2pm on a Saturday in 1986. My uncle and I passed by the burger stand and fake scarf stand on Gillespie Road, where the strong scent of fried onions wafted through the late fall air. Then stand in line at the ticket booth. As a Junior Gunner member, it’s £5 for him and £2.50 for me.
Go through the heavy metal turnstile, go up the stairs and enter the terrace. The moment you reach the top and see the clean, bright green lawns of Highbury, you feel a tingling sensation in your scalp. You will now watch Arsenal win 1-0.
Since then, things have continued to evolve in the world of football. At least at the top level. Satellite TV companies, bidding wars for TV rights, billionaires and oil-rich countries have invested in the club.
At the highest levels of the game, players gain generational wealth each year. A new stadium was built. The Hillsborough tragedy resulted in the loss of non-assigned seating and standing-room-only terraces.
But does it feel like going to a game? Not much has changed. So what do you need to know when going to watch football while in London? In this article, we will cover how to enjoy live soccer and what to do if there is no soccer.
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Schedule your visit
The English football league season runs from mid-August to the end of May. During the season, each team plays once or twice a week. Summer in even-numbered years is when the World Cup or European Cup is held, and is usually from mid-June to mid-July.
The league fixture schedule will be announced in mid-June. However, schedules are always subject to change due to TV station negotiations or teams becoming involved in the later stages of the cup competition. Changing a TV is usually +/- a day at worst.
Leagues, domestic cups and European competitions
league
League games are played throughout the year and the league table is based on points awarded based on a game won (3) or drawn (1). There are 20 teams in the Premier League, each playing the rest home and away for a total of 38 games.
domestic cup
Then there are two domestic cups. This is a knockout competition. The FA Cup, the most prestigious of the two competitions, is a one-legged knockout competition open to all registered teams in England and Wales.
Premiership teams participate in three rounds, but there are also advance rounds. There is a possibility of smaller clubs making it to that stage, and a win by such a team against a much higher ranked team is called a giant kill.
It’s rare, but it happens when a big club underestimates an opponent and brings in a weak side of reserves and youth players.
The League Cup, temporarily named after its commercial sponsor (Carabao Cup), is open to teams from the top four divisions and, although less popular, is still fiercely competitive.
Of course, the schedule of cup matches is difficult to predict, but most rounds of the main season have specific dates set aside.
european competition
There are so many European competitions. The highest league is the Champions League, followed by the Europa League and the Conference League.
Clubs are eligible for European competitions based on their domestic league rankings, with the top five teams in the Premier League taking part in European competitions, thanks to English clubs’ consistently high rankings in Europe. All European competitions have a league/group stage and a knockout stage.
European matches are rare, but this can be a great opportunity to get tickets to a match against a smaller European team that fans may not want to attend. Especially after the group stage, as season ticket holders will not be able to automatically get a ticket without paying an additional fee.
A place where you can see all facilities at a glance
The BBC Sports section is the most reliable source of information combining fixtures for all competitions.
The opposition party determines how difficult it is to get tickets and how much they cost.
Games are categorized by price depending on the opponent. Big name teams mean premium prices, so for example Arsenal vs Liverpool will be more expensive than Arsenal vs Bournemouth.
Sold out? There is an alternative
Getting tickets to big team games can be difficult, often requiring annual club members to get the chance to vote, making it difficult for local residents. Don’t show up to a sold out game trying to get tickets from the crowd. You will likely pay much higher than the odds and the ticket may be fake or already used.
London has more teams than Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs
As of this writing, there are eight London teams in the Premiership (Spurs and/or West Ham could be relegated). The others are Crystal Palace (formerly home to AFC Richmond at Ted Lasso) and Brentford.
If you’re not obsessed with watching a specific team, the less popular teams offer a great opportunity to get some game day experience in a short amount of time. Non-local derbies don’t usually sell out, so it’s very easy to get same-day tickets.
A hospitality package may be your only option.
If you absolutely must attend the big game, it’s worth checking out the hospitality packages section of the club’s website.
Hospitality packages typically combine in-stadium dining and expensive seating in a reserved space (not a private box situation). Prices can range from £500 per person to more depending on the club and level of play.
support the women’s team
The women’s game is growing. Thanks to their impressive performances at the World Cup and their European Championship triumphs, the England Lionesses are undoubtedly seeing growing interest in their women’s team.
Every Premier League team has a women’s team. Some teams, such as Arsenal, have achieved significant success in Europe.
Interest has grown so much that many women’s matches are now played at the club’s main stadium and are no longer played in smaller stadiums with a capacity of just 2,000. We are packaging tens of thousands of units.
The atmosphere in the women’s game is more relaxed. Many people bring their whole families and buy tickets that are much cheaper than the price for the men’s team event.
Lower leagues rarely sell out.
While teams at the top of the game are flush with money, lower league teams often struggle to fill small stadiums. The quality of football will not be the same, but the match day experience will be closer to that of the past.
Dads are watching the team that their fathers took them to watch with their children. Fans of such teams deserve enormous respect for following their local teams despite their rare success.
The Championship, the second tier of English football, features three teams from London: Millwall, Charlton Athletic and Queens Park Rangers. Add Watford, which is outside London but within the capital’s orbital motorway, the M25, and a short train ride, and you get four.
Championship match tickets cost less than half the price of a Premiership ticket and can be easily purchased in a short period of time.
in the game
where to sit
This is what worries me more when I choose my tickets in advance. The most expensive tickets are on the center line, which offers the best view of the stadium. Corners are cheaper and offer better visibility, and the loudest fans are usually still at the cheaper end (behind the goal).
All seats are pre-assigned and you will usually receive instructions for entry. Keep in mind that away fans have much smaller seating quotas and are separated from home fans.
When to arrive
Aim to arrive at the stadium about an hour early. Due to London’s heavy traffic and frequent weekend tube line and station closures for repairs, you will almost always experience some delays. Don’t rely on Google Maps for guidance before two days. Please enter approximate departure time and date.
what to wear
Many fans will show up wearing replica shirts, vintage shirts from past seasons. If it’s cold, a warm coat is a must. Some stadiums will provide good protection for the stands in wet weather, but this is not always the case if they are lower and closer to the pitch.
What not to take
Take as little as possible. There is a bag size limit, usually described as the international paper size of A4 (approximately 8 inches by 12 inches). Containers containing water are not permitted. Please avoid bringing in large backpacks or luggage as they are prohibited.
eating and drinking
Most stadiums in London don’t require cash, so you can seamlessly purchase food and drinks using Apple Pay/Google Pay on your phone or using a contactless card.
Unlike American sports, alcohol is not allowed inside the stadium, so you have to drink the (expensive) pint you just bought in the concourse before the stewards let you pass to take your seat.
Food offerings range from traditional options like pies and pints to hot dogs, nachos, burgers, and even healthy plant-based options.
How to Show Your Support
You can learn team slogans and songs by Googling. There is no expectation of participation, but it can be fun to participate.
when to leave
You may even see people leaving to beat the crowd before the final whistle blows. You can do this, but you’ll be missing minutes, potentially crucial moments, of the game you put so much effort into watching.
It may take up to 15 to 20 minutes longer to leave the stadium and use public transportation.
Off-season options
Get a taste of it through a stadium tour.
If you want to experience the stadium environment as much as watching the game, a stadium tour is a great option.
Available all year round and even on game days (although usually more expensive). A stadium tour takes you through the changing rooms, stadium tunnels, team dugouts, and sides of the stadium.
Fan zones and sports bars for World Cup or European Cup competitions
Not all football fandom is found at the stadium. If there’s a big international competition taking place somewhere else in the world, such as the World Cup or European Cup (both held every four years, in even years), head to a fan zone, sports bar or pub showing the game to get a feel for the atmosphere.
For neutral matches (when England are not playing) a bigger stadium would be better. Because it’s more likely that some fans from the country you’re playing in will be there. Having Brazilians cheering for the Seleção always adds to the fun!
friendly tournament
Arsenal annually host the Emirates Cup (named after its main sponsor), a friendly tournament in which Arsenal and three visiting European teams take part over two days as part of pre-season preparations. Other clubs do this on an ad hoc basis.
Watching a football match in London is not just one of many other activities. This is a guaranteed way to truly engage with the local culture that has been intertwined with this popular sport for decades.
Born and raised in Athens, Maria is passionate about travel and storytelling, an ideal combination for her role as Content Manager.
