If you love the beautiful game, then you’ll want to make sure you get to as many professional matches as you can. If you love playing the game, then that comes first, but there’s not many better feelings out there than watching the team you love put a ball into the onion bag. The atmosphere of the stadium and the overriding good nature of the event can make you feel so much better about life. Whether you’re heading to Wembley hoping to see similar actions to those legendary England games of the past, or whether you’re just hoping to take in the occasion, it’s always worth it.
It’s not without a little preparation, though. Sure, if you live literally two minutes away from Anfield or Old Trafford, then you have little to do in the way of preparation, but if you’re traveling pretty far in order to get to a game, then a little extra work needs to be done! If you’re to enjoy every step of the day or the weekend (or whatever the schedule), then you’ll have to make sure you do a few jobs beforehand. Here are some of those jobs that will make the time so very special:
Do You Know Where You’re Going Exactly?
If you’re travelling a long way to go and watch the football, then you’re going to need to make sure you reach your destination comfortably. This sounds very obvious, but so many people miss the kick-off (or sometimes even the entire game) because of traffic or because they went the wrong way. If you’ve been to the stadium or to the city many, many times, then this won’t exactly be an issue for you, but just be prepared and research the roads. Make sure you’re aware of the kinds of traffic issues that are taking place and be sure to regularly check the routes in case you forget.
Plan An Overnight Stay If Necessary
This is especially important if you’re doing something like travelling across Europe to watch a game or two. Some people might travel to watch a game, spend the afternoon and evening in the city, and then travel home the exact same day. They are real troopers, though, as this kind of thing takes an awful lot of energy out of you. You may only be going out to watch ninety minutes of footie, but you still need to rest and relax. Finding a local hotel and booking a room for an evening can save a lot of stress and make the entire trip so much more comfortable.
Bring Food If You’re Travelling Far
It’s an entire day out, so you’re going to need to ensure that you have everything you need in terms of nutrition. Due to the excitement and the fact that you’re doing things that are away from your typical routine, it’s easy to forget that you must put food into your belly. Bring snacks along with you during the trip over as you’ll get peckish throughout. It’s also wise to ensure that you know where some of the good eateries are. You may want to settle down one afternoon or evening and treat yourselves to something a little fancier!
Create A Plan For The Entire Day
If you know what you’re doing for the day, then it’s going to make the entire trip a lot more successful. People often like heading to new places and exploring what’s around with no real set plan because it’s more of a freeing adventure. A plan will help you out if ever you feel as though you may get into a bit of a sticky patch. When you have an itinerary for the day, it makes the whole trip more structured and you don’t have to panic about anything. Arrival times, eating times, sleeping times, knowing when you’ll leave for the stadium – these are all important.
Make Sure You Have All The Attire You Need
Not everybody wears their colours to the footie, but it’s something to think about if you want to be a part of the support. When you head to the football ground, you’ll see a wave of colours making their way to the stadium. All of the support behind the goal, along the touchline, and up in the stands should be there to cheer on the team, and it makes the entire feeling even more powerful when the colours are all the same. It shouldn’t help, but it does. The 12th man really is a strange but wonderful concept. Before you leave, it’s good to look at what you can buy, at the very least. You might even be able to get onto the likes of NetVoucherCodes.co.uk and get some discounted stuff. Being in with the rest of the support and feeling like one of them is wonderful. We’re all individuals, but together we can become a behemoth.
Capture As Many Memories As You Can
You’re not going to be in that arena or stadium for too long, so you may as well take as many pictures as you can. While the game is on, it’s probably not wise as you’ll want to focus on the action, but everything else is there to be captured. The stadium from the outside, the amazing architecture of the inside, the warm-ups from both teams – this stuff might not be seen for a while if you can’t get to the games as often as you’d like. You may as well get it into your phones or your cameras.
Don’t Be Afraid To Raise Your Voice And Have Fun
Obviously, you’re not going to want to misbehave while you’re together in such a mob. Many fans don’t know how to behave and end up succumbing to the mob mentality. It’s not great. Don’t be afraid to sing and to join in with everyone as they cheer. You’re all there to enjoy yourselves and to get away from the hustle and bustle of real life.
