Thomson Sport - In for the long haul

After Team England’s 5-1 drubbing of Croatia at Wembley this week, Fabio Capello’s squad members now face nine months of maintaining sufficient form and fitness to make sure they are the ones lining up for England’s opening match in South Africa next June.

For fans, guaranteeing a place at that opening fixture is much simpler and is bookable through Thomson Sport. Thomson Sport, the leading provider of sports travel, has announced new one match official travel packages for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. The packages, offer competitively priced options with accommodation in the cosmopolitan city of Cape Town, which in their opinion is the best city in South Africa for England supporters to base themselves.

Five reasons to stay in Cape Town with Thomson Sport:

1. Outside of match days Cape Town offers fans a multitude of places to visit and experiences to have unlike the business centre of Johannesburg. Some of the best beaches in South Africa include Clifton, Camps Bay, Llandudno and Sandy Bay all providing magnificent views of the jagged peaks of the twelve apostles. You can ride a horse, fly a kite, watch penguins, sail a catamaran, surf the waves, explore a shipwreck, snorkel in the shallows, dive in the deep or just lie in the sun.

2. Watching England play in South Africa will be a memorable and rewarding experience. Shark Cage Diving in Cape Town guarantees one of the most thrilling life experiences meeting the king of the deep. Dive and observe Great White Shark from close quarters in a cage – this is a Cape Town Experience.

3. The Western Cape area is renowned for its wines with the most popular wine routes including Stellenbosch, Franschoek and Paarl. There are more than 100 wine estates in close proximity to Cape Town to visit.

4. There will be nowhere near enough match tickets for England supporters. The only way to gain access without being an England supporter who has travelled to tens of away matches is through one of the Authorised Tour Operators.

5. In the current economic climate Thomson Sport offers fans the peace of mind of being part of Europe’s largest leisure travel company, all of whose travel packages are protected.

Nathan Wilson, managing director of Thomson Sport, said: “England’s result last night was fantastic. Since the final whistle enquiries by Fans looking to follow their heroes to South Africa are flooding in. Fans need to be aware that there are only a limited number of packages available to the FIFA World Cup. Booking with Thomson, the leading fully bonded tour operator staying in the cosmopolitan city of Cape Town offers security, local representation and knowledge, plus the camaraderie of travelling as a group with fellow supporters.”

Prices start from £2,500 for a four or five night package including scheduled international flights, staying at the 3* Park Inn Hotel on B&B in central Cape Town, all transfers, an official match ticket for group stage, plus a safari experience which will give fans the opportunity to see Africa’s famous Big Five. The whole package is ATOL protected with the World largest tour operator. For further booking information see thomsonsport.com.