A Crystal Palace-supporting family from south-east London has embarked on a multi-stage journey across Europe to attend the club’s match in Leipzig, describing the trip as a once-in-a-lifetime chance that was worth the cost and effort.
The Joyce family planned the journey carefully, with 15-year-old Aiden taking the lead in organising the route. He is travelling with his father, Jimmy, along with his sisters, 13-year-old Oonagh and nine-year-old Niamh. Their trip began on Monday, when the family flew from London to Memmingen in Bavaria. From there, they continued by FlixBus to Munich, where they stayed overnight near the train station.
On Tuesday morning, the family boarded a train and travelled across Germany to Leipzig for the match. Their return journey will not be direct either. After the game, they plan to travel north to Hamburg for one night, then continue on to Bremen before eventually returning home via Stansted Airport.
The full journey is expected to take around nine hours each way, making it a significant undertaking for the family. Other Crystal Palace fans are also making the trip in stages, using a combination of flights and rail travel to reach the German city.
Jimmy said he had begun calculating the total cost of the trip but eventually “stopped counting,” suggesting the expenses had become difficult to keep track of. Despite that, he said the experience justified the spending. He told BBC London that he believed this was potentially a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and that he would not regret paying extra for the chance to see the team play abroad.
He added that saving money on the trip was not as important as the memory it would create. In his words, he would not want to be looking back years later and thinking about the money he had saved instead of having taken the opportunity to go.
The family’s enthusiasm for the club runs deep. Jimmy said his children have grown up supporting Crystal Palace and understand how important the club is to their family life. He described the team as part of their community and said their connection to the club was something they could not shake.
Their journey reflects the lengths many supporters are willing to go for a major football occasion, especially one involving their club playing overseas. For the Joyce family, the trip is not just about attending a match, but about sharing an experience together and supporting Crystal Palace in person on an international stage.
