IF YOU’RE BUDGETING for a trip to the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine this summer, you might want to forget about certain creature comforts — like a hotel bed.
A group of Irish football fans has negotiated a low-cost accommodation alternative for fans travelling to the Polish cities of Poznan and Gdansk this June.
Representatives from the You Boys in Green supporters club met with organisers of the Carlsberg FanCamps during a four-day trip to Poland last week and returned home with a 35% discount for Irish supporters.
For €25 per person per night (minimum stay three nights), fans will be able to rent a two-man tent or park a camper van in the special camps, which promise food, music and entertainment as well as the basics like toilets and a shower.
Mobile homes will also be available to cater for either four or six people at €75 per person per night.
With a large number of Irish fans expected to travel to Poland this summer, the two locations are an ideal fit with Ireland’s Group C schedule. Giovanni Trapattoni’s side open their campaign against Croatia in Poznan on 10 June before travelling to Gdansk for a game against Spain on 14 June.
The final group game, against Trapattoni’s native Italy, takes place back in Poznan on 18 June.
Despite pledges from Polish officials that fans would not be ripped off by inflated accommodation prices during the tournament, room rates jumped dramatically following the draw. In December, the Evening Herald reported that one Poznan hotel had upped its prices from €34 to €1,100 per night — an eye-watering 3000% increase.
“It’s great news and we’re delighted that we’ve been able to negotiate this special deal,” David Byrne from You Boys in Green said. ”Accommodation is a major issue for Irish fans as hotels are charging crazy prices and looking for anything from €300 up to €600 per night.
They are offering this special to us because they really want the Irish fans to stay there and obviously there will be large numbers of us travelling, but they explained that the Irish fans have the best reputation in the world, so they’ll enjoy themselves and will really make a party atmosphere.The offer was going to be open to Irish fans only initially but we told them to open it up to the other fans as we want a mix of nationalities there and to mingle with the other fans as this is what these tournaments are all about.
Similar camps will also be set up in Warsaw and Wroclaw. Further details about FanCamp accommodation is available at CarlsbergFancamp or on the Carlsberg Ireland Facebook page.
