Meet Soccer Fans at Chatham Tap

Keegan Rammel

January 4, 2017

Walking into a bar at 7:30 in the morning to a group of British transplants shouting at televisions may feel strange at first, but after a beer and a bit of conversation, the community built by the soccer fans at Chatham Tap becomes inviting. Since opening in 2006, the neighborhood pub has been home to soccer breakfasts, where dedicated fans come to watch their favorite football clubs. Some have come every Saturday for the last 11 years for beer, coffee, and breakfast. New faces arrive every year, but most know Chatham Tap co-owner Daniel Jones by name and spend a few minutes with the man who brought soccer to Mass Ave. For newbies, grab a pint of Fuller’s London Pride (the Brit beer is often on tap), take a seat at the bar, and enjoy the matches. Soccer is played on all seven TV screens, and cheers and groans arise from every table. Listening to accented voices spur on their favorite footballers makes the spot feel more like London than Indy—especially when you insouciantly toss an Arsenal or Chelsea scarf around your neck on the way out the door.