Hucknall football fans make epic double trip to Germany for Euros final and semi-final

Ben Marshall and his seven-year-old son Isaac have driven from Hucknall to Germany not once, but twice, covering nearly 3,000 miles in the process, as they went to watch the Three Lions in the semi-final and final of Euro 2024.

Ben and Isaac went to both games, travelling to Dortmund to see England grab a sensational late 2-1 over the Netherlands in the semi-final, and then to Berlin for the final against Spain, which England sadly lost 2-1.

Ben’s dad Dave went with them for the first game, while Hucknall councillor, friend and band-mate of Ben, Phil Rostance joined them for the trip to Berlin.

The two trips saw Ben clock up almost 3,000 miles in total, covering 1,100 miles for the Dortmund trip and 1,600 for the Berlin journey.

And despite the long journeys, Ben said both trips were absolutely worth it.

He said: “It was amazing, the atmosphere at the Netherlands game was incredible and the result was the icing on the cake.

"For the final, while it was by no means an iconic game in terms of the football, the spectacle of the whole event was quite fantastic and has created special memories forever.

"The pre-game atmosphere at the final was electric, there was real belief that that football was coming home.

"That changed a bit inside the stadium, there was a sense of nerves.

"With the Netherlands game, England fans were in the minority, it felt like an away game, so perhaps less pressure, whereas the final, felt like a home game, it felt it was 80 per cent England fans, while the Dortmund game was 80 per cent Dutch fans.

"But for both games, it was a real priviledge to be there and an incredible experience."

For young Isaac too, the experience of attending both games was something never to be forgotten.

Ben continued: “I think he was in awe of everything going on, the final itself with the spectacle of the fireworks and the pyros was quite remarkable and he was blown away by it.

"I think he spent most of the time pre-match on people’s shoulders, waving a flag and he was wide-eyed with amazement at it all.”