The world cup is in full flow, but, what does it take to be a REAL travelling football fan?
Every four years, everyone’s troubles seem to fade, even if just a little. Everyone is happy. There’s a special atmosphere wherever you go.
Why?
The World Cup, of course.
Yes, it’s that time again, where there are four games of football on per day, and people in your office often get a case of ‘the Mondays’ (Spoiler alert, they’re just hungover)
The World Cup is a special time, and we have been blessed with some fantastic World Cup moments over the years, and Russia 2018 is shaping up to be pretty special, too.
Fans flock in their thousands to watch their teams compete on the greatest stage of them all. But, what does it take to be a “proper” travelling football fan?
Below are a few issues you need to tackle to successful travel to a tournament. It’s not as easy as it looks.
The accommodation
First things first, and the most sensible – the accommodation. Looking at accommodation for normal trips and holidays is location, location, location. And, the same can be said for football, but, possibly for different reasons. While the normal holiday-goer wants accommodation near the beach, or the best restaurants, the football traveller needs to be near the action.
You need to be near where your team is playing. The schedules and stadiums are released well in advance, so make sure you’re near your team’s base. Russia, for example, is over 17 million square kilometres, so, while you might be the right country, you might be nowhere near the games.
This also gives you the best chance of being near likeminded, fellow football revellers. Who can, and will become your best friends, particularly if your team wins!
The kit
Since this is a football article, you’d imagine that ‘the kit’ refers to the actual kit of your team – and you’d be right! But, there’s also a number of things that you need to include in your football travellers kit.
There’s, the kit – we’ve already covered that. It’s literally a uniform for your team, and you need to show your support be sporting it at all times. Next up comes the flag. How are people going to know what your team is if you don’t have a giant flag? Well, yes, there’s the aforementioned kit, but the giant flag really drives it home. Lastly, there’s the squad. Travelling alone is fine, but, football is best enjoyed with friends! And, your friends – your squad – are part of your kit, because they’re essential.
The songs
You’ve got your accommodation sorted; you’ve got your squad together; you’ve got a giant flag that’s more trouble than it’s worth. You’re sorted.
Or so you would think.
How else can you show your support to your beloved team?
Singing, of course!
Yes, there’s no other platform more suited for a group of people who spend the other 11 months of the year slagging off the singers on The X-Factor to start belting out the tunes!
Singing is synonymous with football, for whatever reason, and it’s one of, if not the most important way of showing your support.
And there’s been some absolute crackers over the years. Some that spring to mind are Three Lions on the Shirt, by Baddiel and Skinner featuring The Lightning Seeds, and Carnival de Paris from the 1998 World Cup, though, that one is more just making loud noise rather than singing.
But, no World Cup song will ever come close to the levels achieved by New Order and the England Football Team’s ‘World in Motion’. It’s probably due to John Barnes’ sublime rapping skills, that is impossible not to belt out at any given opportunity.
Happy travelling, football fans!
