10 ways to beat the offseason blues

It might feel like time is moving backwards when there’s no footy to watch during the summer. Don’t fret – help is at hand. We have thrown together a list today to give you an idea or some inspiration about how you can keep the offseason blues at bay. 

Go to a country you haven’t visited before 

If you pick up a language quickly, why not try out your new hobby with a trip abroad? Something a bit different than usual? Look, if you’re somebody who has their two weeks in Benidorm every July like clockwork, good on you. 

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, as they say. What I will say, though, is travel to a new country like New Zealand – somewhere beyond your comfort zone – can provide a different perspective on the classic summer holiday, and it can also help to eat up the boredom that bubbles away when you’re waiting for the footy to start again. 

Try a few games out online

It’s reductive to group all online gaming into a single category. The term encompasses a wide variety of options, including sports games, VR games, arcade games, video console games, and even casino games—there’s so much variety online.

While I was visiting Auckland, I noticed that many locals who enjoy going to the casino in the Central Business District on weekends would turn to Dunder’s online casino in New Zealand instead when bad weather would get in the way of their weekend plans.

Personally, I take up online video console gaming in the offseason. 

When it gets to 3pm on a Saturday and there’s no footy to watch, what do I do? Well, I’ll have a game of FIFA. I still call it FIFA; I refuse to call it FC 25 or whatever they’ve changed it to. 

Follow another sport

Just because there’s no footy over the summer months doesn’t mean you can’t sit down and watch another sport. The Wimbledon final peaked at a TV audience of 19.3 million last summer. I may be a cynic, but if it took place on any other Saturday night during the footy season, those numbers would be much lower. 

I know the Euros were on last year, but I’m sticking to this point. It could be tennis, rugby, boxing, whatever, so why not dive further into a sport you like the look of but don’t usually have a chance to watch during the regular season? 

Combat sports

This isn’t for everyone, but I did take up boxing during the summer. It’s a great way to stay in shape, socialise and work on hand, eye and foot coordination. Don’t worry – you don’t need to jump into the ring and start trading blows with one of the local hardcases; it can be done purely as a means to stay fit. 

Other combat sports like jujitsu, wrestling and karate can be a bit more hand-to-hand, but you can go at your own pace. You won’t be getting launched around the dojo on day one. 

Have a pop at a few word games

Hear me out. Remember the Wordle-mania of 2022? Why not reignite that flame? I know it might not be the most captivating way to stave off the postseason lull, but there’s so much available at your fingertips. There’s Wordle, crosswords, word searches and Scrabble – all easily accessible online and free to play. 

Broaden your linguistic range 

Yeah, hold your horses there; we’re not expecting you to become fluent in Japanese or Spanish in a couple of months. This advice might be contradictory, considering I only speak one language – but with studies showing that becoming bilingual has several benefits for the brain and brain health, why not allocate a few hours a week and pick up some phrases you can use on your summer hols?

Check out a new cuisine 

While this is definitely a recommendation of mine if you’re in a country renowned for its cuisine, whether it be Italy, Mexico or Greece, it’s also something you can do without leaving England. We’re not known for our cuisine, but one thing we do have is a lot of great restaurants dotted around. 

So, why not mix it up at the weekend? Instead of getting a Chinese, get a Greek dish, or instead of a chippy, get some Mexican fare. Live a little!

Visit a local board game cafe 

Board game cafes are more prevalent if you’re living in a major city rather than a small town or village. Don’t roll your eyes at this one, either; improvise a bit. Why not buy the board game and have a go with your friends? 

We know this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but come on, the footy isn’t on; times are hard! For the record, I followed my own advice here and was pleasantly surprised. I’m not going to say where because I don’t want it to be a shameless plug, but they sold pints and food and had loads of board games, some of which I even knew the rules to. 

Get out and about on your bike

One of the benefits of the offseason in England is that it takes place during the summer. So, if you want to make the most of the two or three days of summer we generally get, why not get yourself a bike and take to the roads? 

I’m joking about the two-to-three-day timescale. It’s more like two weeks, isn’t it? I never used to cycle but over the last few years, I’ve taken it more seriously and I can recommend it as a good way to enjoy the offseason, kill some time and keep yourself active.

Jump into a podcast

It seems like everyone has a podcast these days, but starting one is a great way to eat up some time during the offseason. It isn’t specific to sports, either. 

However, if some of the popular Vale pods inspire you, including some of the award-nominated ones, testing the waters yourself won’t result in too much of an upfront cost to begin with. You don’t need to start a podcast, either; you could explore genres, themes and ideas, and beat the blues that way. 

Final thoughts

Having carefully considered this list today, we’re sure at least one or two things here have some appeal or have piqued your interest. Even though the break between seasons feels like forever, you’d do very well indeed to fit all 10 of these things in – but it’s just to show you how much is out there to explore during the offseason.