by tmesis »
13 May 2018 10:13
It's been something of a hobby of mine for the past 15 years or so, and I often arrange holidays with the fixtures in mind when planning an itinerary.
As a result I've seen football (excluding games in England and Wales) in Austria, Belgium, Cambodia, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, USA and Vietnam.
The most common destination is Germany, where I've seen 35 games at 31 grounds*. It works out at 118 foreign grounds, although that total does include Scotland, simply because getting to Scotland (7 grounds) takes just as long as getting to continental Europe. The next most common destination has been Italy, where I've seen 9 games, followed by Czech Republic, France, Scotland and Thailand, where I've seen 7 games.
I just love going to foreign games, seeing the differences and similarities of the football culture in each place, doing something well off the usual tourist trail.
* Most people want to go over to see Dortmund, or the other bigger German grounds, which is understandable, but if I was to recommend a ground as an additional game, I'd suggest Bochum. Great ground, good atmosphere, with a large covered terrace behind one goal.