Wembley Stadium · London HA9 0WS · Capacity 90,000
Wembley matchday transfers, planned backwards from kick-off
A three o'clock cup final and an eight o'clock international are the same stadium and completely different days out. One involves a morning departure and an afternoon of pubs; the other has you home at one in the morning. The kick-off time is the plan.
Twelve thirty, three, five thirty and eight. Each one changes your departure, your pre-match, your return and what time you actually get to bed. Tell us which one you have and the rest follows.
Which Wembley day are you having?
The stadium hosts several different kinds of football and they behave nothing alike. Crowd size, travel distance and mood all vary, and so does the job.
FA Cup, EFL and play-offs
Whole towns travel. Play-off finals in particular empty entire places for the day, which means the roads out of that town are busy from breakfast onwards. Book weeks ahead, not days.
Internationals
Usually evening kick-offs on weeknights, with a work-day departure and a late return. The most awkward timings of the football calendar and the ones people underestimate.
International series
Sunday afternoons, a family crowd, a very long pre-match build-up and a slow walk out. Add an hour to everything you would allow for football.
Trophy and finals days
Smaller crowds, easier access, and often the best value day at Wembley. Closures are lighter and the exit is quick.
The four kick-off times, planned properly
This is the table to work from. Departure times assume a Kent pick-up around Gravesend or Dartford, with roughly an hour added for Medway and beyond. Home-by times allow for the walk out to the collection ring and the drive back.
| Kick-off | Leave home by | Pre-match | Back home around |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12:30 | 08:30 | Short. Straight in, food inside the ground. | 18:30 |
| 15:00 | 10:30 | Comfortable. Time for a proper pre-match. | 21:00 |
| 17:30 | 13:00 | Long build-up, plenty of time in Wembley. | 23:30 |
| 20:00 | 15:30 | Evening kick-off, weeknight departure. | 01:30 |
For an eight o'clock midweek kick-off, be realistic about the next morning. Most people book the return knowing they will be home after one. Get a fixed price.
Supporters' groups and travelling parties
Football is the most group-heavy thing we do. Whole pubs, whole clubs and whole families travel together for a final, and the logistics are different from a couple going to a gig.
| Party size | Vehicle | How it usually works |
|---|---|---|
| 2–4 | Saloon or estate | Door to door, one price, no parking to think about. |
| 5–8 | MPV or 8-seater | The most common family and friends booking for a final. |
| 9–16 | Minibus | Pub groups and small supporters' clubs. One meeting point, one fare split. |
| 17–24 | Midi coach | Club sections and works parties. Set-down arranged separately from cars. |
| 25–49 | Full coach | Supporters' clubs. Book early for finals; these go first. |
| 50+ | Multiple vehicles | Run as one job with a single contact and one invoice. |
What matchday actually involves
Football crowds leave faster than concert crowds
This is the one piece of good news about Wembley matchdays. Ninety thousand football supporters clear the stadium considerably quicker than the same number at a concert, because most of them have done it before and know exactly where they are going. The closures start earlier on a matchday, but they also lift sooner, and the walk out to a collection point is a brisker, more purposeful affair than after a gig.
The pre-match is half the day
For a three or five thirty kick-off, a lot of the point is the hours beforehand. Pubs around Wembley and along the route fill from late morning, and plenty of our bookings include a stop on the way in. That is straightforward to build into the job, and it removes the one thing that ruins a matchday, which is somebody having to stay sober and then sit in the car park queue for an hour afterwards.
Play-off finals are a different scale
When a club reaches a play-off final, its entire town travels. The roads out of that town are busy from early morning, the motorway service stations are chaos, and vehicles get booked out weeks in advance. If your club is in a semi-final, it is worth provisionally sorting transport before the second leg rather than joining the scramble afterwards. We would rather hold a booking that gets cancelled than turn people away.
Segregation, bag rules and getting back together
Finals often have segregated approaches, with supporters of each club directed to different sides of the stadium. That matters if your group contains both sets of fans, because you may go in from different directions and need to reassemble somewhere neutral afterwards. Tell us in advance and we will pick a meeting point that works for everyone rather than one that suits half the party.
Wembley matchday questions
Football-specific, from kick-off times to supporters' coaches.
What time should we leave for a 3pm kick-off at Wembley?
From Gravesend or Dartford, about half past ten in the morning. From Medway or Maidstone, closer to ten. That allows for the journey, the walk in and a sensible pre-match rather than a sprint to the turnstiles. The table above covers all four standard kick-off times.
How late will we get home after an evening kick-off?
For an eight o'clock start, expect to be home in north Kent around half one in the morning, and later for east Kent. That is realistic rather than pessimistic, and it accounts for the walk out and the drive. Worth knowing before you agree to a midweek international on a work night.
Can you take a supporters' club coach?
Yes, up to forty-nine seats, with multiple vehicles run as one job for larger groups. Coaches use a separate set-down arrangement from cars at Wembley, which we confirm for your specific fixture. For finals, book as early as you possibly can.
Can we stop at a pub on the way?
Yes, and a lot of matchday bookings do. Build it in when the job is quoted and it costs nothing extra. It is also the main reason people book rather than drive, since somebody otherwise has to spend the day on soft drinks and then queue to get out.
Is it different for an NFL game?
Considerably. NFL Sundays bring a family crowd, a much longer pre-match, and a slower walk out than any football fixture. Add roughly an hour across the day compared with a league match, and expect the area to stay busy well after the final whistle.
What about parking at Wembley on a matchday?
Event-day restrictions cover a wide residential area around the stadium and are enforced firmly, while the official car parks fill early and empty slowly. Driving yourself is possible and rarely enjoyable. Most people who try it once do not try it twice.
Where will you collect us after the match?
From an agreed point outside the closure, which for a matchday is usually a shorter walk than after a concert because the restrictions lift sooner. We send the exact spot and the registration during the second half.
What if the match goes to extra time and penalties?
The driver waits and the fare does not change. Finals go to extra time often enough that we plan for it as standard rather than treating it as an exception.
Our group supports both clubs. Does that matter?
It can, because finals often direct rival supporters to different sides of the stadium. Tell us when you book and we will set a meeting point that works for everyone, rather than one that half the group has to walk around the ground to reach.
How far in advance should we book a final?
As soon as you have tickets, and ideally before. Cup and play-off final weekends are the busiest dates in our year, and coaches in particular are gone early. A provisional booking is easy to cancel; a last-minute one is often impossible to fulfil.
Other grounds and guides
The rest of the matchday circuit, covered from Kent.