West Ham v. Aston Villa

One can’t be in London without attending a football (aka soccer) game, so a group of us went to see West Ham v. Aston Villa. We arrived in West Ham and I quickly realized it was pretty much the hood of London, with lots of sketchy people walking around. Good thing there was a large group of us. We got to the game about an hour later than expected, due to the stadium being further than expected and the fact that when you travel with a group of 8+ nothing goes quickly. People had to stop for food, to go to the bathroom, to buy souveniers, everything you could think of to delay us. We ended up missing the first half of the game.

The stadium is surrounded by narrow doors with numbers on them. Your ticket has a number and you have to go in the corresponding door. The hallways you enter are so teeny-tiny I think most Americans would have a hard time fitting through! We eventually got to our seats, which were only about 10 rows up from the field. They were great seats and we could see everything. West Ham ended up winning the game by scoring a goal in the last seconds of overtime and the crowd went crazy.

Things I Learned:
Football is a man’s game. There were barely any women in the stadium and NONE in the pub we went to afterwards (save for two bartenders and the girls I was with).

Football fans are just as intense as expected. The group of us that went had two people sitting in between us during the game, and we asked if they could scoot the three seats over so we could all sit together. They told us no. No one talked to each other when the ball was in play. They just muttered to themselves then yelled curses at the ref or opposing teams’ players about every one-two minutes.

You can’t drink in your seats. Beers have to be consumed in the hallway outside.

Picture: Enjoying our beers in the hallway.