1 Englishman
                   1 country: Argentina
                    20 football matches
                            19 days

Updated 28/3 - More links to videos added. See Match Summary section.

Some people run marathons; others climb mountains; some men even get their legs waxed. Well, I'm not particularly keen on any of those so I'm going to stick to something I know and love: going to football matches. (This has not always been as pain-free as it sounds – I’m a Southend United fan!). Now to raise money for Opportunity International I’ll be attempting to visit all twenty Premier football grounds and watch a match at each one. All sounds relatively straightforward except that I have only six football-playing weekends and an international match in which to cover all twenty grounds. Now just to make it interesting I’m going to do this all in the Argentine Primera División!

Why am I doing it?
I am aiming to raise £2500 for Opportunity International to support their work in providing micro-finance and business training in the world’s poorest communities. What I like about these projects is that these communities can create a sustainable future for themselves and help make poverty history. I encourage you to visit the Opportunity International website as there are many incredible, heart-warming success stories. Just one I have chosen at random is how just £27 helped to open a school for six children. Today, that school is educating 360 poor children and the school is thriving. By donating today you could be part of yet more of these success stories.

Why Argentina?
Argentina has intrigued me for some time. It has a diverse range of landscapes in its one million square miles; almost all the countries of Western Europe and Scandinavia could fit inside Argentina's land mass. The country has a long and rich football tradition. Football was introduced there by English sailors and maritime workers in the 19th century. The idea to visit foreign football grounds for charity came to me last year when I was in Brazil for a friend’s wedding. The trip coincided with Southend United’s unlikely victory over Manchester United. To make up for missing the ‘match of the century’, I took in a few games including two at the Maracanã. I was taken aback by the atmosphere at the games: ninety minutes of constant drum-beating, singing and waving of giant flags; my interest in South American football was born.


Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Opportunity International UK will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you. The trip is entirely self-financed so all money raised goes directly to helping Opportunity International's work. As an added bonus, my employer, Lloyds TSB, will match all monies raised £ for £ so anything you give will go twice as far. If I raise £2500, the matched amount will mean £5000 goes to OI plus the gift aid on top!   

So please sponsor me now!

Many thanks for your support.

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See what the Southend Echo had to say about my trip - click here

..and another feature on my progress here

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LATEST SCORE

Here is a summary of matches I have attended so far:

First Half

Match Day   Date   Match                                  Stadium

1               17/11  Argentina 3 - 0 Bolivia         Monumental (River Plate), Bs As

2                23/11 Tigre 2   - 1   Rosario          Victoria, Tigre

3                24/11 Newell's O.B 1 - 0 Banfield    Parque Independencia, Rosario

4                25/11 Estudiantes 1 - 1 Hurucan    Único, La Plata

5                28/11 Lanús 4 - 0 Gymnasia (LP)   "La Fortaleza", Lanus, Bs As

6                30/11 Colón 0 - 2 Estudiantes       El Nuevo Cemetario, Sante Fe

7a              1/12 Huracan 3 - 0 Racing            Diego Armando Maradona, Bs As

7b              1/12 Banfield  1 - 0  San Lorenzo    Florencio Sola,Banfield,Bs As

8                2/12 Boca 1 - 1 Lanús                 La Bombonera, Bs As

9                5/12 Arsenal 1 - 2 América           Juan Domingo Perón (Racing), Bs As

10              7/12 R. Central 1 - 1 Arg. Jun.      El Gigante, Rosario

11a             8/12 River 0 - 2 Banfield              José Amalfitani (Velez), Bs As

11b             8/12 Racing 1 - 0 Colón               Juan Domingo Perón, Bs As

12              9/12 San Lorenzo 4 - 1 GyE (J)      Nuevo Gasometro, Bs As

Brief Match Summary

1 Delays in my 18-hour flight from the UK means I only just make my connection in Brazil to Buenos Aires. Three hours after touchdown in the Argentine capital and I'm in the national stadium for a World Cup qualifying match. Argentina struggle in the baking heat to overcome Bolivia until the introduction of the water cannon refreshes fans and team. Riquelme scores twice in the second half. 

2 Fans go bananas with last-minute winner. Tigre putting pressure on leaders Lanús.

3 Not much of a match but, wow, the fans put on a real piece of theatre. Smoke, fireworks, the lot. Have a look at this!

4 They've moved ground without telling the internet!

5 Lanús have to wait a little longer to confirm the apertura title after comprehensive win. Tigre come from behind to beat Boca Juniors in the other match tonight meaning Tigre still have a slim chance but Boca are out of contention. Lanús need only a point on Sunday to be sure of their first Campeonata. Their last match? Away at Boca! 

6 Colón play woefully. Fans produce more of a spectacle in the second-half with a five-minute firework display from the top tier of the seats opposite to me.

7a Six-hour coach journey back from Sante Fe this morning ready for a double-header back in Bs As. Just before leaving for the first match I discover that Huracan's stadium has been shut down for safety reasons. Their match today takes places at the ground of Argentinos Juniors on the other side of Bs As. I leave at half-time with score at 1-0 for the taxi journey back over to the south of the capital...

7b ....an hour and a half later I arrive just in time for kick-off at Banfield. A forty-yard screamer seals the points for Banfield.

8 ¡Lanús es campeon! A point in a tough match away at Boca Juniors clinches their first ever campeonata. The trophy is presented on the pitch after the match much to the chagrin of the watching Boca fans.   

9 This second leg of Copa Sudamericana (equivalent of UEFA Cup) Final switched to the ground of Racing as Arsenal's own stadium has a capacity half of the required 40,000 capacity to stage an international final. Arsenal score in 83rd minute for an aggregate of 4-4 against Mexico's big club America and win their first international  trophy on away goals.

10 From my back row seat I have great view of the pitch and the Parana river just behind me. A very pleasant way to spend an summer's evening with another fireworks display from the fans after the sun has set. The match? Typical end of season fare.

11a Looks like the recent concerts at Estadio Monumental by The Police have wrecked River Plate's pitch so this match was moved to Velez Sarsfield's ground. River are poor and Banfield take full advantage. V. impressed with Banfield's away support. They have three big drums and some trumpets playing all match!

11b Hop in a cab and over to "La cancha de Racing, por favor". Not the excitement of the Arsenal´s cup exploits here on Wednesday. Racing can't capitalise on an early goal and an extra man advantage after Colón have a player sent off.

12 Blazing sunshine here. Fans cook slowly in the uncovered stands. San Lorenzo recover from goal deficit to saunter home 4-1. Spare a thought for the fans of Gimnasia y Esgrima (Gymnastics and Fencing); it's a round trip of over 3000km from Jujuy!

Half-Time Summary

I've attended 14 matches in 13 different grounds in 12 match-playing days. With Buenos Aires being the country's transport hub this has allowed a high-intensity approach. I've managed to polish off the outlying clubs at Tigre, La Plata, Sante Fe and the two Rosario clubs in addition to the more central clubs in the Capital Federal and its neighbouring districts.

Second Half

15 I couldn't resist sneaking in this one: a pre-season superclásico between the two biggest teams in Argentina, the fierce rivals from Buenos Aires. I rounded up a group of eight from the hostel to go too. Played in front of a sell-out 42,000 crowd in Estadio Malvinas Argentinas this was a cracker. This was a rare chance for Boca and River fans in west Argentina to see their team. They were rewarded with a great match with five goals, two questionable penalties and four sendings off (3 for River, 1 for Boca). Well worth the hour-and-a-half walk home. 

Challenge Update:

1. Independiente's new stadium will not be completed until probably August 2008. In the interim they are sharing with local rivals Racing. Maximum stadia=19

2. The two La Plata teams Estudiantes and Gimnasia y Esgrima now share a shiny new 50,000-seat stadium (Estadio Único). Maximum stadia=18

3. Huracan´s Estadio Tomas Adolfo Duco has been shut down for safety reasons. It will not re-open until repair work has been completed some time around October 2008. In the mean time Huracan are playing matches at Estadio Diego Armando Maradona, the home of Argentinos Juniors. Maximum stadia=17

4. Fixtures have been announced and unfortunately it will not be possible for me to get from Jujuy to Bahia Blanca to see matches at both as they are being played on the same day with only 20 minutes between one match finishing and the other starting. With maybe 2500km between the two towns not even a private jet could get me to the two matches. This was my last opportunity to take in a match at the stadium in Bahia Blanca. To make up for this I've taken in a bonus pre-season match at Estadio Malvinas Argentinas, the home of Godoy Cruz who are now in the second division and so not on the Primera División fixture list.

Full-Time Round Up
Well I'm back in the UK and can reflect on a successful and enjoyable trip. I managed to achieve my target of watching twenty matches.

Naturally, with this sort of venture, things didn't go exactly to plan. During my travels I discovered that there are some clubs that are now in temporary or permanent ground-sharing arrangements meaning that there are currently only seventeen Primera División grounds to visit rather than twenty.

The major challenge I faced was that the exact fixture dates and kick-off times don't get announced until the week of the matches. I did know which teams were playing at home on a weekend but not whether the match was on the Friday night or at some point on the Saturday or Sunday afternoons or evenings. There would be matches played at times that clashed. I had to prioritise matches that were played at grounds where I had the least chance of visiting that ground at some later point. This worked well until close to the end where I couldn't get to see a match at the seventeenth ground as it clashed with another match on the other side of the country. Still keen to rack up the ground count I took in some matches outside the top division. This did mean I got to see matches at the two 1978 World Cup venues (Córdoba and Mendoza) where Scotland played.

Highlights? From a football point of view: seeing Arsenal win the Copa Sudamericana, Lanús win a very exciting championship run-in (the top three-placed teams had never previously won the championship!) and getting to a Boca Juniors v.
River Plate superclásico. From a personal point of view: overcoming logistical and linguistic challenges, realising the power of a shared passion and how
that can be harnessed to charitable effect.

My thanks go to my family, friends and colleagues who have supported me and Opportunity International so generously. Also, Richard, Ali, Ger and the Lao
Hostel crowd for being my match buddies, Jaunjo and Maxi at www.soyceleste.com.ar for getting me into the Córdoba clásico, Arturo at Boca Juniors, Rodrigo
at CA Tigre and finally the numerous taxi drivers that whisked me from ground to ground ("Sos un hincha de futbol?" is the ultimate Argentine ice-breaker!)  

Stats in summary:

- Twenty matches, nineteen grounds, ten cities, eighteen match days
- Sixteen out of the seventeen Primera División grounds, five out of the six 1978 World Cup venues.

Over the moon, Brian!