The Association of European Football Tourists to open its doors to new members in September 2025
“Together…we roam”
We watched the flares, fireworks and football in Liege on Friday. We partied with the Hertha fans in Dusseldorf on Saturday. We chilled at Cercle Brugge on Sunday. Then we travelled home on Monday. No it’s not a shoddy rehash of the lyrics of a Craig David classic; it’s just a recap of what Darren and I did last weekend.
We weren’t the only ones doing it either. In Brugge (sounds like a great title for a movie) we bumped into a couple of teachers from Grimsby at a bus stop. Like us, they had just been to the Cercle Brugge v Westerlo match. Like us, they were having a great time.
Do I look Belgian?
They did however make the mistake of asking me whether the approaching bus was the bus to the train station - thinking I was Belgian. I pretended not to understand for a moment, shrugging my shoulders in mock confusion. Then I let them know that we were both English and that the approaching bus was indeed going to the train station.
On the bus we compared our recent football trips. We shared memories of the Olympiastadion in Berlin, The Yellow Wall in Dortmund and the Camp Nou in Barcelona. We trumped each other’s efforts with obscure grounds like KV Kortrijk’s Guldensporen Stadion and architectural landmarks like Fiorentina’s Tower of Marathon. I was a 10 year old kid, falling in love with football all over again.
‘Football Friends’
This is why I believe that now is the time to launch our association. It’s for like-minded people who share our love for football tourism in Europe. In September 2025 we will open up to new members as we prepare for the 2025-26 season.
The purpose of the Association of European Football Tourists is to bring together our sad band of middle-aged, life-weary, ‘brothers’ in celebration of our mutual quest to watch football in as many European stadia as we possibly can before we die. Perhaps that’s a tad dramatic. But you know what I mean.
Benefits of joining the association
The benefits of joining the association are varied. New members will receive a membership card and be added to the WhatsApp group. The small membership fee (£5 per month / £50 if paid annually) will cover the newsletter, online subscription and general administration of the association. In the first year, we will endeavour to secure discount on travel and accommodation for members and then begin to compile travel notes and articles written by members after they visit each ground.
As we build our membership, we can look into the possibility of further discounts with restaurants, museums and city tours (including stadium tours).
We envisage a time soon where we can travel together in larger groups for all or part of a trip. We can share our travel plans before we depart and compare stories over a coffee or a stein of pilsner along the way. We can create wonderful new memories and make lifelong friendships as we embrace football culture from the white cliffs of Dover, to the golden sands of the Mediterranean Sea.
Together…we roam.
Register your interest
To register your interest in joining the Association of European Football Tourists (Travel Club) ping me (Paul) a message by clicking on the button below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.