A town centre bar is going football crazy for this summer’s World Cup.
The Zetland at Queensgate has been transformed into a footie fan’s perfect pub for the duration of the tournament, which kicks off on June 14 in Russia.
Pub manager Jordan Clarke and colleague Mark Hollingsworth have installed more than 10 TV screens and two huge projector screens to show every match during the competition.
The outside of the pub facing Zetland Street has been decorated in green with white markings to represent a football pitch while the pub is decorated inside and out with flags of the competing nations.
The pub is the official venue for Huddersfield University’s Student Union. The excitement generated by the World Cup means it will be unusually busy in the coming weeks despite most of the students being out of town.
Mark said: “We have opened it up to transform it into a World Cup bar. We will show every game throughout the tournament from start to finish. We have two projector screens – one at the front bar area and one at the back.
“We will clear away the seating to provide more standing space for the England games and we will have a DJ playing football anthems before and after the game and at half-time.”
Mark said the matches were due to be played in the mid afternoons and early evenings. Where games overlapped, one project screen would show one match while the second would show the other game.
Work to transform the venue started yesterday. Said Mark: “We have thrown ourselves into it,” adding: “It would be fantastic if England get past the group stages.”
The opening ceremony and the first match – Russia v Saudi Arabia – takes place on Thursday, June 14, while England’s first Group G game against Tunisia kicking off at 7pm on Monday, June 18. The month-long tournament ends with the final to be played at 4pm on Sunday, July 15 in Moscow.
The Zetland was one of the town’s best-loved pubs during the 1980s and was renowned for the quality of its Bass beer. It was also Huddersfield’s original student bar. It was given a new lease of life last year as the official drinking venue for thousands of Huddersfield University students following a major refurbishment.
