Thousands of England fans have arrived in Germany for Sunday's big match against Serbia after travelling by road, rail, sea and air.
Around 50,000 Three Lions’ supporters will descend on the city of Gelsenkirchen to see Gareth Southgate ’s players kick off their Euro 2024 campaign. The Group C clash is a sell out, with more than 10,000 England supporters inside the stadium and another 40,000 watching the match on big screens and in bars. And over the course of the tournament around 350,000 English fans are expected to cheer on Harry Kane and the team in Germany.
Tony Day, 52, had travelled from Birmingham with his son George, 16, father, Derek, 72, and brother Darren, 49, in a hired motorhome. The group took a ferry from Dover and stayed overnight in Bruges before arriving at a campsite in Gelsenkirchen yesterday (FRI).
An emotional Tony said: “This is the best thing our family could ever do. My son is crying with excitement. My dad said we should have done this years ago.” England fans start their party early ahead of Euro 2024 opener in Germany
Steve Cressey, 71, had driven his motor home to Gelsenkirchen from Scunthorpe, NE Lincs. But the retired steel erector was stunned when he was asked to pay 150 Euros a night to park his Ford vehicle on a campsite. The dad of two was left looking for a cheaper spot to park up for the night. He does not have a ticket for the game but is happily soaking up the atmosphere.
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He said: “I’ll watch it in the Fan Park and I’m happy with that. It is all about being here. It was a bit of a last minute decision to come but I’m glad I have. I just hope we can go on to win on Sunday.”
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As many as 50,000 England fans have flocked to Germany (Rick Findler / Story Picture Agency)With accommodation scarce in Gelsenkirchen, most England fans are staying in cities nearby, including Essen, Dortmund, Dusseldorf and Duisburg. In Essen’s Kennedyplatz, seven miles from the stadium, pals Paddy Jones, 35, and Joe Clay, 35, from Rotherham, south Yorks, were enjoying a beer with new friends.
“It has been brilliant so far” said National Highways worker Paddy. “There are lots of fans from different parts of the country and everyone is getting on great.” Joe, who works in safeguarding, added: “We don’t have tickets but we are here for the crack. We will watch the game in the Fan Zone. I can’t wait.”
Supporters have arrived with plenty of time to spare before England's opener (Rick Findler / Story Picture Agency)They had met up with Clive Gardner, 69, and his son Ashton, 30, petrol retailers from Cheltenham, Gloucestershire. Clive has seen England in every tournament since 2004 and said his favourite previous experience was in Germany at the 2006 World Cup. He said: “The people here are fabulous. It is great to be back. But we always have a nice time wherever we go. We always meet nice people.”
Kevin Coomer, 38, from Bristol, had flown from Bristol for the weekend with his dad Gary, 69. The electric company boss admitted it was supposed to be a Father’s Day treat for his dad, but Mr Coomer snr had ended up paying for the trip. Kevin laughed: “I did buy him an England hat and a shirt.”
Supporters will be able to spend Saturday night in Gelsenkirchen before England take to the field on Sunday (Rick Findler / Story Picture Agency)The dad and lad pair were with friends Matt Rolles, 54, and Alex Stell, 30, also from Bristol. Matt, who runs an insurance brokers, said: “It is fabulous. There are a great group of fans here.”
History teacher Adam Nixon, 22, had flown to Amsterdam with a group of ten ex school pals from Fleetwood, Lancs, before catching a train to Essen. They all have tickets for tomorrow’s game, although they are scattered around the stadium. Adam said: “This is the best. I’m loving it and I’m loving life.”
Thomas Concannon from the Football Supporters’ Association said: “Euro 2024 is a big opportunity for England fans to once again travel in our thousands to an international tournament. It is fantastic that we are able to do it in a country that celebrates football fan culture as much as we do back home.”
England's other group games will be held in Frankfurt and Cologne (Rick Findler / Story Picture Agency)England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford yesterday (FRI) praised the huge army of supporters and said: “There will be nothing more proud for me than to lift that trophy and to bring it home for the fans. That’s our goal. I know all the England fans will be rooting for us and they’re passionate.”
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Mick Johnson, director of the UK Football Policing Unit said: “This is the first major tournament which England fans have been able to travel since 2016 and a lot of fans want to come to Germany to join the party.
“At the World Cup in Germany in 2006, around 300,000 travelled but the figure is estimated at around 350,000 this time, so it is something of a record. We hope everyone stays safe and has a great time and we win the award again for the tournaments' best fans."
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