What’s the Furthest Anyone has Travelled to See United?

[Ned the Donkey]

Portsmouth is obviously miles away. This got me thinking: What’s the furthest anyone has travelled to see United?

Also, distance is not always the same as time so:

What’s the most time anyone has spent travelling to see United?

(Roadworks, delayed flights, being kidnapped and held hostage for 5 years – make your own rules.)

I wonder if anyone made it to New Zealand, and back, from Sheffield, in 1965?

https://www.rsssf.org/tablesb/blackpool-blades-nz65.html

 

[Loco Blade]

Portugal

 

[DifferentClass]

I saw Hodgy's haka.

 

[Bladesthorpe]

Malta

 

[brownblade]

I can copy and paste my old National Express, there and back from Brighton, to home v Millwall in 2019 (then watched Leeds win on journey home on my phone). Brighton to Sheffield was about 18hrs round trip from memory. Miserable day overall.

Pretty sure people fly in for matches sometimes though!

 

[Bladesman101]

Portugal away, I don’t think supporting United will ever ever get better than that for me. The excitement of waiting to see United in the prem was unmatchable. Seeing Akibiyi’s goal on repeat in the garage bar singing allez allez allez with thousands of blades fans.

 

[Paisley Blade]

East Fife was a bastard to get to.

 

[Brian Deane]

2032 miles as the crow flies from Marrakech but you could double that if you include the return leg home. So roughly 4064 miles for two matches

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

Off Topic. But the best RoadTrip I ever did was...

Sheffield to Oxford
Heathrow to Belfast
Belfast to Dublin
Dublin to Southampton
Eastleigh to Sheffield

 

[Ball_Sup (Phil)]

I'm "guessing" that the furthest United have ever played away from Sheffield, within the UK, would have been the game at Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 2006.

Some of the friendlies in Cornwall would have run that close.

And, of course, the friendlies on the island of Island would involve a ferry (or flight).

Anyone else care to suggest for "furthest from Sheffield in UK"?

 

[Dkc]

Took the bus from Prague to London to see us lose at Wembley in 93. I had to get to Prague from Liberec first. Flew from NYC for the Exeter away game in 2012 (cancelled promotion party) and again weeks later for the subsequent defeat to Huddersfield at Wembley. Numerous flights from Copenhagen during the Warnock years, mostly to London games. Hitch hiked to see us play a pre-season friendly at Hearts in the 80s. Torquay in the back of a removal van also in the 80's (probably our furthest league fixture). EDIT it's Plymouth

 

[bertieblade]

When 16 I was on holiday with my parents on the Isle of Arran. Came back on my own to watch the United v Derby match when they opened the south stand. Long way to travel for a football match, oh and it gave me free access to the house to “ entertain” my girlfriend

 

[programmechap]

I'm "guessing" that the furthest United have ever played away from Sheffield, within the UK, would have been the game at Inverness Caledonian Thistle in 2006.

Some of the friendlies in Cornwall would have run that close.

And, of course, the friendlies on the island of Island would involve a ferry (or flight).

Anyone else care to suggest for "furthest from Sheffield in UK"?

I reckon the longest possible away trip would be to the friendlies we played in New Caledonia in 1975. Around 10,500 miles

 

[HighfieldBlade]

Setting off from Mare Tranquillitatis.
239,000 miles. Thread closed.

 

[Pedro Verde]

Geneva / Basle

 

[Paisley Blade]

Got talking to a Blade on the Glasgow- Cardiff flight going to that horrible final in 2003. He’d interrupted his 60th birthday weekend celebration on the Isle of Skye to do the day trip to Wales.
Ouch.

 

[SW12 to S12 to S18]

Probably Dundee for me, Anglo Scottish Cup.

 

[BladeinCottingham]

Trinidad and Tobago, PO Final v Palace, it was a long trip back...............

 

[Houston_Blade]

For the Birmingham and Charlton home games this season I’ve travelled from Houston. It wasn’t just for the match so it doesn’t count really.

 

[SwissBlade]

Back in the good old days in Zug, Switzerland i used to come back to the UK just for Blades games, mostly flying back, though I would drive back every couple of months. Pretty sure the Exeter City away game at the end the season around 2012 was just for that game though. It was a proper Trains, Planes and Automobiles trip Zug-Zurich-Man-Chez Vegas to pick the car up and drive to Exeter and back the same route, only to see us lose the game and Beattie sent off.

And probably did a few well timed games from Japan in 2013/14 to make it back for a game with a few work trips to the USA, back to Japan, back to Cyprus and back to the UK in time for a game in League one which we undoubtedly would lose. But those trips were never purely for the games, they were just timed to come back for when games were on.

 

[Boxer Blade]

Worksop

 

[HillStreet Blade]

Dundee (Anglo Scottish Cup), Plymouth bank holiday monday 7.30 pm ko. Sheffield - Plymouth - Sheffield. Taxi to parents house Outerbridge. About an hours sleep then bus to train station. Train to Hull then bus to work to be at my desk by 8.30 am. I was knackered.

 

[Johannesburgblade]

Travelled from Johannesburg just for the Hull City semi final. Don’t know what I would have done had we won as I only came over for a few days. Guess I would have gone to the final if I’d been able to get tickets but would have been an expensive two games.

 

[Champagneblade]

I travelled from Singapore to watch us draw 0-0 with QPR. I also booked my flight so I could catch the underwhelming 1-1 with Norwich!

Can’t complain about the four in between though!

 

[JustLookin]

From Vienna for the aborted Oxford game was the furthest I’ve travelled to see us not play.

 

[Uganda Blade]

Trinidad and Tobago, PO Final v Palace, it was a long trip back...............

Ditto on T&T

 

[Stanthemanfan]

When 16 I was on holiday with my parents on the Isle of Arran. Came back on my own to watch the United v Derby match when they opened the south stand. Long way to travel for a football match, oh and it gave me free access to the house to “ enter ” my girlfriend

 

[KidA]

Portsmouth is obviously miles away. This got me thinking: What’s the furthest anyone has travelled to see United?

Also, distance is not always the same as time so:

What’s the most time anyone has spent travelling to see United?

(Roadworks, delayed flights, being kidnapped and held hostage for 5 years – make your own rules.)

I wonder if anyone made it to New Zealand, and back, from Sheffield, in 1965?

https://www.rsssf.org/tablesb/blackpool-blades-nz65.html

Ukraine (Chernobyl), 2014 FA Cup Semi Final. Landed at Gatwick and headed straight to Wembley.

 

[CrookesBlade]

Plymouth is as far as I’ve managed.

Not been able to do the further flung pre season trips as, alongside them usually being short notice, they’ve clashed with me being too young, skint, having a small baby to look after (or a combination of two of the 3).

 

[djbaldken]

2022 Blades v Burnley at the Lane.
Blades victory 5 2
Lanzarote to Sheffield 1850 miles. So return journey 3700 miles.