Chris Cowlin Superfan!
As Tottenham Hotspur prepare to take part in their first-ever UEFA Champions League Final, Andy Greeves speaks to YouTube sensation and lifelong Spurs supporter Chris Cowlin.
On 18th May 2017, just days after Tottenham Hotspur had played their last-ever match at White Hart Lane, Chris Cowlin filmed a video of Spurs' former home of the past 118 years being demolished.
He uploaded the clip on YouTube and shared it on social media, unaware of the reaction he was about to receive or the personal journey he was about to embark on.
"I think I did what any other fan who had been in the area that day would have done," says Chris, who attended his first Spurs match in 1993.
"Even though we knew it was coming, the demolition of the ground was both an emotional and shocking sight to see. It also felt like a seminal moment in the club's history and I felt compelled to film it."
With a large number of views on his initial video, Chris returned to N17 in the weeks that followed. He filmed more videos both of the old White Hart Lane being dismantled and the adjacent Tottenham Hotspur Stadium being built.
Upon uploading those subsequent efforts to YouTube, the popular question in his comments section was 'Hi Chris - when is the next video?!'
"There was never going to be a next video after those ones," laughs Chris. "Lots of people enjoyed watching the videos though and I enjoyed filming them so it all went from there."
Between June 2017 and March 2019, Chris made over 150 visits to the site of Spurs' new stadium, producing around 200 videos in the process. His YouTube channel, called Tottenham Fan Chris Cowlin, quickly became the go-to resource for Tottenham supporters and football fans in general to see how the new development was progressing.
"When I look back, thinking about visiting the site in the sunshine, the snow, the rain - it was quite a journey," comments Chris. "I was fortunate to catch quite a few 'one-offs' in terms of construction landmarks (such as the installation of the club's 4.5m cockerel on the South Stand roof and the fitting of the stadium's last outer panel) on camera. Some of the people that worked there gave me good insight, so I could head to the ground if something significant was happening.
"My weekly trips to the stadium site became part of matchday routine as I stopped off the on my journey around the A406 on route to watch Spurs at (their former temporary home) Wembley Stadium or before away games."
In early 2018, Chris was fortunate to be invited inside the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as construction work continued and the spectacular lift of the ground's roof structure began. By this time, his online presence had grown massively, with millions of views of his videos and over 100,000 followers on his Twitter account.
"It has been a fantastic experience for me. I've met some wonderful people, made new friends," comments Chris, who had over 10 million views on his YouTube videos at the time of writing. "I can't believe the positive way in which it has been received, by Spurs fans as well as lots of non-Spurs fans too.
"The thing that gets me, anywhere I go supporting Spurs, supporters will always come up to me and tell me they love my videos. That even happened out in the United States last year, when I was out there watching Spurs on tour. That positive reaction is the main reason I still continue film videos."
Recognition for Chris' efforts came at the recent Football Blogging Awards when the Spurs fanatic won the 'Best Club Content Creator' award, as voted for by fellow football supporters online.
He was also approached by Tottenham Hotspur last year to film a series of official 'Tottenham Hotspur Fan Guide' videos at the new stadium which were posted on the club's website in April.
"I couldn't believe it when the club approached me to film the stadium information videos," explains Chris. "The club told me they liked work, my passion for Spurs and my positivity during the build. It was a dream offer! I spent seven days with them in total, which included a film crew following me about at one of the test events. Two videos were produced in total."
While Chris gains a great deal of satisfaction from filming Spurs-related videos, his major passion is Tottenham Hotspur Football Club itself. Since the 1994/95 season - which coincided with signing of his favourite Spurs player of all-time, Jurgen Klinsmann - Chris has seldom missed a home or away game.
As per many previous campaigns, he has made it to every first-team match in 2018/19 - a season which has featured an incredible, rollercoaster ride to the UEFA Champions League Final for Spurs.
"I still can't quite believe it," reflects Chris on Tottenham's place in the showpiece occasion at Atletico Madrid's Wanda Metropolitano Stadium on June 1.
"After three group matches, we only had one point and the odds on us making the knockout phase didn't look good. To progress after that was just remarkable.
"One of my lifelong dreams has been to watch Tottenham play Barcelona at the Camp Nou. To go there and get a result that saw us through to the knockout phase was incredible. The matches since then have been even more spectacular.
The away game at Manchester City and the win in Amsterdam recently of course.
"Funnily enough, I booked our flights to Amsterdam on the way up to Manchester and our flights to Madrid for the final on the way back from Manchester because I that confident of us progressing to the final.
It has proven to be fortuitous as I got the flights at the fraction of the cost people are paying now. I really can't wait for the final. It promises to be an incredible occasion."
Chris, who runs his own publishing firm in Essex, is travelling to Madrid for the final with three other family members. As viewers of the videos he films prior to each Spurs match will know, the 38-year-old always offers a prediction before his beloved team kick-off. So, what is his forecast for this ultimate of occasions for Tottenham Hotspur?
"I think Spurs are going to win 2-1," replies Chris after a long exhale of breath. "I will take any Tottenham win - whether it goes to penalties or whatever.
I'm sure Harry Kane will be involved in the game. I loved the moment when he ran over to fans after the win in Amsterdam to show the fans he's fit.
I've always had this dream that we will win a cup final 1-0 with Harry Kane scoring the winner and that would certainly be a perfect scenario in Madrid!"
You can follow Chris Cowlin on Twitter @ChrisCowlin or watch his YouTube videos at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB9aWK0xfz2P-Ny2nsXGHrA
© Andy Greeves & Soccerphile.com
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