Lancaster

"We came up with the idea of establishing a fan club over twenty years ago, in 1986," said Lancaster Fan Club President Gregorio Fernández, "Back then, the Spanish colony in Switzerland was still very large. Our members are mainly Spaniards who reside here, but we also have some Swiss members."

Despite living far away from Spain, these Madridistas follow their team very closely. "We normally organize around five trips a year to see the team play live, especially if they have a game in nearby countries such as Germany and Italy," said Gregorio.

"We usually travel to Madrid every year for the Real Madrid-Barcelona clash. Last year we also went to see them play against Valencia and Betis. Here in Switzerland, we have seen them in encounters against Grasshoppers and Xamax Neuchatel."

The members of Lancaster Fan Club are also lucky enough to have witnessed some of the most important events in the Club's history. "We were in Amsterdam and in Paris, where they won their seventh and eighth European Cups, respectively. That was unforgettable and the way we felt is hard to explain." Another unforgettable experience was the visit of some of the team's players to the fan club. "When Spain played against Liechtenstein in 2001, Hierro, Raúl, and Morientes paid us a visit."