Random Rants: World Cup Blog

No ticket? No problem. World Cup can be enjoyed at Fan Fests.

By Chris Courtney
SoccerTimes

GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (Sunday, June 11, 2006) -- So you tried to get tickets for the World Cup and, like millions of others, came up empty. Would it still be worth it to head for Germany to take in the festival atmosphere with other fans in the same predicament?

A number of readers have asked this question and according to what we've heard so far, the answer is a resounding yes. "It was better than any party I've ever been to," said Frankfurt local Tino of the activities outside of the England-Paraguay game Saturday. "I can't wait to go to the next one."

"Absolutely fantastic" is how Peter Fox and his son Neil described their experience watching England-Paraguay with 50,000 other fans on the banks of the Main river in Frankfurt. Together with their friends Matthew Mallinson, and brothers Ian and Mark Frazier, the Foxes loaded up their car in England's Yorkshire district and headed for Germany to experience the World Cup atmosphere.

After unsuccessfully applying for tickets through several channels, the group of loyal Barnsley and England fans decided that they still wanted to follow their national team and be a part of it all. Like thousands of others, they came to be a part of what the German organizing committee calls a Fan Fest. Close to each World Cup stadium is a separate area with jumbo screen televisions, stages with live bands, food, beer and more for those without tickets.

Neil Fox remarked that "it was a better experience than I expected," while Mallinson said he felt "like I had just attended an England match." This impression was shared by a number of fans from dozens of countries, all of whom had a positive experience.

And so it seems that tens of thousands of fans without tickets are still finding a way to make the most of the 2006 World Cup. And if the friendly group from Yorkshire is any indication, those who come for the experience end up making the experience for others.

For those U.S. fans who happen to be in Europe, but still don't have tickets for the Americans' Monday opener against the Czech Republic, the Gelsenkirchen Fan Fest, just a few blocks from the stadium, is a good alternative. The Gelsenkirchen Fan Fest also features a number of live bands throughout the World Cup with the Gipsy Kings appearing June 29, Tokio Hotel on July 6, and Bryan Adams on July 7.

For more information on the Gelsenkirchen World Cup Fan Fests, go to: http://www.glueckaufkampfbahn2006.de/en/enstart.htm.

Information on Fan Fests in the next two U.S. venues can be found at:

Nürnberg World Cup Fan Fest
Kaiserslautern World Cup Fan Fest

Chris Courtney is SoccerTimes European correspondent and lives in Brussels. He is in Germany covering the World Cup.