Sports
watching, and playing, abroad
Taking a child to a sporting event in another country is one of the fastest ways to make them feel like they have actually been somewhere. Not a tourist watching a culture, a person in a crowd doing what the crowd does. Children understand more about a place from ninety minutes in a stadium than from a week of sightseeing.
Getting tickets, which is the hard part
Most European football clubs sell to members first and general sale is small and fast. For a big club, plan months ahead or accept you will not get in.
Smaller clubs are frequently the better experience anyway. Cheaper, easier to get into, more atmosphere per pound, and far more manageable with children. A second division match in a proper old ground beats a big stadium for a first experience.
Official club sites and official resale only. The secondary market for football tickets is full of invalid tickets and cards that do not match, and being turned away at the turnstile with children is a bad afternoon.
Away ends and ultra sections are not for families. Book family sections where they exist, and many clubs have them explicitly.
Check if the fixture date is confirmed. European fixtures move for television, sometimes by days, and a trip built around one match should account for that.
Stadium tours, which are the reliable fallback
Available at almost every major club and venue, run year round, and much easier to book than a match.
Dressing rooms, the tunnel, pitchside and the trophy room. For a child who supports the team, this is close to a religious experience.
Combine with the museum where there is one. Ninety minutes and thoroughly worth it.
And it works when the season is over or the fixture is not on, which is most of the time you will be traveling.
Where sport is worth planning around
- United KingdomFootball, rugby, cricket, and grounds in the middle of ordinary towns.
- SpainFootball at the highest level, and stadium tours that are events in themselves.
- ItalyFootball, cycling and a national obsession you can feel in the street.
- JapanBaseball, which is a completely different sport as a spectacle, and sumo.
- South KoreaBaseball crowds that sing continuously for nine innings.
- USABaseball, basketball and American football, all designed for families.
- AustraliaCricket, Australian rules, and summer sport as a way of life.
- FranceThe Tour, rugby, and free roadside spectating in July.
- IrelandHurling and Gaelic football, which nobody expects and everybody loves.
- NetherlandsCycling as transport, and skating when it is cold enough.
- SwitzerlandSkiing, and mountain sport at every level.
- New ZealandRugby, and a country where it explains a great deal.
Playing rather than watching
Find a pitch, a court or a beach and let them join in. Children abroad let other children play with a completeness adults never manage, and no shared language is required.
Football is universal. A ball in a bag is the single best piece of equipment you can pack.
Surf lessons, ski school, sailing, climbing walls. Instruction in a foreign country is easier than parents expect because the vocabulary is small and demonstrative.
Ski school in particular is superb value and gives parents a morning, which is not the primary reason to do it but is not nothing.
The big events
Cycling grand tours are free to watch from the roadside, which makes them the most accessible major sporting event in the world. Pick a mountain stage, get there early, take a picnic.
Marathons and city races are free, enormous and joyful, and children love handing out water or just watching the front runners go past.
Tennis and golf have qualifying and practice days that cost a fraction of the main event and get you far closer.
Formula One race weekends are built for families now, with fan zones and support races running all weekend, and plenty of circuits have a go kart track nearby for the kids who want to do more than watch.
Women’s leagues sell out stadiums on their own now and tickets are often easier to get than the men’s equivalent for the same sport, which is worth checking before assuming the men’s fixture is the only option in town.
Esports arenas exist in Seoul, Shanghai and a handful of other cities, and a live match with a crowd reacting in real time surprises kids who have only ever watched one on a screen at home.
Olympics, World Cups and similar require planning years out and are usually not worth the cost with young children. The qualifying rounds and the smaller events give ninety percent of the experience.
Building a trip around a fixture needs the tickets sorted before the flights, because the fixture is the constraint. Tell me the team and the season and I will work out what is realistic.
Questions people actually ask
The ones that come up before anyone books. If yours isn’t here, ask me.
How do you get tickets to football matches abroad?
Buy through official club channels or official resale only, and plan months ahead for major clubs where general sale is limited. Smaller clubs are easier to access and often provide better atmosphere for families.
Are stadium tours worth doing with children?
Yes. They run year round, are far easier to book than matches, and typically include dressing rooms, the tunnel and pitchside access, which is highly memorable for children who support the team.
Should families sit in any section of a stadium?
No. Away sections and ultra areas are unsuitable for children. Many clubs designate family sections, which should be booked specifically.
What sporting events are free to watch?
Cycling grand tours are free from the roadside, making them the most accessible major event in the world. City marathons and races are also free and highly enjoyable for children.
Can fixture dates change after booking?
Yes. European fixtures are frequently moved for television, sometimes by several days. Trips built around a specific match should allow for this possibility.
More in Themes and Interests
- HistoryWhere the past is still standing.→
- Books & StoriesGo and stand where the book happened.→
- Food & DrinkEat the thing the place is known for.→
- Arts & CultureMuseums, music, and making something.→
- Nature & WildlifeAnimals in the wild, not in an enclosure.→
- Seasonal JourneysAutumn color, winter markets, spring bloom.→
- Festivals & TraditionsTurn up on the right week.→
- Adventure & OutdoorsThe trips that need a change of clothes.→
Keep reading
Written and kept current by Nicole Damiano, ASTA Verified Travel Advisor with FG Luxury Travel. If something here is out of date, tell me and I will fix it.
Tell me who is coming and how long you have.
That is usually enough to know if this is a ship, a train, or a car with the windows down.
