Supplied by Ferrari Press Agency

by Charlie Sewell

A dedicated football fan makes a 1,100 mile round trip from his home in Italy to watch his English team play.

But 50 year old Gianfranco Giordano is not interested in watching Premier League sides such as Manchester United or Spurs - he has become a huge fan of Blue Square Premier side Ebbsfleet United.

Gianfranco, 50, from Turin, used to be a season ticket holder at the mighty Serie A side AC Milan.

But he gave up his prized seat watching the Italian giants in favour of what he says is real English football.

He has now become an avid supporter of the side based in Northfleet, close to the Ebbsfleet international railway station, which plays its football four rungs below the Premier League.

On match days, he flies from Turin to Stansted airport before arriving by train at Ebbsfleet International, where he returns home the following morning.

Even though Gianfranco travels with budget airlines, a typical day out isn’t cheap, costing him up to £200, along with his newly invested £300 season ticket, proving his dedication to the beautiful game.

Over the next eight months, policeman Gianfranco, who is married to wife Laura and has a step-daughter, is looking to do this trek a staggering 18 times.
He said: “My wife thinks that I am crazy!”

Gianfranco gave up his beloved AC Milan season ticket in 2005, wanting to go back to basics, and he could think of no club better than Ebbsfleet United.

Formed in 1946 as Gravesend and Northfleet FC, they changed their name in 2007, before they were taken over by website MyFootballClub in 2008.

The website became the first to own a sports club with its members paying as little as £4.99 a month to making major decisions, such as choosing the manager, picking the team and controlling transfers.

It currently has more than 3,000 members, in over 70 countries.

Gianfranco added: “ I read about MyFootballClub in the Italian newspaper in 2007. I researched it on the internet and I liked what I saw.
“I liked the idea of owning a bit of a football club.”

Phil Sonsara, Ebbsfleet’s chairman said “ I think it’s fantastic what Gianfranco is doing.
“He is a great supporter for us.”