Sport pubs
Where to watch live sport in a proper pub
Live sport in a pub is one of England's great pleasures when done correctly. Here is what correct looks like and where to find it in the towns Baroosh covers.
Roisin Calloway
Editor - Published 8 March 2026
The difference between a sports pub and a pub showing sport
There is a category distinction that matters here. A sports pub - all screens, no atmosphere, background noise of American commentary channels playing to empty seats at 11am - is one thing. A pub that shows sport is another entirely.
The distinction is in the relationship between the regulars and the screen. In a proper pub showing sport, the screen goes up because the regulars want to watch something specific: the local team, a test match, the Six Nations. When the match is over, the screen goes off. The pub returns to being a pub. This is the model worth seeking out.
What the right pub looks like
The screen should be secondary to the room - a television positioned to be seen from most seats, not a wall of screens positioned to make you feel you are inside a broadcast. The sound should be audible but not overwhelming: you should be able to talk to the person next to you. There should be a bar to stand at, because standing at the bar with a pint watching sport is one of the better things you can do on a Saturday afternoon.
The crowd should know each other. This is the test. A pub full of strangers watching sport is a rental arrangement. A pub full of regulars watching sport is something else - a shared event, with all the unpredictability that implies.
In the towns we cover
Among the towns in the Baroosh guide, Hertford’s pubs have the strongest tradition of community sport-watching - McMullen’s Tap in particular. Cambridge has several good options, though the concentration of students means the atmosphere shifts significantly depending on term dates.
Staines benefits from the proximity of several football clubs and a loyal local base across The Bells and The Thames Court. Marlow, with its smaller population, concentrates sport-watching at The Two Brewers.
The matches that matter
The Six Nations, the FA Cup, and major boxing are the events that fill good pubs with people who care. The Premier League varies enormously by pub and by local allegiance. Test cricket, when England are playing, still fills the right kind of pub on a summer afternoon.
The sport is not the point. The people watching it are.