A Top 100 “Super Samp” Trip

My own personal love affair with Italy began in Jan 2007 when I moved there for work aged 22 and worked as an EFL teacher. My first stop on that journey and HQ of my employer – was Genoa – but it was a flying stop – 16 years later I finally went back to fulfill a dream – see the city properly but also visit the Super Samp stadium – the place where dreams come true.

Beddows arrived in Milan – left my daughter with her Grandad and continued on the Genoa – the home of Super Samp – my main aim was to visit and hopefully get inside the Stadio Luigi Ferrairs – would I succeed?

Day One – I arrived in Genoa and ironically stayed in a suburb called Sampierdarena – complete with some Samp graffitti near my hotel to make me feel at home. Drank some beers and planned what I’d do the next day.

Day two – we started with a 5km run to reach my May challenging of running 100km in a month – #runwanker – then an impromptu Internet search I discovered Samp train at a place called Boglisaco which is by the sea – so naturally a short 25 minute train journey and a morning at the sea followed by a photo shot outside the Super Samp training HQ – the place that has produced players like Thuram, Cambiaso and now is developing Jackson.

and that afternoon the Sir Stephen Beddows mantra in life of “never give up, keep trying – no does not exist…” came up trumps again… – once back in the City I walked to the stadium but it was all closed up! 😞 I walked all the way round and no one was to be seen but clearly people were working. I rang a buzzer at the back of the stadium and explained I come all the way from England to see the ground and they said I couldn’t…

so naturally I ended up at a bar drinking with two Inter Milan fans from Albania who when I said I hated Man City offered me a beer – naturally I said Yes and thought your luck is in – go try again.

So back round the stadium I walk and got all the way around and saw a groundsman called Raimundo and I said… please can you let me in and he said I couldn’t and I said come on I’ve come all the way from England – he said give me 5 mins – he then returns with the keys and let’s me in (rightfully so) to my Top100 home!