England superfan selling his £350k house to fund World Cup trip | Football | Sport
Andy Milne at one of his many England matches. (Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
England’s number one superfan is putting his house on the market to finance his journey to the World Cup this summer. Andy Milne rose to prominence at the tournament in Qatar when he was spotted clutching a replica of the iconic Jules Rimet trophy. Retired teacher Andy, 62, became a cult figure with supporters and is now preparing for his 10th World Cup following England, after eight supporting the men and attending one Women’s World Cup in Australia in 2023.
He will be in the United States for seven weeks and has secured tickets for every match up to the final. However, he has listed his second home in Northwich, Cheshire, for £350,000 to help finance the expedition. “I definitely want to see the whole tournament,” he told The Mirror. “I am going to the US on June 3 and will be there for seven weeks. So it will cost quite a lot of money.”
He added: “I always try to do things cheaply if I can. I will couch surf where possible; I am lucky to have friends in Mexico, Dallas, and Vancouver. Travel costs are expensive; I bought international flights early because you can change them even if departure times change by 10 minutes.”
He will be in Dallas for England’s opening match against Croatia on June 17. Andy is organising a road trip to Memphis to visit Graceland, Elvis Presley’s former residence, and will catch some tribute acts along the way.
Andy, who flies home from Thailand to watch England, had maintained his second home as a rental property.
“It is going on the market because I’m selling it to go to the World Cup,” he said. “The last tournament in Qatar was a present to myself, I had been saving for years. We have had a second home for 27 years so it felt like the right time to cash in.”
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Andy Milne in the crowd cheering England on. (Image: Andy Stenning/Daily Mirror)
Andy brings a replica World Cup to all England matches because so many Three Lions fans request selfies with him. “I call it ‘Sophie the trophy’ after my daughter,” said the England superfan, father to Laila, who turns 30 on Monday, and Sophie, who is now 27.
“I get recognised everywhere and, even by Scotland fans. The Scots always buy me drinks. One got me a Pina Colada for some reason, another bought me a rum and lime.”
Andy, a former head of science at Grange School, Northwich, attended his first World Cup in Spain in 1982, aged 19. He continued supporting the team even after all his belongings were stolen, and that was the beginning of a remarkable journey as an England fan.
He has now achieved ‘top capper’ status, having attended numerous matches with the official England supporters club. This distinction enabled him to purchase tickets for every England group fixture in the US, with guaranteed access right through to the final.
He joked: “I don’t really think that I look like Steve McClaren. But I did on that picture!”
