WHILE IRISH football fans may be dismayed to have been drawn in one of the toughest groups in Euro 2012, their credit union managers will almost certainly have heaved a sigh of relief.
The Republic of Ireland’s opening three matches are to take place in the Polish cities of Poznan and Gdansk, which will be considerably easier and cheaper for fans to get to, particularly if they take the DIY options available to them.
Ireland is well served by flights to Poland, with Ryanair serving nine Polish cities from Dublin, including Poznan, where the Republic plays its first game on June 10th, and Gdansk, where the team plays on June 14th.
Before the draw was made, return journeys to Poznan, where the Irish will be based for games on June 10th and 18th, cost €418.35 while flights to Gdansk, where the team will play on June 14th, cost €420.89. In the immediate aftermath of the draw, as fans scrambled to get a seat, return fares jumped by nearly €90 to €508.35
Many fans are considering doing a Joxer on it and driving to the tournament, with the distance from the French port of Cherbourg to Poznan an easily manageable 1,039km. The distance between the two cities is 384km.
Fans doing it themselves can expect to pay anywhere from €40 to €120 for a hotel room depending on the number of stars it has. A considerably cheaper option is camping, which will cost less than €10 a night with sites available near the two cities which will play host to the Irish fans.
Michael Caslin of 747 Travel, a tour operator which specialises in bringing fans to major sporting events, said he expected to bring about 1,000 to Poland next summer.
He said the company would have packages available by the end of next week. While it was too early to nail down exactly how much it would cost, he did not imagine people would have much change out of €1,500 for a 10-day trip, covering flights, accommodation and match tickets.
One advantage of going down the tour-operator route will be the guarantee of tickets. With Ireland facing two of Europe’s footballing superpowers as well as Croatia, the demand for tickets will be fierce when they go on sale.