Surprise as 100 Spaniards turn up at non-league game

Football tourists from other countries are frequently welcomed at Wembley, Old Trafford, and Anfield, but they are not as prevalent at Harborough Town’s home ground in Leicestershire.

Imagine your surprise when more than 100 Spanish sports fans showed up for the Saturday non-league team’s game against St. Ives Town.

The Spaniards were subscribers to an English football-related Spanish YouTube channel, which has since begun making travel arrangements.

Ilie Oleart, a native of Barcelona, founded the Spanish-language television station La Media Inglesa (LMI), which airs English football games to Spanish-speaking viewers all over the world.

The next step for LMI was to show English football, according to Mr. Oleart, who backs La Liga side Espanyol.

He stated, “Our goal was to turn a small, isolated English club into a small, isolated club with a worldwide fan base.”

In September, I met people at the club to learn about their history, the town, and facilities, according to Mr. Oleart.

We believed they had the right values to impart to our audience.

The partnership with LMI offered an “opportunity to grow our fanbase and our income” through a “global audience,” according to club chairman Peter Dougan, and it might lead to sponsorship deals.

He claimed that the key to success was “being in the right place at the right time.”

Mr. Oleart said his group was “very happy” with their experience despite Harborough’s 2-1 defeat to St Ives Town in their Southern League Premier Division Central encounter.

He claimed that it was undoubtedly the best trip he and I have ever taken.

Alvaro Sanz, a fan, continued, “We occupied a full stand and started cheering immediately.”

“We even taught some chants in Spanish to quite a few local fans who also came along.

Residents of the town center watched in delight as two coachloads of Spanish supporters arrived before heading off to the stands to sing Spanish songs before kick-off.

It felt like our club, according to Mr. Oleart, not just any club anymore.

After the game, we met the players and had a drink with them in the pub, which is unheard of at a Premier League club.

“We wanted to make sure the trip allowed us to establish relationships with their fans as well.”

I’m sure there will be many great memories to create in the future, and I’m hoping to bring 200 to 300 fans with me the next time. There are many things to do to work on the alliance and make it stronger.

Pete Dougan, Bees chairman, stated: “It was a fantastic day and the atmosphere was fantastic.

Our fans were singing songs in English while the stadium’s fans also sang songs in Spanish. It was enjoyable.