London football fan flies non-league side to San Marino to complete continent-trotting challenge

A London football fan will fly his eighth-tier club to San Marino this weekend to complete a challenge of watching football in all 55 UEFA member states.

The tiny republic of San Marino, home to 34,000 people, is the final destination for Chris Nash to complete the challenge. La Serenissima have consistently struggled on the international stage and are currently the world’s worst-ranked team.

Nash is flying Barnet-based club Hadley FC to San Marino, where they will face Sammirinese top-flight side AC Juvenes/Dogana in a friendly on Sunday.

Nash has watched football in the likes of Armenia, Serbia and the Faroe Islands, and began the challenge at the 2006 World Cup in Germany which he attended as an England fan.

Juvenes/Dogana agreed to the friendly after Nash had contacted Adrian Eacock, an English player for the semi-professional club in San Marino.

The friendly will mark the first Southern League Division One Central side Hadley FC have ever played on foreign soil. The amateur club were founded in 1882 and are managed by former Southend United and Wealdstone midfielder Anthony Clark.

A contingent of 20 players and coaching staff will arrive in San Marino on Saturday ahead of the game.

“It is incredible to have the opportunity to complete the 55 by flying a Hadley team to play in our first ever European fixture”, Nash said. “Over the years I have had tremendous fun watching football across the continent, which has allowed me to take in some of the most beautiful and rustic parts of Europe.

“Sadly, Hadley’s chances of qualifying for one of the UEFA competitions is quite limited, so this trip was the perfect way to combine my love of travel to quirky countries, with my love for Hadley.”

The club’s chairman, Steve Gray, added: “It will be a tough match, but after a fine season in the Southern League, I am confident we can do the job.”