Friday, June 8^th, kicks off the 2012 European Championship at the National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland.  While any avid European football (American soccer) fan will tell you that this is kind-of-a-big deal for sports, it is also kind-of-a-big deal for the economy and infrastructure of the Eastern European co-hosts of the event:  Poland and Ukraine.

This year thousands of football fanatics will pour into the stadiums of eight different cities in Poland and Ukraine:

• Warsaw, 
• Wroclaw, 
• Gdańsk, 
• Poznan,
  
• Lviv, 
• Kiev,
  
• Kharkiv
  
• and Donetsk.

With them, fans will carry more than mere support for their football team; they will also carry their support for Poland and Ukraine’s tourist industry, foreign investment, and integration with Europe.

Being named host for the European Championship 2012 meant that six brand new stadiums have been constructed between Poland and Ukraine, while the Metalist Stadium and Municipal Stadium Poznan have yet undergone major renovations.  In order to support the upcoming flood of football fans, Poland and Ukraine have also invested massive sums of money to develop their transportation systems including motorways, train stations, and airport terminals.  This modern infrastructure will provide long-lasting benefits for their future trade relations, economy, and relative position in the international community.

Planning on making the trek out to experience the games live?

Lucky for you, this year’s 2012 European Championship location offers some unique advantages.  Fans that venture east will have the opportunity to experience the Eastern European football culture that is too often overlooked.  It is also a great excuse to go somewhere different, experience a new culture, and expand your passport stamps and traveling perspective to include countries beyond the dominance of the ¨Western World.¨

However, there is good news and bad news as far as accommodation is concerned.  The bad news is that Poland and Ukraine have been experiencing a crisis with hiking accommodation prices as hotel owners attempt to pocket their own profit from the games.  The good news is that you don’t have to allow them to take advantage of you.  There are many available hostels that will offer you a better price, as well as a better environment for meeting the interesting array of travellers and die-hards that will journey out for the experience.

Furthermore, by using GoDashBoard, you have the opportunity to reach out to other fans that will be at your hostel during your visit.  It won’t be difficult to make meaningful connections when you’re staying with other hostellers stricken by the same football fervor.  For whether you’re rooting for Spain, Germany, Netherlands, or one of the other 16 competing nations, whether you connect in the stadium stands or afterward with a victory brew, make your Euro Cup 2012 experience social and unite with other travellers in the common spirit and community of the sports-fanatic!

Check out our tripline map of Euro Cup cities, stadiums, and respective hostels. 

From the Anton Hostel in the tournament’s opening city of Warsaw, Poland to the Dream House hostel in the final tournament’s city of Kiev, Ukraine, there are many options for hostels that are equally social, affordable, and walking distance to all of the stadium action!

Enjoy the European Championship 2012 in Poland and Ukraine!