Euro 2016 away thread

[pineapple stu]

So!

Was away travelling for Euro 2012 and missed the finals tournament. Keeping an eye on the aul Syria war before making a call on the Euros, but hoping to head along anyway.

Any advice from those who made the last Euros? Transport - probably the ferry should be grand? Imagine flights will be pricey.

Accommodation - bring a tent? Stay the night of the game in the host city only and then get out to a less Euro-ised place?

Tickets - always seems to be absurdly complicated. How do you get a ticket for the correct games?

Cost - any estimates? Ten days in France might ordinarily cost a grand to fifteen hundred depending on how you do it. Probably a few prices through the roof for the finals though?

The draw is on the 12th of December, so I presume best to wait for that first anyway?

[brendy_éire]

For easy for transport, etc., we'll be after Group A. If it's that, I'll just fly in, use public transport and stay in hotels and friends' houses.
Any other group will mean significant travelling, and with it added costs.
Toying with the idea of just driving the car over from here. Though a campervan could well work out cheaper and more craic.

Probably just best to wait for the draw. There's no rush on it really.

[Claret Murph]

Yep wait until the draw myself a few have booked flights I know of but hey gamble at times but I think the waiting game will be better for this one .

[DeLorean]

I did the two weeks in Poland but I nearly came back in a coffin, so I think I'll scale it back somewhat this time. I'm thinking of just doing the first two games, so would be looking at 5/6 days. We rented a camper van for the two weeks in Poland, great experience but once is enough I think! There's only so much snoring and farting one can take in such a condensed space, especially on the occasional night that you're not full of booze! Obviously with the camper van there was the added workload of having to source campsites to park it. That was okay though, and cheap.

If we are placed in Group A, a ferry and car could be an attractive option, although public transport might be less hassle in a way. Poland was unfortunate in the sense that we were eliminated after two games so the wait for the Italy dead rubber was a bit anti-climatic, especially as burnout was setting in anyway! The fact that we had to head back to Poznan kind of compounded it I think, it might have kept the spirits up if we were heading somewhere new, at least that won't happen this time.

If anybody is going for a game or two and not the full group stage, I would definitely recommend the first or first & second games. The excitement in the lead up to the game against Croatia was just fantastic, Poznan was really buzzing with hope and expectation. Even after losing there was more excitement heading on to a new location in Gdansk. That was definitely the best part of the trip so I wouldn't be overly worried about missing a crunch final game, the safest bet is to be there when the whole thing is kicking off I think.

Hostels opposed to hotels might be the way to go for financial reasons. Security wise trying to fill out rooms is a good idea, as in, if there are four of you then book a 4 bed dorm, etc. as opposed to 4 beds in an 8 person dorm. That way you'd usually have shower facilities to yourselves and nobody could tamper with your belongings (without actually breaking in obviously!).

Can't wait for the draw!

You can register for the official ticket portal here- (http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/finals/news/newsid=2245851.html)

[BonnieShels]

Seems the camper van idea is taking hold over here.
Few lads heading from London supporting varying teams so we might end up with a massive road trip and that should in itself be whopper.

Only thing that would scupper things properly would be for us to be in England's group. That would be rather shoite.

[paul_oshea]

I hope we avoid england and northern ireland in either groups and cities. And that we meet England in the next round.

I'd be afraid for a few goons in our element, and some nasties in the Northern support and England. I wonder could there be some fanatical(yes that fanatical, not a fanatical standoff between english and NI supporters) standoff with some rightwing NI and England fans :D

THe camper van is tough going BS, i know lads who did it in Poland. It's not easy for a couple of weeks.

[BonnieShels]

I hope we avoid england and northern ireland in either groups and cities. And that we meet England in the next round.

I'd be afraid for a few goons in our element, and some nasties in the Northern support and England. I wonder could there be some fanatical(yes that fanatical, not a fanatical standoff between english and NI supporters) standoff with some rightwing NI and England fans :D

The camper van is tough going BS, i know lads who did it in Poland. It's not easy for a couple of weeks.

I think given that we are a mixed group of lads it might be to our benefit to last a bit longer. Realistically I am only planning on being there for for the first 10 days max depending on how generous my employers at the time are.

Also I would say we will have some for longer than others and others joining later depending on work etc.

PLay it by ear. Sure chances are Stutts will be giving me a lift anyway.

[DeLorean]

Euro 2016: Organisers set to keep fan zones in France (http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/34913514)

[seand]

I'll probably try a quick in and out for a couple of games over a long weekend. I'd like to see us playing in Lens/Lille as it'd open up Brussels, Charleroi etc, but to be honest I'll happily take tickets to Hungary-Albania and Ukraine-Iceland. There's a public ticket sales window in December-January, so we'll see how that goes then start pulling in favours / begging / lining the pockets of touts.

[jbyrne]

There's a public ticket sales window in December-January, so we'll see how that goes then start pulling in favours / begging / lining the pockets of touts.

in 2012 we all picked up tickets right up to the last min wherever we could without much fear of gaining entry to the stadium. however, given what happened in paris 3 weeks ago is there now a real risk that the authorites will demand that only people who present a passport matching the name on the ticket will be given entry? this has been threatened before but never followed through on in my experience.

[paul_oshea]

Because if you have a passport you won't want to kill anyone.

[tetsujin1979]

FWIW the passport found at the scene has been largely dismissed by the authorities

[jbyrne]

Because if you have a passport you won't want to kill anyone.

the point being that the authorities might want to use everything in their power to increase stadium security

[boovidge]

so what's the situation with tickets? I used to be a regular at home games but I live in Italy now so didn't go during the last campaign. I presume that'll count against me. Rather annoyingly a couple of mates from college with no particular interest in either of the teams have got tickets to the Italy game through the lottery they did last summer :mad:

[backstothewall]

I have a season ticket and I've heard nothing. I'd assumed season ticket holders would be allowed at least 1 ticket for every game per ST held, but no info from the FAI yet.

[DeLorean]

The UEFA ticket portal opens tomorrow apparently. Surely tickets for the Sweden game will be pretty handy given the venue. The Belgium game may not be quite as straight forward? Brand new stadium but only a 43,000 capacity and bound to be plenty Belgians.

[DeLorean]

Our proposed itinerary at this stage is to arrive in Paris on the 12th and stay there until the 16th. On the 16th get an early train (only 1hr approx) to Lens to enjoy the atmosphere for the England Wales match, even go to the game if that becomes a possibility. Stay in nearby Lille that night and on the 17th then hit Bordeaux either by train (5-6hrs) or fly with Air France. Head back to Ireland on the 20th and watch the Italy match at home.

[rebel]

I suppose there isn't any point logging on and trying to buy tickets tomorrow if you are not an FAI season ticket holder? I read that it asks for your memebership/account number.

[DeLorean]

UEFA Ticket Portal is different to last time. You just apply for tickets and hope for the best. I preferred the way it was last time when you could just log on and see what they had available.

[brine3]

Does anyone know if the portal works on a first come, first served basis? Or does everyone who applies during the coming month get their names drawn out of a large hat after the deadline? My credit card is being renewed at the moment (bad timing).

I live close to northern France so will probably just drive to the Paris and Lille matches.

[jbyrne]

Does anyone know if the portal works on a first come, first served basis? Or does everyone who applies during the coming month get their names drawn out of a large hat after the deadline? My credit card is being renewed at the moment (bad timing).

I live close to northern France so will probably just drive to the Paris and Lille matches.

I read this morning that the FAI will shortly issue a statement outlining how irish tickets will be allocated with the expectation that loyal fans will be looked after first.

[nigel-harps1954]

There's a simple lottery for tickets. You apply through ticket portal on UEFA website and there's a random draw to see who gets the tickets.

At least that was my understanding from reading the UEFA website.

[brine3]

I read this morning that the FAI will shortly issue a statement outlining how irish tickets will be allocated with the expectation that loyal fans will be looked after first.

Yeah, I was filling in the form on the UEFA website and there is a place where you can fill in your FAI Account Number. Seeing as I bought tickets to less popular away qualification matches, I'd hope they look after me now...

[brine3]

There's a simple lottery for tickets. You apply through ticket portal on UEFA website and there's a random draw to see who gets the tickets.

At least that was my understanding from reading the UEFA website.

No hurry to apply today in that case. I can wait until my new credit card arrives.

[IsMiseSean]

I had the same problem with the credit card.
They didn't ask for FAI account no. in 2012 so it must count towards something this time for people with good away records as opposed to the fair weather fans but then again it's the FAI.

[pineapple stu]

So the ticket portal is now closed - though you can still apply for individual match tickets until 1st Feb.

What happens now? I think if you're successful in the lottery for tickets, your card is debited and the tickets are yours. Anyone know when that happens? Any idea - even based on 2012 - what % of applicants can expect to be successful?

If you end up with too many tickets (i.e. people in a group all applying), can they be sold on?

[DeLorean]

So the ticket portal is now closed - though you can still apply for individual match tickets until 1st Feb.

What does this mean exactly? Have people been ordering in bulk or something? I selected individual matches anyway, although I'm only going to the first two.


What happens now? I think if you're successful in the lottery for tickets, your card is debited and the tickets are yours. Anyone know when that happens? Any idea - even based on 2012 - what % of applicants can expect to be successful?

All three Ireland games had a 'high demand' warning on the portal. When you clicked into the individual matches the high demand warning only appeared on Cat 3 and Cat 4 tickets I think, so maybe there's a decent chance of getting tickets for the other categories.

We should get a notification some time next month presumably, going by their automatic email confirmation.

"If you have not received the result of your application by the end of February, please check your spam/junk folder in your mailbox or alternatively you can log into your ticketing account to view the status of your application at EURO2016.com (http://www.euro2016.com/tickets)."


If you end up with too many tickets (i.e. people in a group all applying), can they be sold on?

I was wondering the same, it would be handy if they have a facility for it but I suppose they should be easy enough to get rid of anyway.

[DannyInvincible]

I processed my application no problem with a UK Visa debit card. Did others have issue with that?

There is also a section to input an FAI account number, if you have one, so it can't be an open lottery; what'd be the point in asking for an account number otherwise?


What does this mean exactly? Have people been ordering in bulk or something? I selected individual matches anyway, although I'm only going to the first two.

It was possible to choose individual matches or a bulk "follow your team through the group/tournament" option.


All three Ireland games had a 'high demand' warning on the portal. When you clicked into the individual matches the high demand warning only appeared on Cat 3 and Cat 4 tickets I think, so maybe there's a decent chance of getting tickets for the other categories.

I selected the maximum number of category 4 tickets and other lads I'm planning on heading with applied for category 3 tickets but we were given a tick-box option of accepting tickets from other categories with available tickets if there were none available in our preferred category. I suppose it's UEFA's way of ensuring you're consenting in advance to a possible higher charge for higher-category tickets. I wonder does it mean they'll only allocate the four if there are four available together or allocate you four together in another section or would they give you one or two if available in one section and possibly spread the group out?

We'll sell on any tickets we're allocated that are surplus to requirements.


I was wondering the same, it would be handy if they have a facility for it but I suppose they should be easy enough to get rid of anyway.

There'll be a re-sale platform for selling on unwanted on unneeded tickets: http://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/competitions/General/02/24/61/39/2246139_DOWNLOAD.pdf

It'll be open between March and April.

[DeLorean]

It was possible to choose individual matches or a bulk "follow your team through the group/tournament" option.

Oh yeah, I actually spotted that. But isn't the portal closed for both?

[DannyInvincible]

Oh yeah, I actually spotted that. But isn't the portal closed for both?

Ah, seems it is actually. I had gotten it into my head (not sure how; must have misread something earlier) that the portal was remaining open for single match applications as opposed to bulk ones as well, but it's actually the case that the entire supporters' portal has now closed and the portal that is open at the minute until the 1st of February is for the general public.

[Junior]

Lads, the Portal that closed yesterday at 11am was for those selecting their national association (Rep of Ireland) as their team and then applying for individual Ireland matches or Follow My Team tickets. You had to be an Irish citizen to be able to do this.

The list of applicants for these tickets will be passed by UEFA to the FAI who will prioriitise who gets the tickets (then UEFA will process that, the payments etc..). Hence why you could enter your FAI Account number, so the FAI have a way of sorting some kind of priority based on Season Ticket history / Away games attended etc.. How arbitrary or fair or accurate that 'prioiritisation' is I'm not sure as no one is really aware of the criteria that is going to be used. There was some communication on the Fans Direct initiative over 12 months ago but to be honest, its all very unclear and I'm not sure if it will be used.

Announcements to be made by end of Feb. If successful cc debited at that point.


The portal that remains open until 1st Feb - is basically non country specific - for neutrals you could say. So its possible to apply 'as a neutral' for tickets for the Ireland games or any other games for that matter. It will be a complete lottery as to whether you are successful or not.

You cannot apply on this portal if you have already applied for tickets on the country specific one (now closed).

[Junior]

I processed my application no problem with a UK Visa debit card. Did others have issue with that?

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but there is lots of coverage from UEFA and the various FA's (Welsh/English and Irish) that payment can only be made by Credit Card and Debit Cards will not be accepted. Many people had initially used their debit card and the application went through ok however on reading the specific instruction went back and edited the application to change to a credit card. If you check out the FAQ's on uefa.com you will see it there in black and white.



I selected the maximum number of category 4 tickets and other lads I'm planning on heading with applied for category 3 tickets but we were given a tick-box option of accepting tickets from other categories with available tickets if there were none available in our preferred category. I suppose it's UEFA's way of ensuring you're consenting in advance to a possible higher charge for higher-category tickets. I wonder does it mean they'll only allocate the four if there are four available together or allocate you four together in another section or would they give you one or two if available in one section and possibly spread the group out?

Its all or nothing. You will either get the 4 you applied for or 0. Again according to UEFA's T&C's. When ticking the box to accept a different priced ticket, It also says they will only ever move you up or down by one category. I don't know for certain but I would wager that they will not split an allocation of tickets between more than one category.

[DeLorean]

Interesting, thanks.

[DeLorean]

When ticking the box to accept a different priced ticket, It also says they will only ever move you up or down by one category.

This could be a bit annoying. There should really be two options - 1) Accept tickets in NEXT category and 2) Accept tickets in ANY category. I have applied for Cat 3's but would be willing to pay for Cat 1's, but won't be eligible.

[DeLorean]

Got an email there-


EURO 2016 ticket update



Dear Football Fan,


Thank you for applying for tickets to UEFA EURO 2016™! The 24 fan ticket portals have now closed, having attracted 3.5 million ticket requests from 189 different territories, which shows just how excited you all are for this tournament.


The ticket allocation process will be taking place over the next few weeks.Please be assured that you do not need to take any further action at the moment.
You will be informed of the results of your application before the end of February at the latest.

A few days before payment is taken for the tickets, we will send another email as a reminder for you to have sufficient funds on your credit card. We kindly request that you keep an eye on your inbox for this email. Please note that you will receive this email regardless of whether your application is successful or not.

Best regards,
UEFA EURO 2016™ Ticketing Team

[Junior]

This could be a bit annoying. There should really be two options - 1) Accept tickets in NEXT category and 2) Accept tickets in ANY category. I have applied for Cat 3's but would be willing to pay for Cat 1's, but won't be eligible.

Yes, I made a bit of a error too. I just applied for Cat4's but ticked the box. However, that means I can only be considered for Cat3's as well as there is no lower than cat4!!!

Should have really applied for Cat3's.

Nevermind.

[Nugget]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but there is lots of coverage from UEFA and the various FA's (Welsh/English and Irish) that payment can only be made by Credit Card and Debit Cards will not be accepted. Many people had initially used their debit card and the application went through ok however on reading the specific instruction went back and edited the application to change to a credit card. If you check out the FAQ's on uefa.com you will see it there in black and white.


Well that's me screwed. I should really read the small print.
Usually in these situations the application wouldn't process if not the correct type of card? I'll know better next time.

[OwlsFan]

Heard on the news that 290k tickets had been applied for but that must be an exaggeration, surely?

[DeLorean]

Maybe a very slight exaggeration (http://www.fai.ie/ireland/news/final-ticket-applications-revealed-for-uefa-euro-2016)

[pineapple stu]

We get 6,000 tickets for Belgium and 7,000 for Italy?

WTF?

[jbyrne]

Maybe a very slight exaggeration (http://www.fai.ie/ireland/news/final-ticket-applications-revealed-for-uefa-euro-2016)

id say at least 50% of those 275,000 applications are due to multiple applications by some. group of four is heading over..... all 4 apply for 4 tickets etc etc

[paul_oshea]

One thing that Junior has not answered is, would you be discounted for applying for 4, so someone applying for 2 gets more of a chance of getting them to even them out? UEFA wont want to be charging for 2 out of 4 available for example. So are those who applied for 4 at a hindrance.

My default is to always use a credit card, thankfully that works out for me, i also default to get the more expensive tickets, because that way in my mind you give yourself more of a chance for two reasons 1) Uefa want to make as much money as possible 2) most people will apply for cheaper tickets. IF uefa have an option of selling 4 tickets to one person at the highest price than doing so individually I believe they will - taking into account the FAI prioritisation i mean.

So what if 4 tickets aren't available, there are only 2 left for the cat i am in, and none in the others, will they then change my application to 2? Its not clear any of this.

The banker in me, says that UEFA insist on a credit card because its easier take bulk payments as the bank will honour it, they wont honour a debit card without sufficient funds, especially one without any overdraft...

[DeLorean]

I also default to get the more expensive tickets, because that way in my mind you give yourself more of a chance for two reasons 1) Uefa want to make as much money as possible 2) most people will apply for cheaper tickets.

Yeah, I'm regretting not applying for Cat.2's now. At least I'd be eligible for Cat.1's then as well.

[DeLorean]

Newstalk are on the case (https://www.newstalk.com/Irish-fans-who-used-a-debit-card-to-apply-for-Euro-2016-tickets-may-be-in-trouble)

I'd be surprised if Visa Debit Cards are not accepted in the end, it might be a different story if it was the old Laser card or something... do they still exist?!

[DannyInvincible]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but there is lots of coverage from UEFA and the various FA's (Welsh/English and Irish) that payment can only be made by Credit Card and Debit Cards will not be accepted. Many people had initially used their debit card and the application went through ok however on reading the specific instruction went back and edited the application to change to a credit card. If you check out the FAQ's on uefa.com you will see it there in black and white.

B*llocks. Cheers for the info nevertheless. Only myself to blame.

Although, I have definitely used my Visa debit card (it's UK/Natwest) to process "credit card only" transactions with other merchants before, so maybe it'll work... We'll see if there's any further word from this Newstalk investigation. It's not possible to go back and edit the payment details with credit card info now, is it? It doesn't seem to be possible.


id say at least 50% of those 275,000 applications are due to multiple applications by some. group of four is heading over..... all 4 apply for 4 tickets etc etc

That's definitely the case with our group anyway. There are 4 of us and we all applied for 4 each, but only need 4 in total.

[Junior]

One thing that Junior has not answered is, would you be discounted for applying for 4, so someone applying for 2 gets more of a chance of getting them to even them out? UEFA wont want to be charging for 2 out of 4 available for example. So are those who applied for 4 at a hindrance.

Uefa, say its all or nothing. So if you apply for 4, you are either successful for 4 or 0. nothing in between.

Now, I've no idea whether this will be adhered to as FAI are the ones reviewing the applications and deciding who is successful and who isnt and then passing that back to UEFA to be processed. I'd imagine they have to follow that protocol and will not be allowing part successful applications.

[DannyInvincible]

Good news for debit card users. According to the Irish Sun, UEFA have confirmed that debit card applications will be processed just like credit card applications: http://www.thesun.ie/irishsol/homepage/news/6877516/Uefa-Irish-debit-card-users-will-not-be-treated-any-differently-in-Euro-2016-tickets-bid.html


IRISH fans who have applied for Euro 2016 tickets using debit cards will not be excluded from the Uefa draw, the Irish Sun has learned.

Reports earlier today quoted Europe’s footballing body declaring that only applications made using credit cards were guaranteed to be accepted.

However, the Irish Sun understands that while Uefa officially only accepts credit card applications, those made using debit card details will not be treated any differently.

A Uefa source said: “Only some countries, including Ireland, actually use debit cards. They don’t exist in many other countries in Europe.

“That is why it is Uefa policy to use credit cards, as they are universal.

“However, the debit cards work as long as they have sufficient funds, so there should not be any issue.

“So there is no cause for alarm.”

The Uefa payment system accepted debit payments from an unknown number of Irish fans ahead of the January 18 deadline.

In an official statement this afternoon, Uefa told the Irish Sun: “Payment can still work with debit cards.

“However, the payment process is only guaranteed with a credit card and if the amount due can be debited, provided the card has sufficient funds on it.

“We have successfully used exactly the same principle during the general ticket sales phase in June/July 2015 without having any issues.”

[DeLorean]

I remember one of the main selling points of a Visa Debit Card was that it can be used anywhere a Visa Credit Card is accepted. And, like Danny said, I've definitely used it for transactions that were supposed to be credit card only. That's good news anyway that they seem to be accepting them (even if it does reduce the chances of us credit card users having a successful application :p).

[paul_oshea]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/european-championships/relief-for-ireland-fans-as-uefa-confirm-debit-cards-can-be-used-to-buy-euro-2016-tickets-34387178.html

[Wolfman]

EU law means they have to take debit cards too AFAIK, as alluded to, in the last but one post.