SOCCER fans keen to support Ireland at next year’s European Championships in France are advised to start planning their trip by securing match tickets before booking anything else.
That’s the advice from Eoin Corry of Travel Extra who said: “We don’t have any problems with access to France, between ferries and flights it couldn’t be a better venue, but there could be a shortage of tickets.”
The 24 teams for the European Championships will be drawn into six groups on December 12 at 5pm, and tickets can then be purchased from www.uefa.com.
“If we draw a country which does not travel hugely, like Albania, we should be fine for tickets, but if we draw a country like Germany, ticket supply could be tight,” Mr Corry said. “Ireland have a tremendous record of getting tickets but fans from all over Europe will want them.”
Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill, right, and assistant manager Roy Keane celebrate their side’s victory, resulting in qualification for EURO 2016. Picture credit: Ramsey Cardy / SPORTSFILE
Mr Corry predicts that 7,000 to 8,000 Irish will travel for the matches, with a further 5,000 to 6,000 going from the North.
“Unusually the games are being spread all over the country, so people may have to travel big distances between games, but French transport is very good in general, and although the high-speed TGV trains and the motorways can be expensive with tolls, they are both efficient, but the regular trains are cheaper.”
He said that because Ireland was the third last country to qualify, we came ‘late to the party’ in terms of block-booking hotels.
“Germany have block-booked hotels and an operator in Northern Ireland already booked 70 rooms which they sold in a day, and that is before people even know where the games will be,” he said.
Mr Corry expects airlines to add French flights to their schedules once the fixtures have been announced, and he predicts that independent operators will charter planes for additional flights.
“Hotels will be expensive, but I expect that a lot of day trips will be organised, where chartered planes will take people over for the match and back that evening so that everyone can celebrate together at home,” he said.
Brittany Ferries, which runs a service from Cork to Roscoff, has already seen interest, particularly from people wishing to bring camper vans to the games. Its service runs every Saturday and from June 11 to June 24 a car with four people and a four-person berth costs €226 per person; and a motorhome up to five metres long costs €245 per person.
Travel agent Hello France has family packages to France including return ferry with on-board cabin and accommodation in a Vendee campsite, from €1,238 for a two-week holiday.
The Championships will start on June 10, 2016, with the final taking place at Stade de France on July 10.