Back in 1984 a group of Saracens supporters got together and formed a committee to raise funds for the sole purpose of hiring a coach to take supporters to away games.
A typical rugby tradition was maintained where songs where sung, drinks were drunk, and in general a good day out was had by all, win or lose. This has successfully continued through the years. Sometimes there has been a single coach going to Newcastle, 20 plus coaches to Coventry, or a mini bus to Penzance. Supporters have met up at airports, train stations, motorway services, in order to travel throughout the UK, Ireland Scotland and Europe, staying at the same hotels, eating at the same restaurants, going to the same bars and clubs, and from time to time, meeting with the players and staff. Many supporters have taken the opportunity to do a bit of sightseeing in various countries from Bucharest to Glasgow, from Toulouse to Belfast, or wherever Saracens have played.
No matter where the Saracens supporter has travelled it has always been with the intention of enjoying the day/weekend and to support Saracens win or lose. Many stories can be told; from sing-a-longs in bars in Rome, Toulouse and Cardiff; to long coach journeys leaving Bramley road at 7am arriving in Newcastle as the game was starting, or arriving back from Sale at 5am the next morning (thankfully this only happened once in 25 years – the coach company supplied a driver who did not know where he was going). Saracens supporters have a tradition of enjoying themselves wherever they go; they like to mix with the away support, participate in some banter and always have a good chat and drink afterwards with the home support.
As we have such a diverse supporter base, the SSA has always tried to allow for personal preferences as much as possible. So when there is more than one coach, those who like to party, sing and dance can occupy one coach, whilst others who would prefer to have a quiet journey, can leave straight after the game in another coach. When going to games abroad or to distant cities in the UK, the SSA will inform the travelling supporters the best ways to get there, the hostelries they could stay at, where the supporters intend to meet before and after the game, which restaurants and bars are recommended, and what transport there is from the town to the stadium.
This season we will be looking to improve on the past to uphold the rugby traditions and to inform supporters about the various travel arrangements be it rail, air, car or coach, accommodation, meeting places etc. We are looking to arrange transport for more and more supporters to away games with the ambition of making Saracens away support the largest in the country.
We hope all who travel with the SSA have a good journey, and we look forward to seeing many more supporters on the coaches.
