UK Football Stadium and Game Tour?

Any particular team you want to see?

Boxing Day is the traditional big day for matches around this time with plenty of matches being played in all leagues. What team, league and area are you interested in?

Boxing Day is the traditional big day for matches around this time

Yes. My first thought was an Old Firm game in Glasgow when I saw the dates :) Maybe too much for the uninitiated!

I'd expect fixtures for 2024/25 to be announced in the coming weeks, so planning for the following season's games would need to start around the same time (June) for 2026/27.

The big issue we've discussed on here before is ticket availability. For English Premier League games (and the Old Firm in Glasgow) it can be tricky to secure a ticket for matches, certainly for the top clubs. The lower leagues can offer good football and have better ticket availability for non season ticket holders.

If it is just the atmosphere and spectacle of a football match (as opposed to a particular club), my advice is go to a Championship or lower league game. Much easier to get tickets and the atmosphere is fantastic. Much more local and authentic support. And the clubs are still pretty big. I'm an Arsenal supporter and did see a game at the Emirates once, but my best football experience was going to the old Upton Park to see West Ham when they were down in the Championship. Fantastic!

My husband (David) is a Tottenham fan. . .

Ideally we'd get one Premier league game in, but know and would enjoy seeing other leagues' games. So much will depend on match schedules and practical driving/train timelines.

We have talked about the Boxing Day-New Year's timeline because David has known about the high number of matches for a while.

We appreciate the comments!

I trust then that David understands just how difficult getting tickets for Tottenham home games is. There will be possible ways if he is a member of a Spurs fan club at home or registers as a member (at a cost no doubt). But otherwise you're looking at the hospitality route, which starts at very expensive and goes up.

Tickets for games in the EFL below the Premier League are much easier to get hold of and you should be able to get them at short notice and in many cases on the day. Many fans, including me, would vouch for the atmosphere being generally better at these games.

Are you aware of the inconveniences of visiting the UK over Christmas? There is pretty much no public transport at all on Christmas Day, it winds down early on Christmas Eve and is reduced on Boxing Day. Most restaurants are also closed on Christmas Day or open with limited hours and expensive special menus. It can still be done and many enjoy the novelty of a very quiet city but you need to be aware of the differences.

One thing to consider is hospitality packages. Not cheap, of course, but several Premier League clubs (I'm almost certain Spurs would be included in this list) offer 'premium' packages that include tickets and a stadium tour plus posh seating and allows you to bypass their membership schemes. Worth looking into if you're willing to pay the extra money.

Every Premier League team, and the majority of EFL teams will have hospitality packages available. Of course, by and large, they won’t be needed to get into EFL games.

I have to confess the last time I was at a football game was Celtic vs Dundee United in the Scottish Cup final at Celtic Park, Glasgow in May 1988. Aged 14. It's kinda crazy to think back I was only 14 and in "the jungle" section with friends.

https://www.thecelticwiki.com/about-celtic/celtic-slang/the-jungle/

I used to see Hamilton Academical at home with friends and I went to a couple of Motherwell games with my dad where they had Celtic at home.

Now I'm in London, I'm curious about Millwall games, given the reputation. I don't know anyone who would go to a game with me :)

Does any of the other folks from the UK have recommendations for their teams?

I guess you might have looked at " the 92 club"

I will sing my cities praises..only this week a blue plaque was put up to celebrate the original football rules being drawn up in 1858 .
Sheffield host a few notable firsts relating to football and there's a walking trail linking them up.

Usually there's a round of the FA Cup just after New Year too

....and the New York Stadium is a short tram ride away

I appreciate all the thoughts you've posted, especially re reduced transportation, restaurants etc. That doesn't phase us, we're walkers and could use the slower days to enjoy being in London. Yorkshire is on our list (neither of us has been there in previous trips to the UK). I am going to jot down suggestions so as we begin to map things out I don't have to fish through the forum. Thank you again!

You could try Edinburgh for Christmas and seeing if you can get to a Scottish game.

Edinburgh is the one UK city with good public transport on Christmas Day (and even to Glasgow). It has a unique holiday vibe that day as a result because people are actually around- it is not deserted like everywhere else, and everyone is in the festive spirit.

The buses go a long way out of the city that day, as far as North Berwick.

There will be a Hibs and Hearts derby in Edinburgh Christmas week probably too. That would be easy logistically if you were in Edinburgh. It's true that there would be all round much more to do in Edinburgh for Christmas and Hogmanay than London.

Are match schedules fairly similar from year to year? I was thinking it would be good to look at the 2024-2025 schedules to get a sense of what might be possible (or not possible) in creating a reasonable itinerary.

Consider a flat through VRBO or similar for London so you can manage own food over the holiday closures.

I was thinking it would be good to look at the 2024-2025 schedules

They will be released on 18th June.

There will be matches several days Christmas week. There will usually be games 1st and 2nd January. There will be some local derbies like I mentioned up thread, including at least one London derby, 26th usually. Who plays who where is less predictable.

Here's 2023/24 to look at in the meantime. https://www.premierleague.com/news/3537201

Thanks, everyone. We have rented AirBnBs while travelling abroad in the past, it does simplify things regarding food.

GerryM, I really appreciate the specifics and the link as well. David has begun to plot out team locations on a Google map, color coded by level of play, so we have a visual as we look at schedules. This trip is quite a ways off but it's fun to begin the footwork.