The Best Way to Experience Football in England

Football is the most popular sport in England and the world. However, to the uninitiated, the offside rule, 18-yard box and a free kick are akin to another language. So what is football?

Also known as association football or soccer (from the slang of the former, ‘assoccer’), football is a game played in 45 minute halves between two opposing teams. Teams of 11 compete to score goals by shooting a ball into a net at the opposite end of the pitch, with the winner being the team with the greatest number of goals scored during the match. Players can manipulate the ball with any part of their body except their hands and arms.

While pitch sizes and the player kit’s colour might change, several core elements remain unchanged regardless of where your clients watch a football match in England.

From the smallest stadium of 2,000 spectators to Wembley, the largest stadium in the UK with a capacity of 90,000, the air within on matchday is alive. Opposing team supporters compete for the loudest chants for their heroes long before the game begins. The anticipation of the match about to unfold raises hairs on the back of necks. Many stadiums offer hospitality packages and private boxes to enhance to match experience. These provide a more refined version of the pre-match exhilaration than being right in the heart of the unchecked crowd.

Minutes before kick-off, players for both teams head onto the pitch, and the atmosphere reaches a fever pitch. There is the inevitable last-minute dash as latecomers jostle for their allocated seats in the stands around. On the pitch, the two team captains meet with the referee to determine who is scoring which way first before the sharp cry of the whistle indicates the commencement of battle.

Carefully designed boots race across the pitch, the white pitch lines stark against the manicured green grass. Unique kits, marking friend from foe, allow fans to quickly determine their team’s success as they fight for possession of the ball. 90 minutes of gameplay later, as the final whistle blows, a crowd previously united in their emotions and passion for the game in front of them is divided. Half fall into their hard plastic seats in despair at a loss, the other half hugging strangers in the same colours, proud of the game fought and won by 11 brave strangers.

Football is so popular in the UK because it unites people, creating a sense of kinship. Come rain or sun, there is a camaraderie to be found standing shoulder to shoulder with your fellow spectators. Football stadiums are custodians of a unique kind of magic – an atmosphere only football fans can generate. This experience awaits your clients at a football match in England. Let’s work together to create the perfect event for them. We’ve included some of our favourite experiences below, but we can source tickets and hospitality packages for most English clubs.

Sheffield United might be a latecomer to football in the city, but its stadium is arguably the birthplace of the beautiful game. In 1862, Brammal Lane hosted its first football match. The game was between the two oldest football clubs in the world, Hallam FC and Sheffield FC, both football clubs based in Sheffield. Bramall Lane has also been the site of the first football cup final and the first football game played under floodlights, amongst other football firsts. A former cricket ground, the stadium is one of only two in England that has staged both an FA Cup final and Ashes Test Cricket.

Standing amongst such history, a great game is almost guaranteed. Your clients can discover more about the club’s history on a stadium tour or experience football in a stadium that has housed the beautiful game for more than 160 years. Enjoy an authentic experience in standard stadium seats, or let us arrange hospitality for your clients, including lunch pre-match with a Sheffield United Legend or the best padded balcony seats in the stadium. Bordering the Peak District, and only a 90 minute drive from the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors National Parks, a Sheffield United home game is the perfect pause in any adventure through these spectacular national parks.

With a historic past and Hollywood backing, Wrexham is a club that has been slingshot out of obscurity and is rising through the ranks. The current team continues from strength to strength, and this small stadium packs a punch, with many games selling out.

Not to be outdone by their male counterparts, in February 2023, Wrexham AFC announced that its women’s team was going semi-professional in a bid to reach The Adran Premier, Wales’ highest league competition for women’s football.

Fewer than 4 miles/6 kilometres from the Wales-England border, Wrexham is an up-and-coming club with a lively atmosphere that your clients will love. Let’s give their football experience the Hollywood treatment together.