Irish journalists visit to Poznań
2012-03-27
2012-03-27 - last weekend, the City of Poznań played host to a group of visiting Irish journalists.
For two days, our guests visited the city and got their bearings for coming back to Poznań in June. They brought some "Luck of the Irish" for Lech in a match against Silesia Wroclaw and they also had a chance to meet many of the different Police authorities who will be responsible for the safety of the fans during the UEFA EURO 2012 ™ football championships in Poznan.
According to statistics so far, the Irish will probably be the largest group of fans visiting Poznan during the UEFA EURO 2012 ™ Poznan games. Their national team will play two matches here - both on June 10 against Croatia and then on the 18th of June against Italy. The journalists checked what Poznań had to offer for the European Championships, they checked out the locations of the Fan Zone and the stadium in relation to the railway station and airport, and also the work planned for June.
The most repeated term used to describe the facilities in Poznan was "Fantastic." The location of then fan zone in Freedom Square received some very positive comments from our guests. According to the journalists, it could be one of the best Fan Zones of the entire tournament!
One important part of the tour was a visit to the Municipal Police Headquarters, where journalists met with the different branches of Police and the security forces, who will be patrolling the city during the June tournament.
One journalist, Brendan Harding expressed - This has been a completely new experience for me and a journey of discovery. What I've seen here is a fantastic place, that I fully admit to not knowing about before and which has really impressed me. The cuisine on offer in Poznan is outstanding. I will also remember the welcome and the kindness I've received from just bumping into passers-by on the street - this to me sums up life in Poznań.
Warm words also flowed from Adelina Campos, journalist for the Evening Herald newspaper. - Poznań looks like one of the best host cities ready to host thousands of visitors. Definitely the biggest advantage is its proximity to other major cities for fans to gain easy access to them. In June, many people will be greatly surprised by the easy going nature of this truly European city! It's certainly due to the university atmosphere and the huge foreign student programmes on offer here. Residents of the city well in the role of UEFA Euro 2012 hosts. Incidentally, on the street people are naturally kind and willing to provide assistance.
RTE's Yvonne Judge will carry live broadcasts of the Irish matches in June for Ireland's national radio station, RTE Radio 1. What she says about the city is that Poznań is going to be the venue for a fantastic celebration. As Irish people we are very happy - the town is very friendly and above all extremely well prepared. I for one, am very impressed!
The excitement about the trip to Poland for EURO 2012 is palpable. For the Irish, this trip is extra special, taking into account the fact that this is the first time in 24 years that they're going to the European Championships since the famous 1988 Euros in Stuttgart, Germany, which has been firmly ensconced in their memory for two reasons - under the guidance of their trainer, Jack Charlton, they managed to beat their arch rival, England, 0-1 thanks to a magnificent header from Ray Houghton and the big hit accompanying the Irish quest in the tournament that year was Christy Moore's "Joxer goes to Stuttgart'. This summer, Joxer is coming to Poznan - so let's bid him a warm Poznanian welcome.