Football trips England

There is a reason so many supporters see their first match abroad in England. It is easy to reach, it can be done on a sensible budget, and it is the one country where the atmosphere in the stadium is still what you think you see on television.

The Premier League is the shop window, but it is not the whole story. In the Championship, one level down, clubs play in forty-thousand-seat stadiums in front of a crowd whose families have been going for four generations. For anyone after the real English match day, that is often a better experience than a marquee fixture full of tourists.

What you do need to know: the fixture dates are not fixed until roughly six weeks beforehand. Television decides whether a match kicks off at 13:30 on Saturday, 17:30 on Saturday or 14:30 on Sunday. For planning a trip, that is the single most important thing to allow for.

And tickets are scarce. At the big clubs you will barely get in through general sale, because that goes first to members on waiting lists that run into years. That is precisely why operators like us exist.

The competitions

The Premier League is the top division, with twenty clubs. Tickets there are the scarcest and the most expensive, and the dates move the most because nearly every match is broadcast.

The Championship is the level below and is underrated by many visitors. Clubs such as Middlesbrough, Hull City and Sunderland play in large, old stadiums in front of a crowd that turns up every week. Tickets are easier to get and considerably cheaper.

Then there are the two cup competitions. The FA Cup is the oldest cup competition in the world and produces ties between clubs that would otherwise never meet. The Carabao Cup, the League Cup, is often played with a younger side but opens up stadiums you would not otherwise get into.

For European fixtures involving English clubs we cannot supply tickets at present; those fall outside our supplier's range.

Practical

London has five airports and Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham all have direct connections across Europe. Between the cities the train is usually quicker than flying.

Always bring valid photo identification. Many English clubs issue tickets in the ticket holder's name and check that at the turnstile. We therefore need the names of everyone travelling well before the match.

Pay with a contactless bank card. In England it works everywhere, including on public transport, and cash is barely needed any more.

And allow for the weather. From November to March it is wet and windy; a coat that can handle that is not a luxury, not even with hospitality, where you often still have a walk outdoors.

Frequently asked questions about a football trip to England