Football is an integral part of European culture, and whether you love the sport or hate it, there are aspects of attending a live game that will intrigue you and get you hooked on seeing the action live.
Coming from Ireland, the standard of football I grew up watching live wasn’t great, but Dundalk FC always managed to have a great atmosphere and fan base at their games.
In recent years Dundalk have won a handful of national titles and cups, but are still classes away from teams in England, Germany, Netherlands and other European leagues (though I did watch them play against a Champions League winner in Alexander Hleb when they defeated Belarusian club BATE Borisov in a Champions League Qualifier).
I would recommend attending a game abroad to get a grasp of the areas culture. A lot of clubs have traditional political leanings, or class backgrounds and develop cultural identities of their own. I’ve ticked a few prestigious European leagues off my bucket list, with a few more in the pipeline, which I will talk about here, in a different article.
How to get tickets
First up is the important question. How to get tickets.
1) Networking
The first non League of Ireland game I attended was Glasgow Celtic vs Aberdeen in 2006, Roy Keane had just recently signed with Celtic and they won 3-0. I was 11 at the time, and was only able to go because my Dad was friends with a season ticket holder who had persuaded Dad to take up a few tickets from people who weren’t able to go. I sadly lost the disposable camera I brought with me, but Christopher McArdle was kind enough to allow me to use this shot of he took of Celtic Park.
Even if you don’t know people first hand who can give/sell you tickets, try reaching out to supporter clubs online to see if they’ve spare tickets you’d be able to buy from them prior to the game.
2) E-mail their ticket office
It can be hard navigating websites in different languages. I had bought tickets to PSV Eindhoven vs. Groningen through communicating with their ticket office, as they only officially sell tickets to club members (and you can’t buy a membership if you’re residing outside the Netherlands). I bought a “visitor” package which included a voucher for the gift store and a voucher for food/drink inside the stadium.
The game vs. Groningen was rescheduled so PSV could play in the Europa league, and luckily as I’d explained my situation to the ticket office they’d offered a refund for the match.
3) Try your luck at the ground
Unless it is a very popular team/big top tier game, you may be able to buy tickets at the ground prior to kick off. This has worked for me in Düsseldorf for a 2. Bundesliga game vs Bochum, and for a Eredivisie game (Willem II vs FC Emmen)
4) Phone the ticket office
This can also be problematic if you, like me, are virtually monolingual. Many hotlines outside of English speaking countries only operate in the native language, but some are multilingual. However, if you can speak the language, this method can ensure ticket acquisition. This method is perfect for Championship/small Premier League games.
5) Online
The internet has become increasingly popular for doing virtually everything, but when ordering tickets on an online website in a language you can’t speak, sometimes problems arise. Be sure to have a second tab open with google translate ready to go.
Apart from certain clubs selling out a lot of their games to club members (Borussia Dortmund/Crystal Palace), or placing tickets that don’t sell out in a raffle style system of distribution (Bayern Munich), being quick online can be your safest bet at securing tickets to football games away from home.
Where to stay
A central location
If you’re travelling solely for football in a different country, choose a city surrounded by many clubs, so if you miss out on your preferred game, odds are you can grab tickets for another nearby club. For example, flying into Düsseldorf/Köln in Germany offers you access to Dortmund, Schalke, Mönchengladbach, Leverkusen, and a range of lower division teams all in close proximity. Similarly, London houses Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham, West Ham, QPR (honestly the list is exhaustive) with Watford and Reading not too far from the city either. Similarly from Milan, Atalanta, Brescia, Parma, both Verona teams, and to an extent, both Turin teams are accessible. A little research can widen your availability.
I’m by no means an expert on European football, but a little research beforehand, getting in touch with the club you want to see play, and checking how quick before the match tickets sell out will give you a strong indication on how you’re going to fare on game day.
