Each season football fans around the world make the journey to follow their team. Most football supporters follow their local team or club that their family members support, however it is now more common than ever that this is not the case. Some fans travel across the world to watch games and Betway have created a fantastic documentary that tells the story of some of the West Ham United fans that do exactly that.

Take Pan for example, a West Ham supporter from Shanghai, China, who started following ‘The Irons’ after seeing the team on a videogame. Several seasons ago, Mark Noble posted a picture with Pan on Twitter which went viral with the caption ‘All the way from China!’. Pan had made the 6000 mile journey to East London where the West Ham United training center is to try and meet his favourite player whilst on his honeymoon.

These overseas fans are just as invested in the team success and losses as fans living in the same city. The passion they have for the club is just as much as any other fans. Football clubs now recognise the global impact of their team and many will arrange tours during preseason, West Ham in the Asia Trophy for example who were joined by Manchester City, Newcastle United and Wolves. West Ham lost their two games but in both games there were thousands of Chinese fans supporting the team, singing the songs.

The documentary shows how fan Pan gets to meet Mark Noble again whilst West Ham United were on the preseason tour and shares some gifts. Mark Noble appreciates his fans and discusses how he doesn’t recognise himself as a football idol and calls it surreal especially when there are other players such as Messi and Ronaldo that fans can follow.

Declan Rice and Pablo Zabaleta also appear in the documentary and state how they are surprised how fans know their names on the other side of the world. The Premier League is a global brand and millions of fans each week watch the matches. West Ham United now have their website translated and content created just for the overseas markets.

A great line in the documentary is when the reporter states – Whether it is going week in week out or getting up in the middle of the night to watch on TV, that dedication is what it is all about, that’s what makes a true football fan.

Whether it is going week in week out or getting up in the middle of the night to watch on TV, that dedication is what it is all about, that’s what makes a true football fan.

 

How far do you travel to watch your favourite football team? Do you now any super fans like Pan that travel huge distances to be at games. We at E-Soccer.com would love to hear your comments. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and for the latest football news visit E-Soccer.com.

Here is the documentary ‘Over Land and Sea – What makes a true football fan?’: