The game of football (or soccer depending where you’re from) is more than just a 90-minute match, it’s a universal language spoken in every corner of the globe. Whether it’s played under the bright lights of a large, upscale stadium or on an impromptu field in a remote village, football has the ability to strip away barriers and unite communities across the globe.
It turns strangers into teammates and transforms observers into a roaring crowd, proving that the passion for the sport is as boundless as the world we explore.
At G Adventures, our community is fueled by this very spirit of connection and adventure. Amid the launch of Away Games with G Adventures — a brand new series of premium trips, designed to bring football enthusiasts together — we asked our own team what the game means to them.
Read more: Away Games: more than just matchday
From childhood memories of kicking a ball around the backyard to the thrill of cheering on national teams from afar, these reflections capture the joy, pride, and unity that come with being part of the football family — no matter where you are in the world.
Here’s a peak into the intersection of travel and the beautiful game, through the eyes of our staff.
Joseph Speckman, Product Executive at G Touring
“I have been a fan since I was seven. I have a season ticket at my home team and go to most games home and away, even though I live 200+ miles away — which is a lot in the UK. We have predominantly been very average, but just last week we qualified for the Europa League for the first time in our 148 year history, so I will get to travel and watch my team, which has been a lifetime goal of mine. I have watched England play too, travelling to France for the 2016 Euros being a highlight.
Many moan that it’s full of over overpaid celebrities, but the World Cup is different. They play for their nation and it brings the world together. 48 teams at the World Cup this year have been criticized but to see teams like Jordan, Uzbekistan, Haiti at a World Cup can only be a good thing for them, and not to mention Mexico and Canada as hosts, it’s their World Cup too!”
Dream travel destination for football: Brazil
Jamie O’Reilly, Talent Advisor, EMENA
“My dad was a big football fan so it was impossible for me not to be! I grew up going to watch Arsenal games at the stadium when my uncle couldn’t use his ticket. Eventually, I bought the ticket off him when I was old enough. This love for football transferred easily to the national team.
Football is part of English culture. The entire country transforms during tournaments! There is nothing better than going to the pub with your friends and family to watch an England game (especially when we play well).
No matter your race or religion, when England is playing, the country is together! From Street Parties to family gatherings, everyone gets involved.”
Dream travel destination for football: Barcelona & Madrid, Spain
Matt Lee, Salesforce Development Manager
“In the year 2000, on Boxing Boxing day (the day after Boxing Day, and yes this was made up purely to describe this day), a few friends wanting to see each other after the Christmas festivities (and have a break from their families), met up in a local park to play a bit of football. Little did they know that 26 years later — with the exception of 2020 — they would meet without fail on the 27th of December in the same location where they started to play a game of football.
The group has grown to other friends, friends of friends, brothers, nephews, and even sons! The teams — Higham vs Rushden — pick themselves, depending on where you live or lived, or just where your stronger allegiances lie. Some paths only cross once a year, on that day in December, but as always, all are welcome.
Over the years, traditions have been added: Wear your oldest football shirt — even if it doesn’t fit anymore — winning captain takes home a badly worn shield, and only the cheapest champagne for celebrating the winning team. And although attendance varies some years, the weather is normally cold and almost always wet, the grass might be long and covered in leaves, branches and anything else – a game is always played on that hallowed turf every December. And most importantly Football and community is the winner.”
Dream travel destination for football: Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro
Mark Quioc, Project Manager
“I love sports and I became a fan of football/soccer during the 90s. Solidified the fandom during the 1998 (France) and 2002 (South Korea) and (Japan) World Cup. The sights and sounds of the fandom and die hard fans from our diverse culture was a totally eye-opening experience. What I love about the World Cup in the city, was the different flags from cars and houses; the different national kits that they want to represent and rock! The loud celebrations and honking of cars along the ‘Little Countries’ of our city was a great experience. No matter your political and socio-economic situations — the game is for everyone and we all cheer for a common goal.”
Dream travel destination for football: Brazil (or anywhere in South America) and England!
Raeann Watt, Marketing Manager
“Football is the most accessible game on the planet — all you need is a ball and a patch of ground, and suddenly everyone speaks the same language. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what resources your country has — the passion for the game cuts across all of it. You can land in a country where you don’t understand a single word and still sit down with strangers to watch a match and feel completely at home. I actually experienced this firsthand earlier this year. I watched a game in Guatemala, and despite not being from there and not being able to fully communicate with the fans around me, I still felt completely included and part of it. People were so warm and genuinely excited to share their love of the game with me, despite the language barrier.”
“And that accessibility is what makes the World Cup so special — a small nation with a fraction of the resources of a football powerhouse can show up on that same world stage and genuinely compete. That kind of levelling of the playing field is rare, and I think people feel that. It gives every country something to believe in and rally behind.
That’s what makes it so tied to national identity too. It’s one of the few things that can unite an entire country behind a single shared feeling — the highs, the heartbreaks, all of it. When your nation is playing, everyone’s in it together. There’s something really powerful about that, especially right now when the world feels pretty divided. Soccer has this unique way of reminding us there’s so much more we have in common than not.”
Dream travel destination for football: England, United Kingdom
“England, of course. I took my mom to an EPL game when we were visiting London and it was just the best experience — honestly one of my favourite travel memories is getting to share it with her. The energy in that stadium is like nothing I’ve ever felt. And it’s not just the game itself, it’s everything around it — the pubs beforehand, the chants, the rituals. Football is genuinely like a religion over there and being immersed in that culture is something else. I’d love to go and be able to watch a national team game though — that would be incredible!”
Discover Away Games, G Adventures’ new small-group football trip:
Manchester City: More Than Matchday
Fulham FC: London Beyond the Pitch
Tottenham Hotspur: London, Inside the Game
Manchester United: From the Stands to the Streets
Chelsea FC: West London, Pitch to City
Arsenal FC: The Pride of North London
