I’ve been writing Wrong Side of the Pond for just short of four years now, and it really is a marvel to see how far the site has come along. No longer just a basic soccer blog, it has slowly morphed into a site where fans of the beautiful game can come to find and watch games with like-minded supporters all across the country. Partnerships with other sites, exclusive scoops and giveaways for readers are just a few of the highlights in WSOTP’s expansion across the web that I could barely have fathomed four years ago.

And today, I’m pleased to announce the next milestone in the site’s evolution: the opening of the WSOTP Shop.

That’s right kids, you can finally get your hands on official blog and soccer culture ‘merch. Not only that, but to celebrate the opening of the shop, I’m giving one lucky reader a chance to win a FREE item from the shop of their choosing!

So, what is it exactly that am I offering in this new store?

Well, to start things off we’re keeping it simple with two t-shirt offerings. The first is a long-requested and reader-suggested official WSOTP Logo Shirt. The second is a design that pays homage to my hometown of Cincinnati’s love of soccer — even though we lack a fully professional club — with a design based off of the city’s official flag. Each design is screen-printed on American Apparel’s Fine Jersey Tee, meaning you’ll be pulling on a high quality shirt with a classic look and feel. And as an added bonus, $5 from the purchase of each shirt will go to the US Soccer Foundation to help develop the game around the country… so you don’t have to feel guilty about buying yourself one!

Pre-orders are now open with delivery expected in early May.

Now, the details and instructions about the giveaway you’ve all been scanning for:

1. There’s a posting on both the official site Facebook and Twitter feeds about this post. You’ll need to either “Share” this post or “Retweet” this tweet to register yourself. And while you’re there, if you haven’t already, give me a like and/or a follow.
2. Clever readers will want to know if they’re able to register through both Facebook and Twitter. And I’m feeling benevolent, so yes, you can. That means you’ll be able to register a grand total of twice.
3. The deadline for registering will be Tuesday, April 16th, 2013 at 10:00pm EST.
4. One winner will be selected at random from the total list of entries that evening, and will be notified by Private/Direct Message through their social media channel.
5. The winner will have one week to select a design of their choosing in whatever size they like and notify Wrong Side of the Pond of their selection by email.
6. Delivery of the shirt will coincide with the first batch from the current pre-order period.

However, if you don’t want to tempt chance and want to score one or both of the shirts — and why not another for your kid/friend/neighbor/girlfriend too?! — you can enter the WSOTP Shop with the link below or in the sidebar to pre-order your shirt today. That’s what I would do at least.

ENTER THE WSOTP SHOP HERE.