Travel Tips

English Football (Soccer)

Football in England is its own culture, and there are a few things you should know about it. If you haven’t yet, reading the tips for the London Plus tour would be a good primer.

Weather - The weather in England is volatile enough year-round, but since football season is generally over the winter months it makes it even worse. If your tour is in the north of England (as in Manchester or Liverpool) it is entirely possible that you’ll see bright sun, rain, and snow in the same day. You should definitely wear layers and bring your hats, scarves, and gloves just in case.

One point to allay your fears about the weather: In almost all football stadiums, the seats are covered (even though the pitch isn’t). That means that even in the worst weather, you won’t get wet.

Hooliganism - Over the past 20 years, the English Football Association (FA) has come down very hard on “hooligans,” dishing out lifetime bans for any violence. Because of that matches are now extremely safe. That doesn’t mean you should taunt anyone though (see next point).

Supporting the Away Team - In English football stadiums small and large, there is a separate away section for fans of the visiting team. In almost all cases, Great Explorations Tours obtains tickets in the much larger home section. If you are a supporter of the away team, you should NOT wear any team gear and you should NOT visibly cheer on the away team.

This warning is needed not because something bad will necessarily happen to you, but one of the FAs rules is that, to avoid violence, any away fan cheering in the home section will be removed by security. We wouldn’t want you to miss the match.

Although, in cases of extreme rivalries (i.e. Manchester United-Liverpool, Tottenham-Arsenal), it would be wise not to advertise your allegiance in the company of opposing fans even outside of the stadium.

Songs and Chants - One of the best aspects of English football is the involvement of the fans, which is usually in the form of chants and songs. Knowing as many of them before hand would heighten your enjoyment of the match (even if it’s not your team). You will find no shortage of online resources for this purpose.

Beer at Matches - As much as the English love their beer, it may surprise some that beer consumption at football matches is highly restricted. This is another anti-hooligan measure put in place many years ago. The rule is that beer can be served prior to kickoff and at halftime and cannot, at any time, be brought out to the seats. This really does help keep people in line (relatively), but does cause a rush for the concessions at halftime.

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