The Canary Island resort town hosting packed out Leeds United matchdays with an 'incredible atmosphere'
Leeds United fans in Fuerteventura regularly meet up for matchdays.
Many Leeds United fans have struggled with the same issue when on holiday - finding that spot to watch a pre-season friendly.
Strangely enough, most bars don’t have an LUTV subscription and the appetite to screen a pre-season friendly is close to none. But for those heading to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands at least, there is a lifeline.
The Leeds United Supporters’ Club (LUSC) Fuerteventura is based in the northern coastal resort town of Corralejo, hugely popular with UK-based tourists or expats seeking a sunnier life. It was founded and is run by John Holliday, a former Elland Road season ticket holder.
“My wife and I fancied a change of lifestyle and moved here 15 years ago,” John tells the YEP. “I travelled extensively supporting Leeds before I came here, and knew the supporters involved with LUSC. For a bit of fun I set up a supporters’ branch to give us some recognition and encourage other supporters to join us for games.”
Leeds are among the best-represented teams in Corralejo, them and Newcastle, John says. Matchdays at their chosen bar, The York on Calle Juan de Austria, provide a mix of local fans and those travelling from across the island. Naturally, the bar is usually packed out and at times has seen double the number of people to seats.
“We have about a dozen Leeds fans who live locally and there are many fans in other areas of the island who sometimes come to games in Corralejo,” John explains. “We meet in a bar called The York, a small bar with perhaps 25 seats but we regularly have over 40 Leeds fans in for a game.
“We have had 65, strangely for the Harrogate Town game in the FA Cup last year. The atmosphere is always good, even if we lose - people exchanging stories, where they come from and where their seat is at Elland Road if they have a season ticket.”
A packed out pub for Leeds United matchdays
Holidaymakers often seek out the bar if looking for a point of difference to the usual calm of a getaway. Watching Leeds at points last season was anything but relaxing, with late goals and historic victories experienced much the same way 2,500 miles south as they were in West Yorkshire.
“We played Tottenham and there was a group of 15 from England who had a fantasy football league, they had never met in person but arranged a holiday on the island, most of them supported Leeds,” John says. “There were 64 in that day.
“When we beat Manchester United, it was an incredible atmosphere. The amount of people I meet, who ask for me and know other fans that I know. There was once five of us in a row watching a game who all had season tickets in the North East Upper at the same time.”
With Leeds heading across to America for the first part of their pre-season, kick-off times will make viewing back in Europe a difficult task. Fuerteventura is in the same time zone as the UK but both are five hours ahead of east coast US.
Meetings with Wrexham in Tampa and Sunderland in New Jersey kick off at 12.30am UK time but game number three, against Liverpool in Chicago, will be an 8pm kick-off on Saturday August 2 back home. Leeds are then expected to face RB Leipzig at Elland Road on the weekend of August 8/9 before a meeting with Manchester United in Dublin the following Wednesday.
“All pre-season friendlies will be on in the bar but kick-off times may be prohibitive for games in the USA,” John adds. “We have a Facebook page but most Leeds fans go to the bar to check that games will be on, we have a flag hung up permanently in the bar. Also, walking in town Leeds fans are always spoken to and told where to watch games.”