Dave Thompson's love affair with England football is set to come to an end - at least in terms of regular major tournament attendance. The 65-year-old die-hard fan from Canterbury, Kent, has been following his national team for a staggering 60 years and witnessed some of the most iconic moments in English football history.
He was just five years old when he watched England lift the World Cup at Wembley Stadium in 1966 - an achievement that still sends shivers down his spine. Since then, Thompson has clocked up an estimated 150 matches for his beloved Three Lions, including numerous tournaments. But with costs skyrocketing and his wallet crying out for mercy, he's announced this will be his last major event.
The eye-watering £20,000 price tag for his current trip to the US, covering travel and match tickets, has left Thompson reeling. He revealed that regular tournament attendance since 2010 had taken a toll on his finances, but he couldn't resist one final hurrah - 'you can't tempt fate' by missing out, he said with a wry smile.
The rising costs are having a ripple effect, deterring many fans from attending matches even for England. Thompson highlighted that the prohibitive ticket prices for non-England games, often running into hundreds of dollars, mean fans are being priced out of the traditional match-day experience. His plan is to only watch his national team's group stage fixtures in the US, as following other teams would be financially unsustainable.
This worrying trend echoes a broader concern among football fans about affordability and accessibility at major tournaments. The astronomical cost of travel, accommodation, and match tickets has become an insurmountable hurdle for many, jeopardising their ability to support their national team - and potentially eroding the very fabric of fan culture itself.