Construction Race into Last Four: Tense moment for the Lisburn Postal defence (above)
Construction Race Into Last Four
Construction ‘A’ 5 Lisburn Postal 1
Construction ‘A’ won a place in the semi-finals of the Regional Beckett Soccer Shield with an impressive win over Lisburn Postal at Dunmurry.
An outstanding display by outside-right Joe Blair whose hat-trick included a penalty gave Construction the edge.
Leading 3-0 at the interval with goals by Blair (2) and centre forward Bill McCarron, Construction pushed ahead to net two more from Blair and David Stevenson.
Construction Race Into Last Four: Construction ‘A’ attack against Lisburn. Hat-trick hero Joe Blair in the background.
No chance
Blair’s third goal was a 25-yard bullet which left Postal keeper Tom Chapman with no chance to save.
It was left to Lisburn striker Frank McPolin to push home a penalty in the last ten minutes.
Teams: Construction – Jim Barr; Roy Kennedy, Frank McGee, William Adair, Robert Finlay; Michael Hatton, Brian McGarry, Joe Blair, David Stevenson, Tony McFaddon, William McCarron. Sub: Richard Bell Lisburn Postal – Tom Chapman; Jim Wilson, Reggie Johnson, Bob Savage, Dave Anderson, Jackie McDowell, Jackie Allen, Wilf Higginson, Frank McPolin, William Dalzell, Maurice McCarthy.
Full newspaper cutting on Construction.
This is a report from the 1970s that I have copied from a newspaper clipping about the day my Dad scored a hat trick.
Putt in the Park at WandsworthRight lads, here’s the plan for the day!! Please feel free to print out and add any suggestions to the Facebook Page please. I’ll be gradually updating this as the day nears closer.
Date – SATURDAY 14TH JUNE 2014
Location – London, ENGLAND
Event – Lads World Cup Pub Crawl, Crazy Golf and Banter
Start time – 10.30 am onwards
Dress Code – You have to wear SOMETHING related to football (doesn’t have to be a football shirt)
** You MUST bring one item on the day related to the WORLD CUP. Failure to do this and you’ll have to BUY one item during the crawl of forfeit your right to a sticker album. Matches that day:
5pm – Colombia v. Greece
8pm – Uruguay v. Costa Rica
11pm – England v. Italy
2am – Ivory Coast v. Japan
(guess what – we’re watching them ALL in pubs – amazing!! That’s 360 minutes of football plus injury time, half times, national anthems etc. – over 450 minutes in total!)
Soccer City, Johannesberg, South Africa
Timetable for the day:
10.30 am – Those staying in the hostel, check into Dover Castle hostel (if room not ready, drop off bags and valuables). If we really have to we will return at 2pm when the room is ready and leave our stuff in the room and claim our FREE pint as guests. Those not staying there will need to buy their own drink.
Address and website , nearest tube station is BOROUGH.
6 bed dorm booked in hostel for – Jonny, Richard, Chris, Lee, Neil, Austin. Jonny has paid the deposit already.
(Dan possibly sleeping on the floor in our room)
11am – COSTA coffee. Also in Borough and very close to the Dover Castle pub. Walk it. Every member of the crawl will be issued with a mini sticker album for the day and their COSTA RICA sticker providing they consume more than 50% of a coffee in there. Those who miss the coffee introduction will have to provide proof they had a Costa Coffee later in the day (a receipt or a “Facebooked selfie” will be the only acceptable proof. Saying “my mate definitely had a crappuccino in Costa” will not get you the sticker). Any coffee on the menu counts as your sticker, tea or orange juice are unacceptable. In Costa Jonny will film the rules being read out to the group to confirm everyone understands. This will be videoed as part of the documentary.
Address –
Costa Coffee
134-138 Borough High St
London SE1 1LB
United Kingdom
This screen grab has both the Dover Castle and Costa Coffee on it, either side of Borough tube:
Costa and Dover Castle
12 Noon – First beer of the day in The Charlie Chaplin in Elephant and Castle which is ONE stop south on the tube, with its “elephant” link qualifying as IVORY COAST. If this is disputed (as it can be) then we will have to head to the actual Elephant and Castle pub, which is in Kensington.
In this pub, a vote will be done between GREEK restaurant, ITALIAN restaurant, URUGUAYAN restaurant and JAPANESE restaurant for lunch. ** options below
1pm Restaurant lunch The winner of the democratic vote is where we have lunch. The runner up will be the dinner option for the 7.30pm Uruguay v. Costa Rica match.
Straight after lunch a traditional English pub will be selected for the consumption of a fine ale and everyone will get their ENGLAND sticker. This is a spontaneous one. Any pub with an England link will do (given we’re in England, this will be easy) on route to Crazy Golf…if we don’t get the time, we all get our England sticker at the Crazy Golf. Details on how to win at Crazy Golf will be revealed and democratically voted in the previous pub. (e.g. every hole in one, that person gets bought a shot, any over 6 they buy a round etc. Any missing balls they forfeit a pint (i.e. go into a pub and not allowed to have a beer!))
2pm We head to the Crazy Golf, “Putt in the Park” at Wandsworth, I’ve booked 8 of us in from 2.30pm. Through my travel writing, I have managed to get us the 20% off our entire bill, including BEER, drinks and golf. If more turn up, we’ll just tell them and it should be fine, been in touch with the manager.
They have a bar there, if it’s any good we can hang around for Colombia v. Greece but I kind of wanted to be more central for the Uruguay v. Costa Rica match as the day’s biggest match England v. Italy gets closer. We’ll assess it on the day, but maybe after the golf, we head to a Greek restaurant…
Putt in the Park at Wandsworth
4.30pm – We need to be in a decent bar by 4.30 pm to watch Colombia v. Greece which kicks off at 5pm.
That match finishes before 7pm, at which point we need another pub for the Uruguay match. An option is to find a Greek or Italian restaurant near the Jurassic Golf.
7.30 pm – We need to be in a decent bar by 7.30 pm to watch Uruguay v. Costa Rica. I was thinking Zoo Bar Uruguay for this one but it depends on the vote. I vote ZOO bar and we all get our URUGUAY stamp. Zoo Bar Uruguay, Leicester Square (where Uruguay fans go)
10 pm – Straight after the Uruguay match, the English lads can have their time. I’m Northern Irish so happy to watch the game anywhere the boys want. You choose the pub, the location, the country and maybe we can do a bet on the way.
1am – After celebrating England’s 3-0 win, a boring 1-1 draw or a fluke Italian 1-0 win, we head for a relaxing Japanese beer ready for the night’s final match at 2am.
3.45am – After that, I’d say bed could be the option. 4 matches, 2 days without sleep, 2 countries and an international flight, Jonny will be first to say goodnight! As long as I have completed my Panini album.
RULES
Yes lads, Jonny Blair, Neil Macey and Lock In Lee Adams are the three assigned adjudacators for the day and what they say, stands, unless an overwhelming majority can prove otherwise. Here are the main rules:
1. To qualify for a sticker you must consume more than 50% of your drink in the set venue.
2. No double stickers can be issued. It’s one each. You don’t get any awards for eating 3 pizzas or drinking 6 Uruguayan Merlots. They’re all just worth 1 per team.
3. Every person on the pub crawl needs to bring ONE random item related to the World Cup. In Costa Coffee, Neil Macey will be showing his random item first. After that it’s one per pub throughout the day, drawn from a hat.
4. If a person has to head off on their own to “complete a country” they missed, then a receipt or a “Facebooked selfie” will be the only acceptable proof. Saying “my mate definitely had a crappuccino in Costa” will not get you the sticker, neither will putting the barman on the phone “live” from the pub. I’ve met a fair amount of bullshitters in my time.
5. Either Jonny, Neil or Lee have to issue you with the sticker and feel you earned that COUNTRY. Any disputes will result in democratic vote. If still not solved, a pelanty shoot out between the two parties in the pub will be held.
I have been asked a few times, “How can you afford to travel so much?” and “How much money can you earn as a ‘business backpacker’?” “100 countries – are you serious?” First of all – I don’t buy luxuries and I’m a cheapskate and a tight assed person. Yeah, I’ll buy my mates a round down the pub sometimes and treat my girlfriend and family every now and then, but that’s it. Aside from travel, my luxury gifts to myself are pints of Guinness, takeaway pizzas and tickets for football matches. I can travel cheaply without a problem. I spend LESS MONEY travelling than people who stay in the same place. I don’t pay bills, I don’t pay regular rent for flats, I don’t have a mortgage, I don’t have a car etc. I don’t own a TV. My most expensive item is my laptop and my largest item is my backpack. For me, money is spent on living my life to the full while I can – I spend the money I earn on football, travel, pubs, food and intertwine that with my girlfriend, my friends and my family. I owe my friends and family big time (where have I been the last 11 years?) and I know that – but for the last 2 years I’ve been building up to the freedom to live the life I want and ensure I see my mates and family more. To do that I need three things – time, mobility and money.
Jonny Blair – Business Backpacker crossing the border from Georgia into Armenia in 2013
I never really touch on how much I earn before, as it’s just not the done thing – it screams of business men discussing how much money they made on the stock exchange and I’m a football shirt and shorts guy with a pint of Guinness in my hand. I don’t do posh unless it’s a wedding or a big event.
As posh as it gets – glammed up for a wedding in Afula in 2013
When I go down the pub with my mates, only some of the conversation will be work and money related, the thing is, my online work – the travel stuff doesn’t actually feel like “work” for me – I enjoy it and I want to help others travel so it always just feels like what I should be doing with a beer or a tea in hand from any given hostel or hotel around the world. None of this stuff I promote or talk about is fake – I’m really out there travelling the world, earning money on the way and proving there is more to life than just work.
Does it really feel like working when I’m in a cool hostel having a beer?
But how much can a business backpacker earn? The answer – as much as you WANT to earn. Earning doesn’t mean money though – I have to stress this – EARNING can mean the following to me:
– earning food
– earning beers
– earning time
– earning mobility
– earning beds for the night
– earning tours
– earning transport
– earning money
– earning time (the HARDEST nut to crack, but I’m working on it)
But don’t take advantage of freebies – it’s not good for you, me, or the world. If I get a guided tour, a free transfer or free food or drink, I work hard to promote these guys and I respect and thank them at all times. I’m not a travel writer who just wants “freebies” (as you’ll see from my lists below I turned down a load of trips).
I won’t date back 15 odd years here as to how much I have earned in my various jobs on my working career, you can get an idea here: Jonny Blair’s Working Career. But I’ll give you a rundown of my earnings in the past 12 months, my first full year as a proper “business backpacker”. This is not an extensive or full list as I am sure I have left a few things off this list, but dream big my friends, we can all do it.
INCOMINGS – WHAT I HAVE EARNED:
1. Actual Money I have earned (April 2013 – April 2014):
This has taken hard work by the way, but it shows what is possible:
– Teaching English in Hong Kong (kindergartens and primary schools) – $19, 350 USD
– Advertising, sponsorship and affiliate marketing on my flagship travel site Don’t Stop Living – $10,978 USD
– Working on Travel Itineraries and Travel Guides – $850 USD
– Advertising, sponsorship and affiliate marketing on my network of travel, adventure and lifestyle sites – $1,260 USD
– Travel writing for other sites and doing online reviews – $150 USD
– Miscellaneous Travel Earnings (selling photos, charging for copyright issues, online travel expert) – $120 USD
Total money earned in 12 months April 2013 – April 2014 – $32, 708 USD
2. Complimentary and Discounted trips I have earned (up to the end of April 2014):
This has been done in the best interests of the tour companies and myself – we have worked together on these projects and I don’t feel rude asking for complimentary tours – I work hard to ensure these companies are promoted, I personally recommend them all.
– Complimentary 5 day Safari in Tanzania with Shadows of Africa
– Complimentary 2 day hike and camping experience in Wadi Rum, Jordan with Rumstars
– Complimentary 5 day tours of Israel and Palestine with Tourist Israel and Abraham Tours
– Discounted tour of North Korea with Young Pioneer Tours
– Discounted tour to Atauro Island in East Timor courtesy of Compass Divers
– Discounted tour to Khor Virap, Noravank and Tatev in Armenia courtesy of Penthouse Hostel
– Discounted tour of Amsterdam Arena courtesy of Durty Nelly’s Irish Pub
* this list is not complete – there are definitely a few tours I have missed out/left out
** a number of these included food and drink as well
3. Complimentary and Discounted Hotels and Hostels I have earned (up until the end of April 2014):
These are just a few examples:
– Discounted night in a 5 star hotel in China
– Discounted nights in a hostel in the Netherlands
– Discounted nights in a hostel in Istanbul, Turkey
– Discounted nights in a hostel in Tbilisi, Georgia
– Discounted nights in a hostel in Yerevan, Armenia
– Discounted nights in a hostel in Dili, East Timor
– Discounted homestay in Stepanakert, Nagorno Karabakh
– Complimentary stay at Abraham Hostel in Jerusalem, Israel
– Complimentary stay at hotels in Ankara and Adana, Turkey
– Complimentary stay in tents in Wadi Rum desert, Jordan
– Early (8am) check ins and late check outs (4pm) at no extra charge for hotels in Bangkok, Thailand
– Late check out in a hostel in Chongqing, China
– Late check out in a hostel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
* this list is not complete – there are a lot more places I have missed out/left out
** a number of these included food and drink as well
4. Complimentary and discounted travel I have earned (up until the end of April 2014):
– Complimentary airport transfer in Kinabalu, Malaysia
– Complimentary transport during my entire time in Tanzania
– Complimentary transfer from Mesr to Khoor in Iran
– Discounted transfer in Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh
– Complimentary transport within most parts of Israel and Palestine
* this list is not complete – there are a few trips I have missed out/left out
** a number of these included food and drink as well
5. Offers I turned down due to being too busy, wrong geographical location or not being as interested:
– Complimentary 2 week tour of Kerala, India
– Complimentary tour of Paris, France (for 2 people)
– Complimentary tour of Berlin, Germany
– Discounted nights at a hotel in Wadi Musa, Jordan
– Complimentary nights in a hotel in Portugal
* this list is not complete – there are definitely a few offers I have missed out/left out
OUTGOINGS – WHAT I HAVE SPENT
Just because I have earned $32, 708 USD as a Business Backpacker in one year doesn’t mean I’m suddenly rich and could buy a house. I’m not – I’m a cheap backpacker who budgets every single day. I’ve spent almost all of that money on travel as I’m constantly on the move! But I also have staff working for me now, and I have to pay some money to get these projects off the ground, so here are some of my outgoings (I don’t have exact figures but this is a rough guide)
1. Money I have spent
Travel (Flights, buses, trains, tours, general travel, hotels, hostels, campsites, food, drink, souvenirs etc.) – $22,000 USD
Paying my staff that I outsource my jobs to – $1,100 USD
Paying companies for things (i.e. web domains, hosting servers, graphics, apps etc.) – $400 USD
2. Time I have spent
Your guess is as good as mine. I work every day in some capacity – it is rare for me to go a day without at least checking my websites, my emails, my Twitter and my Facebook. Ask my girlfriend – as we backpacked incessantly through Iran last year, we’re on the back of a camel and I’m thinking – need to check my emails. Through my girlfriend’s passion, I hope to take more time off in future.
I should enjoy the moment and forget about emails and business.
During the past 12 months, I have also travelled extensively
While i have earned and spent money on the move and worked hard along the way, I have also managed to travel to these places in the last 14 months, yes it’s all real, no fakes here:
ARMENIA – Garni, Geghard, Goght, Goris, Haghpat, Khor Virap, Nora Vank, Sanahin, Tatev, Yerevan AZERBAIJAN – Balaken, Baku, James Bond Oil Fields, Lake Masazir, Mud Volcanoes, Qobustan, Quba, Seki, Xinaliq, Zaqatala BRUNEI DARUSSALAM – Bandar Seri Begawan, Muara, Serasa CHINA – Baisha, Beijing, Changsha, Chongqing, Dandong, Dansha, Guilin, Hangzhou, Jianlong Waterfalls, Jiangling, Jianshui, Jin Ji Cun, Jingdezhen, Kunming, Little Likeng, Luoping, Nanchang, Sanqingshan, Shanghai, Shangrao, Shenzhen, Shilin, Suzhou, Wangkou, Wuyuan, Yuanyang, Yushan, Xiaoqi, Xingjie, Yangshuo, Zhuhai EAST TIMOR – Atauro Island, Cape Fatucama, Dili ENGLAND – Birmingham, Bournemouth, Dartford, Liverpool, London, Portsmouth ETHIOPIA – Addis Ababa, Dire Dawa, Harar GEORGIA – Batumi, Davit Gareja, Gergeti, Gori, Kazbegi, Lagodekhi, (Sadaklo), Sighnaghi, Tbilisi, Uplistsikhe HONG KONG – Aberdeen, Central, Kowloon Tong, Kwun Tong, Lam Tin, Lantau Island, Lo Wu, Ma Wan, Mong Kok, Shek Kip Mei, Sheung Shui, Stanley, Tai Po, Tsing Yi, Tsuen Wan, Yuen Long, Wan Chai, Yau Ma Tei, Yao Tong IRAN – Alamut Valley, Bandar e Golmankhaneh, Bayaziye, Bazargan, Chak Chak, Esfahan, Gazor Khan, Kaluts, Kandovan, Kerman, Khalate Talkh, Kharanaq, Khoor, Lake Orumiye, Maku, Marvdasht, Mashhad, Mahan, Mesr, Nasqh-e Rostam, Orumiye, Persepolis, Qazvin, Rayen, Shahr-e Kord, Shiraz, Tabriz, Tehran, Yaseh Chah, Yazd, Zarad Band
IRAQ – Ainkawa, Amadiya, Dohuk, Erbil, (Kirkuk), (Mosul), Qadash, Sulav, Sulimaniyeh
ISRAEL – Afula, Akko, Caesarea, Dead Sea, Eilat, Ein Gedi, Haifa, Isyfia, Jaffa, Jerusalem, Masada, Mizra, Tel Aviv, Tiger Caves JORDAN – Amman, Aqaba, Irbid, Petra, Wadi Musa, Wadi Rum (KENYA – Mombasa Airport) MALAYSIA – Kota Kinabalu, Labuan, Mount Kinabalu, Sapi Island MYANMAR – Amarapura, Bagan, Inwa, Mandalay, Sagaing, Yangon
NAGORNO KARABAKH – Agdam, Askeran, Gandzasar, Stepanakert, Vank
NETHERLANDS – Amsterdam
NORTHERN IRELAND – Bangor, Belfast, Newtownards NORTH KOREA – DMZ, Kaesong, Panmunjom, Pyongyang PALESTINE – Bethlehem, Hebron, Jericho, Ramallah PHILIPPINES – Balicasag Island, Bohol Island, Cebu City, Panglao Island, Virgin Island QATAR – Doha SINGAPORE – Changi Airport (Stopover) SRI LANKA – Adam’s Peak, Colombo, Dambulla, Dellhousie, Galle, Haputale, Kandy, Kurenegala, Mirissa, Negombo, Pinnewela, Sigiriya, Tissamaharama, Yala National Park TANZANIA – Arusha, Tarangire National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Rabat Maasai Village, Serengeti National Park
THAILAND – Bangkok
TURKEY – Adana, Ankara, Cappadocia, Dogubayazit, Goreme, Gurbulak, Istanbul, Kayseri, Sumela, Trabzon, Urgup
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – Dubai
So how much can a Business Backpacker earn?
As much as you want to earn as long as you WORK HARD.
A good resource is Tim Ferriss’s book the 4 Hour Work Week – why work for 40 years and then do all the things you want? When you can do them NOW when you’re fit and able. I recommend his book highly!
I say it again, work hard please – my travel stories on my main travel site Don’t Stop Living take time, effort, research, commitment and real life experience. I am not a fake and I am not a wannabe. My travel blog is in the top 10 in the world in my opinion, I believe in it and I’m confident in it – this doesn’t come from arrogance – it comes from reading the other travel blogs out there and knowing mine is up there with them.
I live my dreams and I hope you can all live yours.
Don’t Stop Living,
Jonny Blair
Business Backpacker, Travel Writer, Global Nomad, Travel Expert, Barman.
Travel Writer at Don’t Stop Living
Editor in Chief of Backpacking in China
Travel Writer and Owner of several other niche websites
I have had articles placed in over 100 newspapers down the years through my PR experience. Newspapers I have got myself and my brands featured in include: the Sunday Times, the Belfast Telegraph, the Ards Chronicle, the Dorset Echo. My latest newspaper article was a colour page feature in the Ards Chronicle in Northern Ireland.
One of my recent media features in my local newspaper in Newtownards, Northern Ireland.
My name is Jonny Blair and I am a business backpacker. While I still travel the world on a tight backpacking budget, I work for myself online these days as well as with a load of other travel sites and apps. While my niche is in budget backpacking, I have also written about football, music, lifestyle design, luxury backpacking (flashpacking) and digital nomadery. I currently live in Poland and am known locally as the Northern Irishman in Poland.
Jonny Blair – The Business Backpacker
Through becoming a business backpacker I have been able to finance my travels entirely through my online projects, working for myself and other companies online as I travel the world.
My stories have featured on over 200 different websites in the last 5 years. I work online for myself and a number of travel and media companies as a business backpacker and professional travel blogger and writer.
In order to be a business backpacker you need to work hard, budget well, travel the world and the most important thing – internet access. I need to be constantly online these days as I travel the world.
If any of you reading are interested in how backpacking can become a business, please get in touch with me through my Contacts page.
I have a keen interest in music and have written on a wide range of British rock platforms since 1997. I also used to manage a rock band. Here are the best of my music articles and stories:
Music Articles
1997 – Terrible Beauty
1997 – Milan When I Was Kitten
1998 – 1999 – Regular contributor to REPEAT fanzine
2005 – 2006 – Manager of Rock Band “the Waves”, doing PR for the band including appearances in local music fanzines, magazines and gig fliers.
2007 – Contribution to an article on Ash on BBC Radio Ulster
2014 – My articles on watching Oasis live in the 1990s in Ireland appear on the music section of Irish Website.
This is a list of my entire online media appearances for sites other than those I own. I have featured on over 130 different websites in the last 5 years. I work online for myself and a number of travel and media companies as a business backpacker and professional travel blogger and writer.
Jonny Blair – the Business Backpacker working online in China.
2nd – Appeared on the Love Affair Travel Website with a link to my latest travel interview from Yerevan in Armenia (this also appeared on iTunes and as an online Podcast)
19th – Featured in the Bournemouth University Alumni Magazine online PDF (also appeared in print), talking about backpacking, travelling and working: Jonny Blair in Bournemouth University Magazine
