTORY!” but no actual score mentioned anywhere. Another account just posted cryptic stuff like “Bad day on the pitch 😔 #KeepPushing.” What does that even mean? Did they lose 5-0 or just forget their shin guards? No bloody details whatsoever.
Plan C: Hit up the actual University City League Facebook page. Found it buried deep. Their last post? Two weeks ago – a picture of a shiny new trophy. Digging into the comments felt like an archeological expedition. Buried under spam bots offering “hot singles nearby,” Pete from last night was asking about last week’s scores. Underneath Pete, someone calling themselves “EaglesFan87” shouted, “Wolves blew chunks Saturday! 3-0 thrashing!” Was that the score? Or just trash talk? Had no clue.
Genuinely frustrated now. Needed a proper source.
Taking Matters Into My Own Hands
Gave up on the internet circus after lunch. Figured if you want something done right… grabbed my phone, put on my walking shoes. Went direct to the source.
Found myself down at the main university pitch where most games happen on weekends. Saw an old guy sweeping near the equipment shed. Looked official-ish. Went over, waved, probably scared him a bit. “Excuse me, mate,” I said, trying not to sound desperate, “you wouldn’t have like… a book? Or a list? With the weekend football scores?” He looked at me like I’d asked for a unicorn.
He grunted. “Scores? Sometimes Joan over at the admin office writes ’em down. Try there.” Hope!
Trudged across campus to the sports admin building. Found “Joan” – turns out she handles swimming registrations mostly. She rummaged in a dusty drawer overflowing with swim meet flyers and pulled out a crumpled sheet of A4 paper tucked under a broken stapler.
“Think Geoff from Parks leaves these sometimes,” she shrugged. “Don’t know how up to date it is.” I took it like it was gold. Outside, squinting in the sunlight, I smoothed it out.
Here’s the treasure I found, copied straight off this tragic bit of paper Geoff probably wrote on his knee:
- Eagles vs. Wolves: Eagles win (2-1)
- Sharks vs. Tigers: Draw (0-0) – Joan added “Dead boring, apparently”
- Hawks vs. Falcons: Hawks win (3-0)
- Lions vs. Panthers: Panthers win (1-0)
Trying to Build Something Useful (And Mostly Failing)
Got home feeling half victorious, half defeated. Had some facts. Time to make sense of them, see who’s actually winning stuff. Opened a new Google Sheet, all keen. Put the team names down the side, started making columns for wins, draws, losses, goals… looked smart. Filled in what I had from Geoff’s scrap paper.
And then… stopped. Hard. How many games have they actually played? Was this just last week? Or the whole season? Geoff’s paper had no date, obviously. Did the Panthers win only one game, or was this just their latest? Totally hit a brick wall. The spreadsheet looked so tidy, and the data underneath was useless fluff.
Where Things Stand Now
So yeah, that’s my big University City Football score adventure. Spent hours, walked a mile, annoyed Joan, and ended up with a spreadsheet containing precisely three confirmed facts and a mountain of unanswered questions. My wife thinks I’m nuts. Pete owes me a beer for even trying.
The brutal truth I learned? Official tracking sucks. It’s either non-existent, buried under ads, hidden in bad social media posts, or scribbled on doomed bits of paper destined for the bin. It’s chaos. Maybe I’ll start nagging Geoff every Sunday morning. Or maybe I’ll just ask Pete to actually watch the games he complains about and take notes himself. Who has time for that crap? Until then, this chaotic spreadsheet is my tragic little monument to trying.