On a historic weekend for the Barclays WSL, where all matches took place in main stadiums, we took on a massive challenge… Could we get 50 fans across London to make it to two games in one day?! Baller FC shares all about our big day out in London…
The madcap plan was to first head to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium to watch Spurs v Arsenal (1.45pm kick-off), and then hot foot it across the capital for Chelsea v Man City at Stamford Bridge (5.30pm kick-off).
Our teams set about investigating every element of the journey and potential routes – walking time to stations, TfL timetables, an allowance for crowded stations, allowance for delays… The conclusion was this was no doubt a tricky task, but if everything went our way, we might – just might – make it to Stamford Bridge in time for kick-off.
The day started off at The Victoria Pub in Tottenham, just a five-minute walk from the ground. Swag bags with bucket hats, bracelets and stickers were handed out to all the competition winners and guests, while WPLL CEO Nikki Doucet popped in to chat to fans and took part in Baller FC’s ‘This or That’ Q&A.
The party then immediately got started by London’s hottest all female band, She’s Got Brass. They got everyone in formation and led the fan walk to Spurs, picking up additional followers along the way.
On entry to the stadium, everyone took their seats in the “Baller Block” and watched a blistering game of football where Arsenal overcame the home side with a 3-0 win.
Ten minutes before the end of the game, the Baller crew got everyone psyched up for their considerable commute ahead:
“Do you know the route to White Hart Lane station?” YES!
“Do you know you need to change at Seven Sisters AND Victoria Station?” YES AND YES!
With everyone fully briefed, on the final whistle we hit the road led by our Baller DJs blasting out Charli XCX from the boom box on wheels. On arrival at the platform there was a wait for the train, so we kept the crowds entertained with karaoke classics including our own version of HOP-T-O-G-O.
Victoria was a hot, busy interchange, but we managed to get all the fans safely on the train to Fulham Broadway. An hour and 25 minutes since we left Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, we were back on ground level in SW6.
There, Chelsea continued their dominant start to life under Sonia Bompastor with a 2-0 win over Manchester City. After the game, new friends said their farewells, swapped social media handles and headed home happy after a day of back-to-back Barclays WSL action.
Our group of brilliant, passionate women’s football fans overcame every challenge we threw at them and never let the good vibes drop.
“I just wanted to say a massive thank you for such an incredible experience. From the pub, to the other competition winners, the WSL team and especially you guys at Baller FC, thanks for the fun and atmosphere you brought throughout a very long day, even more so for those of us that set off from home in the wee hours of the morning!” Jamie
“Thank you Baller crew for a brilliant day yesterday. Really appreciated the warm welcome at the desk and all the merch and GREAT VIBES. I will definitely be back to support more events – it’s a really special collective.” Alison
“As soon as the league contacted us, we knew it was something we absolutely wanted to deliver with them. It was a huge challenge and we quickly set to work designing a Baller Away Day like no other. We worked closely with the WPLL marketing team and their partners to make sure every element of the day delivered was welcoming, fun and entertaining. The football was of course the centre-piece, but we wanted to make sure that the fan experience top and tailing those games was just as memorable.” Baller FC founder Rachel Gould
We’ve had incredible feedback from everyone involved and can’t wait to do it again – where do you think the next Ground-Hop Day should take place?!
Watch our behind the scenes video below:
