Watching Newell's Old Boys in Rosario, Argentina
Watching Newell's Old Boys in Rosario, Argentina
Because if you support Leeds, you support Newell's
Good morning Leeds fans,
I wrote this piece after our victory against Southampton, and on the morning prior to our FA cup tie against Fulham. There’s a bit more positivity in the air, and I can only help but feel that we’re going to turn a corner under Javi Gracia.
But a few weekends ago things were very different. We had a caretaker manager and had just lost to Everton. Thankfully, this edition of the blog is about another football club.
Today, I’m going to write about going to Rosario, Argentina to watch Newell’s Old Boys. There’s a lot more logistics about this than a simple google search and WhatsApp message. So this blog is a bit longer.
And it’s also the trip that every Leeds fan should do if they are able. So thinking about a trip to South America in the near future?
Let’s outline your trip to the Estadio Marcelo Bielsa.
Finding a place for the match
Where to watch Newell’s in Rosario? Well, the Estadio Marcelo Bielsa of course.
Bielsa is a legend in Rosario, maybe even more so than Leeds. When I told the locals that we had come from the US to watch the game, everyone questioned why. But when you mentioned Leeds, and Bielsa, all the questions dissipated. They are simply in love with the man.
As they should be! He’s a former Newell’s player and won three league titles, and took them to a Copa Libertadores final, during his time as manager. He is also from the city, and is credited with penning the famous phrase “Vamos Newell’s Carajo" (known to us as “Vamos Leeds Carajo”). To some Bielsistas (disciples of Bielsa), he is a god-like figure.
So the love you receive, when they find you’re an admirer of El Loco, is unmatched. It’s a bond that Leeds and Newell’s fans share. We’ll never be separated due to our love for the man who gave our clubs, and cities, so much joy.
And thankfully, making this pilgrimage to Rosario is easy. Let’s dive in.
First, you’ll need to send a message to Newell’s Old Boys - English on Twitter. Finding tickets to a football match in Argentina is extremely difficult, and always overpriced. You have to go with someone who has a season ticket. It’s just the way it is.
The manager of this account will let you know the price and set up all the coordination for the affair. You just need to let him know what dates you can make it to Rosario, and make sure that they can take you to a match.
After it’s decided on what match you’ll attend, they will set up a WhatsApp group with a local Newell’s Fan who will take you to the game. At this point, everything from their side has been sorted. Tickets, prices, getting you to the match, pre-game festivities… everything. This site has more information on the experience.
You just need to book your travel and accommodation. I feel most Leeds fans, who go to Rosario, would already be in South America, so travel is a bit easier to sort out. We were in Salta, Argentina which is quite far, so we took a flight with Aerolineas Argentina on the day of the match. It was a pretty standard experience and we didn’t have any issues. If you’re traveling from Buenos Aires, which is more likely, I recommend taking a bus. It’s much cheaper and the journey is only 4 hours. You can book a flight from SkySkanner, or a bus ticket directly from Chevallier’s (bus company) website.
For accommodation, you need to make sure that you stay in the city center. Rosario can be a bit dodgy in a few places, but if you stay in the center, you’ll have no issues. My missus and I stayed at the Esplendor by Wyndham Savoy Rosario and really enjoyed it. You can also stay at an AirBnb or the Holiday Inn. I’d recommend asking the Newell’s English account, or the WhatsApp group, if the place you want to stay is in an okay area.
Watching the match
After you get into Rosario, your guide will shoot you a message on when he’s going to pick you up from your hotel. He’ll take you by car to an area near the Estadio Marcelo Bielsa where you’ll be able to buy a knock off Newell’s shirt. I got a Yamaha (pronounced Shamaha) top with Maradona’s number 10 on it. That cost me about $18 USD.
You’ll then walk by the city center to see where all the hardcore Newell’s fans gather. People don’t really go to pubs before the game, they just meet in an area on the street to grill out and have some drinks. I actually went into the crowd and had a sip out of someone’s jarra (jug) de Coca Cola y Fernet! I’ve been to Argentina a few times, and Fernet is oddly my favorite liquor. You’ll probably hate it, but if it’s your first time, you’ve got to try it.
After this bit, you’ll make your way to an area right outside of the stadium for a few drinks. This was really enjoyable as we got to meet a few more Newell’s fans, tell them why we were in Rosario, and share stories about Bielsa. After a few Quilmes (local beer), I kept rambling on about our days in the Championship 😂. You might get interviewed by local news media, which can be nerve wracking, but it’s really fun. We were interviewed by La Lepra TV, and ESPN Argentina (in Spanish), to explain why we made the journey.
Following the pregame rituals, and nerve wracking interviews, you’ll make your way into the Estadio Marcelo Bielsa. I can’t really explain the feeling I had when I entered the stadium, saw his name, and stared at the murals dedicated to him while making our way to the stands. It was a really special experience, and in a way, it felt like I paid a small tribute to the man who did so much for us.
When you make it to your seat, you start to realize this isn’t your typical football experience. To the left, you see the barra brava (ultras) dancing and singing with such passion. They continue like this for the entire match.
You then notice that people in the main stand are handing out flares to everyone. I got a bit nervous for this! But it was awesome. You, along with thousands of passionate Newell’s fans get to light a flare, and sing and dance, just before kick off commences. The scenes are unbelievable. The video below explains more than I ever could.
The match itself was scrappy, with not a lot of happening until Newell’s had a man sent off in the 60th minute. The fans continued to back the side, and they were rewarded when Newell’s scored 2 goals in the final ten minutes to win the match.
The limbs you imagine when Newell’s score in the Estadio Marcelo Bielsa? It’s that times ten.
After the match finishes, your guide takes you back to your hotel, where you lay down and try to process everything that happened that evening.
Overall experience watching the match
If you’re a Leeds fan, and you’re in Argentina, this is a non-negotiable trip. You have to do it. There’s no other way to put it.
Newell’s Old Boys - English make the process so easy. And while there’s some extra costs involved with travel and hotels, I felt the experience was such a bargain. You literally just have to get to Rosario, then everything else is taken care of for you.
The people you meet, especially those who go with you to the match with, were fantastic as well. I think the best part about the experience were the discussions around Bielsa and English and Argentine football. It was cool to hear their perspective on everything.
I wish there was more to add, but it’s that simple. It’s religious pilgrimage-like experience where you show up and are amazed. It was simply the best experience I’ve ever had watching football.
Cost-wise, it’s extremely affordable. If we took a bus to Rosario, instead of flying, the whole trip would have been around $400 USD. That includes transportation, hotel, the shirt, food and drinks and the tickets to the match. An absolute bargain for the experience. We were also two people, so had I gone alone, it would’ve been around $300 USD. Considering that we just went to Rosario to watch Newell’s, it’s quite affordable.
Thank you to everyone in Newell’s who made this possible. It was, is and always will be one of the highlights of my time traveling.
Vamos Newell’s y Leeds Carajo!