From Leicestershire to Spain: Harborough Town Gains Global Fans

Harborough Town in Leicestershire attracted over 100 Spanish fans to a recent match against St Ives Town, thanks to a Spanish YouTube channel, La Media Inglesa. The club aims to expand its global fanbase and will embark on a pre-season tour in Barcelona and Madrid later this year.

Harborough Town, a seventh-tier football club in Leicestershire, unexpectedly welcomed over 100 enthusiastic Spanish fans at their recent match against St Ives Town. The extraordinary turnout was due to the influence of La Media Inglesa, a popular Spanish YouTube channel dedicated to English football, which organized the visit.

The channel has previously taken fans to matches at clubs like Brighton & Hove Albion and Sheffield United, but this event added a new twist to the UK's soccer tourism landscape. Founder Ilie Oleart expressed ambition for small local clubs like Harborough to cultivate a global fanbase, a sentiment echoed by visiting fan Alvaro Sanz who enjoyed teaching local fans Spanish chants.

With 80.2 million fans attending professional sports in the UK in 2023, soccer remains dominant, particularly the Premier League. Harborough's partnership with LMI offers a promising avenue for fanbase and financial growth, as club chairman Pete Dougan revealed plans for a pre-season tour in Spain's footballing hubs, Barcelona and Madrid.

(With inputs from agencies.)