The primary objective for the average US Premier League fan involves seeing their chosen club at their home ground for a league match.
For the crazy among us — there’s the idea of many matches over a weekend, one hop per day, one day at a time. And for those who haven’t opened their mind to such an amazing wonder of the modern world, you must be wondering …
How exactly is that possible?
The purpose of this post is to break down the magic that is the multi-match adventure, the critical elements of watching top-flight football live and in-person in the UK that makes getting to multiple matches super possible.
Element #1: The trains.
If you’ve ever made a trip to London, you know the magic (and increasing crowding) of the Underground. Arguably the top public transport system in the world — the area around Central London is efficient and effective for a tourist.
The element of public transit for a multi-match visit is the amazing train system. If you can make your home base in London or Manchester — most of a weekend’s jaunts are within logistical reach.
Compare that to the fan experience in the US for an MLS wanderer. To get to New England’s nearest rival, it’s at least 5 hours in transit no matter how you slice it to Red Bull Arena. That distance and time would equal some of the longer trips that are an anomaly for the EPL traveling away fan.
Getting from match to match can be done, with the efficiencies of Network Rail, and the wonder that is St. Pancras, Victoria, Waterloo and London Bridge stations. Yes, you’ll have to plan accordingly — but all things are doable, even if you make a home base in London, but trek up to Manchester on the day for a match.
The crazier the destination for the Sunday match, the easier it might be to get there — given the levels of weekend traffic on some routes.
You’ll want to plan ahead and do some research on efficient options and city pairs. Some things will be more possible than others — and it’s very possible to find that the TV selections put some crazy matches on the schedule that just aren’t a thing, even if you are in the right home city. (Note: we’re going to help on that front in future posts. Some things are possible, some are not).
For travelers from a country where the only real options for train travel are Amtrak in the Northeast Corridor (and, yeah, it’s not super efficient) — crossing this barrier in your head and warming to the wonders of train travel is the first step in thinking the multi-match run could absolutely be a thing for you.
Element #2: General Ticket Prices
As we’ve previously discussed, ticket resellers and touts aren’t really a thing. (Sure, you can try your hand at some underground message board, but unless you’re absolutely in the trust group of a supporter’s message board — I wouldn’t risk it.)
But buying tickets directly from the club is a worthwhile experience, in most cases. Each club tends to categorize their matches in tiers — A, B, C, D — with the top tier going to the Big 6 clubs, plus their primary rival. Those are, naturally, most expensive and most difficult to get on general sale no matter who you are.
But, that leaves a bunch of other matches in the other categories. And for most clubs — the tickets are cheaper and have a bigger level of availability.
And because it’s illegal to resell tickets for more than face value — the pricing stays generally the same.
The best example I can use is a favorite club of mine, the Red and Blue of South London — Crystal Palace. Their international ticket situation for the past few years has been second to none in the ability to make plans and get to Selhurst Park for some amazing atmosphere. All you have to do is simply make your request ahead of the on sale date, and the club would set aside the proper amount of tickets. (Note: the current discounted 2019/2020 membership doesn’t seem to have that feature, as all fixtures for the rest of the season seem to be on sale. We’ll have to explore more as we consider 2020/20201).
The other place I like to travel is Southampton. When viewing their 2019/2020 ticket pricing, you find a top-end price of up to 65 GBP for a premium seat for a top tier match. (Check out the current exchange rate, around 85 USD at time of writing.)
When translating this to US currency after the (usual) exchange rate — it’s more in line with a mildly premium baseball game ticket than a secondary market seat 100’s for an NFL game. For my dollar, it’s an amazing bargain to see the best football league in the world, week in and week out.
For most EPL stadiums, every seat is a pretty good one — relatively speaking. (Yes, this perspective comes from a guy who pays for 20 soccer matches per year at a NFL stadium that’s never more than a third full on its best day).
And those seats down front that you can see on TV — you’ll find some great views super close to fast-paced action. The regulars will sit a little higher (+10 rows). Your seats down close will be just fine — especially if you want to experience the pace and physicality of the match.
Element #2a: Shifting Match Times
Any follower of the Premier League knows that matches span the morning TV window on your average Saturday or Sunday. Match times are actually planned for Saturday at 3p. During the entire season, and then adjusted for time due to English broadcaster TV selections (as announced ahead of time via the fixture change schedule).
Shifting times can work in favor of the couch-hound turned traveler. Games that aren’t on Saturday at 3p. are not the favorite of our gracious host country’s usual patrons. Plus, if they are flex’ed to a TV match — it might be on at home. (Remember, there’s a complete blackout by law across the country for that regular Saturday time window to encourage match attendance at all levels of English football) So, when the TV gods move matches around, even a smidge more in availability is good for the chance to get tickets.
Element #3: The CL, EL Group Stages
When it comes to seeing the Top 6 clubs at home — tickets are historically a tough get, especially when they play each other. So, if you have a rooting interest in one of the big guys (say, Spurs or Arsenal) — the best way to get in multiple matches is to knock out the big club in the Group Stages of the Champions League.
Once the matches are announced in late August — there are some good ones, and some that are less than attractive for locals. Given the Tuesday and Wednesday night nature of these matches — that’s another turnoff for local fans who are working and have to turn up to the stadium straight from the office.
Since you’re on a holiday — you might make these matches the final hurrah on your trip and take advantage of traveling back to the US on a Wednesday or a Thursday, which should be a little more friendly on the wallet since they’re not huge business travel days.
If you happen to support a side in the Europa League, you’ll curse the toll it takes on their league performance, but it also means you can potentially make your trip from Wednesday to Tuesday, and start your journey with a match at home, before rocking the weekend elsewhere, or making it a double for your preferred club.
Remember, this only applies to fall trips — and you still have to be careful of EPL TV adjustments — but it’s a super good option.
Element #4: When all else fails, club seats …
Remember when we talked above about the wonder of tickets direct from the club, but also the challenges of seeing a Big 6 side, especially when they play one another.
‘Tis true — and a sad reality — that your TV match on Sunday likely includes one of these well-known sides. And that’s going to make tickets tough, whether it’s at their home, or away. For those smaller sides, the big clubs sell out quickly — especially for matches in the early Fall when hope springs eternal.
When all else fails, and you’re truly making this a trip of a lifetime, there’s another way.
The Club Seat.
Just like in the US, that second level of most stadiums is club seats. The views are great — and the hospitality is wonderful. Most clubs have a couple of different options — from a full three-course meal to basically a pre-match sports bar. Costs will vary by the option, and it’s expected that you’re dressed a smidge better, but for having access when you just absolutely need to be at the match — strike early for the most affordable club seat option.
Usually, you can get in the stadium earlier than general admission (say, 2 hrs before vs. 1).
There’s access to food and drinks pre-match which makes it worth getting to the stadium early to fill up and get inside before the match starts and it gets crowded to get your pictures.
And, critically for me, the club level allows you to hang out after the match for a drink or two while the crowds clear out. Since most of these stadiums are public transit hubs — the crowds are nuts post-match as people head to the train. It’s no better for trying to get a taxi or rideshare either — the roads are usually closed around the grounds until pedestrian traffic has safely cleared. After the requisite hour — you can begin that experience of trying to find a taxi, etc. But it’s great to be able to stick around and wait for traffic to clear.
If you are seeing two Big 6 clubs tangle — the club level might be the only way to guarantee your way in. We’ve had to flex to this option on a trip after getting tangled in some crazy last-minute match moving … and getting regular tickets would have been impossible, even when playing by the membership rules. Local supporters weren’t due to find out if they’d won a lottery to get in on the tickets until the Friday before the match. That’s too close to call for my taste.
When you just absolutely have to be there — and you’re making the memories of a lifetime — explore the club level options.
A great place to see what’s available, and to experience the various levels in the markets — are the folks at GoSportTravel. They’re a registered hospitality reseller for most of the big clubs and cater to European fans (you might find that your credit card exchange rate is Swedish Kroner). But their pricing is generally reasonable, and you can see early on what the various matches will run — especially if you need to establish a budget or if you want to buy early.
I’ve had a couple of great experiences with them over the years, and I very much recommend checking them out (this isn’t a sponsored shoutout). In the earliest days, I checked out Thomas Cook Sport reliably at the EPL schedule release. Now, not so much.
There you have it: 4 critical elements
That’s it. The big four — the essential factors that make a multi-match trip a possibility for the dedicated PL wanderers among us. As you think about making a run late in this season or begin to plot your strategy for 2020-2021 — stay with us and keep reading to get more familiar with the four big factors that might make your super dream trip come true. You’ll know “just enough to be crazy and travel like this” in no time at all!