I believe in hashtags.They are compact and powerful. None so more than my all-time favourite-#ifnotnowthenwhen. That’s like five letters and a whole lot of meaning. I first came across this hashtag when an Irish American hippie, covered in tattoos, landed up in front of my front door in Bangalore. I had met him at a friend’s wedding in Calcutta, remember, just met him; so to let him through my door and offer him a place to stay was a big deal.
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KeegsOBees had a purpose, and as I would later recognise, travelling without purpose is like a degree without learning. By the time KeegsOBees and I parted ways, I was an unsettled man, questioning my life and its lack of purpose and well, before I knew it, I was solo travelling around Kutch, Hampi and Gokarna in the middle of an Indian summer.
Solo trips can be game changers; true, they can help you find meaning in life, but I must warn you, they can seriously derail your corporate career plans for good. You would find so much meaning in life beyond an office chair that it’s kind of impossible to fulfil those never ending expectations of your neatly suited superiors, which of course is a mandate for promotion. It’s hard to explain, you should probably try it to know why I say this.
So what’s this travel inspiration thingy got to do with sports? Well turns out I’m quite a sports lover and amidst all other things that make me happy none more so than a football at my feet. So here I am backpacking around the United Kingdom for a month in a quest to partially fulfil my #onematchpercountry and #onegame100stadiums hashtag dreams.
The plan is to watch one game in the top 100 stadiums in the world along with an attempt to watch a football match in every country I visit in the next seven years and eventually pen them all down in a book. Is there a better way to satiate your combined thirst for football and travel?! And if you might be wondering, who decides the top 100 stadiums in the world, well that’s kind of subjective, but, as a point of reference I am going by the list curated by a popular football magazine.
Premier League calling
However, this trip finds deeper significance in intentions to fulfil a lifelong dream. You see, KeegsOBees wasn’t around a decade and a half back for that big push to fulfilment, but the television was. I agree there is no greater inspiration than real life people sitting in front of you narrating real life stories about their incredible experiences, but then again, who did not ever want to go to Egypt after watching those intriguing documentaries on the Discovery Channel?
Similarly, the Premier League on satellite TV, has built up passion, desire and diehards all over the world. Ask yourself as a football fanatic, “Which is that one thing you’ve always wanted to do?” and if it’s not your club’s name at the tip of your lips then good luck justifying your fanaticism. So among all things football that make me happy, West Bromwich Albion FC stands tall.
This emotionally charged summary of my fifteen years as a West Brom fan on my blog, struck chords across borders quicker than I thought it would. Particularly when the article was shared on the West Bromwich Albion Indian Supporters page on Facebook. I got more hits on my Wordpress website than I ever could have imagined. And then something beautiful happened.
I was contacted by a Baggies fan from the UK and the message stated that I could actually get a tour of the club!
Also read: West Bromwich Albion unveil Delhi Dynamos players at The Hawthorns
Random acts of kindness aren’t unheard off. You see that on YouTube videos every day, but to experience one first hand is a feeling like none other. Just reinforces my faith in the second favourite hashtag of mine - #theworldhasyourback.
This unbelievably stressful trip from India to Birmingham, with real issues of holding an Indian passport -visa application acceptance (I need to dedicate one separate blog post on this), never ending immigration queues coupled with the inability to pack light and missed train journeys along the way has left me sleep deprived, jaded and jet-lagged. But I would trade that any day for the uncertainty and excitement that lies ahead.
The journey
I begin this long-awaited football journey at the Hawthorns in Birmingham, the home of West Bromwich Albion; I then make my way up north to Scotland to watch a game each at the two legendary clubs of Scottish Football-Rangers and Celtic at their stadiums -Ibrox and Celtic Park.
The next trip would be to Manchester, England for the weekend to probably live the dream on behalf of many of my Manchester United friends. My next stop is the city of Cardiff, in Wales where I plan to watch Cardiff City live.
I then travel to the Stadium of light as an away fan to watch Sunderland vs West Brom and experience travelling with club fans in an away coach. With the international break thereafter, I plan to catch the Three Lions live in action at Wembley vs Malta and to end my trip, I'll be back at the Hawthorns for my last home game vs Tottenham.
Over the next four weeks, I plan to pen my experiences as a football fan as I set out on this life changing journey around the UK to discover purpose in travel through football. I might not be able to cover all, due to match timing overlaps, ticket unavailability, long journeys and a middle-class Indian budget, but a start is always better than none.
As I travel for football, I’ll be carrying the Indian flag with me wherever I go in an attempt create awareness about the love for the beautiful game in our country and to break stereotypes about India being a one-sport nation .
