Welcome to the Wanderers Notebook

Welcome one and all to the inaugural entry into the Wanderers Notebook, a site to share my notes and analysis on the HFX Wanderers FC.

It's an exiting time of year as we celebrate the return of the Canadian Premier League (CPL) and the reconstructed Wanderers. But it's also exciting, personally, to commit to thinking critically about Halifax's squad throughout this project.

So why am I starting a site (when I clearly need to work on my web design skills) to write about the Wanderers?

In a word: passion.

I've always been interested in sports and, over the last number of years, developed a keen following for football. From jumping on the bandwagon to watch a few Manchester City matches, this interest has grown to encompass the beautiful game across the globe.

With the creation of the CPL in May, 2017 and the news that Halifax (where I lived) was getting a franchise, I delved further into the sport as a fan. I started reading about football tactics, cutting my teeth on works such as Inverting the Pyramid and The Masters of Modern Soccer. The way I approached football was changed forever.

I'm a newshound by trade but the opportunity never arose to allow me to write about football, or really any sport for that matter. I later transitioned from journalism and inevitably missed writing for a living.

Which brings us here; for the first time, I'll be combining my passion for sports with writing to bring you my notes and thoughts on the Wanderers. They are my local team and they have quickly created a fervent fanbase that spans Nova Scotia and beyond. My hope is to further add to the growing conversations around Atlantic Canada's only CPL team.

My plans for the blog?

Well, I hope to post in the Notebook after every game with a summary of the match and eight thoughts (one for each CPL franchise) that goes a little deeper in its analysis. Simple, eh?

It's not hardcore sports journalism but it should be a good bit of fun. Feel free to reach out via email (hfxwanderersnotebook@gmail.com) or on Twitter (@WanderersNotes) if you ever want to chat Wanderers, CPL or life in general.

Here's to the Wanderers and the beginning of another CPL season.

Cheers,

-WN