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First time From USA - Which Games to Attend?


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Finally going to fulfill a bucket list item, seeing a Premier League game in person for my birthday, April 20. As there are a number of Championship games on April 19, and it's not exactly a short trip to the mother country, I would like to see one of those on the 19th as well. Logistically, the games should be sufficently close to each other by rail so I can safely make both. I am not a fan of any particular team, so the experience matters rather than the teams involved in the matches. So -- which pair of games should I choose? Opinions sought!

Also, how safe is it to get tickets on StubHub for these matches? For many, the secondary market would be the only option I can see. I've done well with StubHub in the US but no idea if there are issues using them for football in the UK.

Many thanks!

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I'd avoid StubHub for purchasing tickets, sometimes they get sold for way over face-value. Most fans forums have people who would sell for face value. I'm not sure how many games sell out either, so you could just buy from the official site for a General Sale ticket.

In terms of transport, if you're set on travelling by rail then you can get pretty much anywhere in the country within a couple of hours. London to Leeds for example probably few hours max.

Looking at the games on the 19th in the Championship, Birmingham vs Derby may be a good game. If you want a good atmosphere, Leeds vs Sheffield Wednesday could be good because Elland Road is rocking right now with Leeds top of the table. Bear in mind some games will get moved for TV coverage so be prepared to make adjustments to your plans if need be.

For the Premier League games on the 20th, Man City vs Spurs could be a good game but with that kind of game, the tickets will be more expensive.

It's Easter that weekend so there's bound to be games moved for TV across Friday to Monday. 

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Stan mentioned the TV games. I'd probably wait for them to be announced and plan around that. There will be certain grounds you won't have a problem getting a ticket for either so there will no need to go through any third party ticket sellers

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Since you’re calling it the mother country... do your mum and/or dad have a team they support? Because it might be a bit more special seeing a side you’ve got family ties to. Just something to consider, rather than just going for the experience itself. And if you don’t really care all that much & you’re going to be in London, London’s got a lot of clubs for you.

But yeah wait until they’ve announced how SkySports has decided to fuck with the fixture schedule.

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No relatives from the UK -- the English birthing the USA itself was the intended reference. :)

What I care about is stadium (and fans) with personality and history. For example, Anfield would have been an obvious choice, but Liverpool isn't home that weekend. 

Which raises one big question: If I see the Premier League game in London, with both home and no rooting interest, assuming tickets can be had, Arsenal or Chelsea?

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19 minutes ago, DougBroda said:

No relatives from the UK -- the English birthing the USA itself was the intended reference. :)

What I care about is stadium (and fans) with personality and history. For example, Anfield would have been an obvious choice, but Liverpool isn't home that weekend. 

Which raises one big question: If I see the Premier League game in London, with both home and no rooting interest, assuming tickets can be had, Arsenal or Chelsea?

Arsenal's probably easier to get tickets for.

But you said you wanted stadium with personality and history so no point going to Emirates :ph34r:

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51 minutes ago, DougBroda said:

No relatives from the UK -- the English birthing the USA itself was the intended reference. :)

What I care about is stadium (and fans) with personality and history. For example, Anfield would have been an obvious choice, but Liverpool isn't home that weekend. 

Which raises one big question: If I see the Premier League game in London, with both home and no rooting interest, assuming tickets can be had, Arsenal or Chelsea?

I think the best stadium probably for personality and history in London would be Craven Cottage - but then the obvious concern is you'd be watching Fulham and they are shite. I'd advise against giving Roman Abramovich money if you're not a Chelsea fan, so I'd say swerve them... although Stamford Bridge does have history unlike the other bigger London sides stadiums. Palace have a nice little stadium, in terms of charm, as well.

The smaller and older stadiums are probably going to have a lot more character than what you're used to from an American stadium. The newer bowl style stadiums kind of all feel the same, I think, and you'd probably agree.

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5 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I think the best stadium probably for personality and history in London would be Craven Cottage - but then the obvious concern is you'd be watching Fulham and they are shite. I'd advise against giving Roman Abramovich money if you're not a Chelsea fan, so I'd say swerve them... although Stamford Bridge does have history unlike the other bigger London sides stadiums. Palace have a nice little stadium, in terms of charm, as well.

The smaller and older stadiums are probably going to have a lot more character than what you're used to from an American stadium. The newer bowl style stadiums kind of all feel the same, I think, and you'd probably agree.

And Fulham have no atmosphere and clappers. But it’s a lovely stadium.

It’s a shame how many great stadiums have been lost now, Highbury, WHL, Upton Park.

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2 minutes ago, Danny said:

And Fulham have no atmosphere and clappers. But it’s a lovely stadium.

It’s a shame how many great stadiums have been lost now, Highbury, WHL, Upton Park.

Yeah, The Dell too. At least FSG have committed to renovating Anfield rather than building a new stadium entirely - but it'll be a shame when Everton do finally move away from the shitpit, because it is another historic stadium. Their stadium move will be really good for the city though, so it's for the greater good. But it's also a shame to lose another football landmark.

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3 hours ago, DougBroda said:

Looking north, any particular thoughts re Everton, Manchester City and Newcastle? Two have history of the older sense; Man City has that 2012 history, at least....

Both Everton and Man City in good games that weekend. Should be easy enough getting tickets too

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1 hour ago, LFCMike said:

Both Everton and Man City in good games that weekend. Should be easy enough getting tickets too

Where are you guys coming from that its easy to get tickets? I don't think it is at all. Or at least that wasnt my experience in coming over from Australia. 

The tickets for the season are released in two halves. That for April will have already gone on sale two months ago and I suspect if you looked up club websites you'd see then indicating no more tickets available in most cases. 

I'd be genuinely surprised if you could go and buy tickets for an arsensl game now. Maybe you could pay money to sign up to the arsenal FC forums as CD find someone with a season ticket that they werentt intending to use that day but it's pulling teeth.

One thing I would try though is looking through the club websites for hospitality tickets. Those are overpriced premium tickets offered by the clubs which normally include a stadium tour and a meal in the club restaurant before or after the game MC'd by a former player. These seem to most about 3 or 4 times the standard match ticket price which is about the same as Black market second hand standard tickets from scalping agencies... 

A lot of the time you can get hospitality tickets through local travel companies and include a nights accommodation somewhere. 

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6 hours ago, DougBroda said:

Looking north, any particular thoughts re Everton, Manchester City and Newcastle? Two have history of the older sense; Man City has that 2012 history, at least....

Everton are a pack of dickheads :ph34r: - historic stadium though BUT I think Goodison’s still got those shite wooden seats. And Evertonians aren’t that bad I just called them dickheads because I’m a Liverpool fan.

Manchester City’s stadium is a soulless bowl with no atmosphere.

Newcastle have some of the best fans in the country and a great stadium. But right now a lot of the atmosphere is likely about how much of a colossal pile of shit Mike Ashley is, since he’s drained all ambition from the club and is basically using it as an advert for SportsDirect.

Out of those 3, it’s between Newcastle and Everton. And treat yourself to a nice night out on the town in 1 of those 2 great cities after

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47 minutes ago, Harry said:

Where are you guys coming from that its easy to get tickets? I don't think it is at all. Or at least that wasnt my experience in coming over from Australia. 

The tickets for the season are released in two halves. That for April will have already gone on sale two months ago and I suspect if you looked up club websites you'd see then indicating no more tickets available in most cases. 

I'd be genuinely surprised if you could go and buy tickets for an arsensl game now. Maybe you could pay money to sign up to the arsenal FC forums as CD find someone with a season ticket that they werentt intending to use that day but it's pulling teeth.

One thing I would try though is looking through the club websites for hospitality tickets. Those are overpriced premium tickets offered by the clubs which normally include a stadium tour and a meal in the club restaurant before or after the game MC'd by a former player. These seem to most about 3 or 4 times the standard match ticket price which is about the same as Black market second hand standard tickets from scalping agencies... 

A lot of the time you can get hospitality tickets through local travel companies and include a nights accommodation somewhere. 

Of course it's not the case at a lot of clubs but I think it's well documented about Man City's struggle to sell out games which is what I was talking about here

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48 minutes ago, LFCMike said:

Of course it's not the case at a lot of clubs but I think it's well documented about Man City's struggle to sell out games which is what I was talking about here

Yeah but of the London clubs I'd think Chelsea and d arsenal would be very tough and spurs at WHL normally as bad leaving maybe Fulham, west ham and palace none of which excites. 

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