When Viking FK came to Birmingham to play Aston Villa in the UEFA Champions League, we arranged their ground transport. That meant sports team transport for the players and staff, a van for their training equipment, and chauffeur cars for VIP guests attending the match. The squad's coach ran from Birmingham Airport to training and on to Villa Park. If you run travel for a club heading to an away fixture in the UK, this is how we split the work, and what we'd ask you for first.
- Client
- Viking FK
- Fixture
- Aston Villa, UEFA Champions League
- Venue
- Villa Park, Birmingham
- Match date
- 21 October 2026
- Vehicles
- Coaches, kit van, Sprinter minibus and Mercedes chauffeur cars
The job: Viking FK at Villa Park
Viking FK is a football club from Stavanger, Norway. Their Champions League match against Aston Villa was played at Villa Park, Birmingham, on Wednesday 21 October 2026. The club's visit to the city covered a few days, and we arranged the road transport for it through our network of licensed operators. The team coaches ran with "VIKING FK" on their destination screens.
The brief had four parts:
- Players. Transport for the squad.
- Staff. Transport for the club's staff, separate from the players.
- Training equipment. A van to carry the kit and equipment for their training sessions.
- VIP guests. Transfers for VIP guests attending the match.
The vehicles we arranged were coaches, vans, a Mercedes Sprinter minibus, and Mercedes V-Class, E-Class and S-Class chauffeur cars. Every vehicle came with a professional driver.
The squad was collected at Birmingham Airport, training runs went to Bodymoor Heath Training Ground (Aston Villa's training ground), and on match day the coach took the squad to Villa Park.
Viking FK agreed in writing to be named here. We've kept this account to the scope of the job and left out the club's hotel and timings.
How we split the transport by role
Football team travel is really four separate transport problems that happen to share a calendar. Players, staff, equipment and guests don't leave from the same place at the same time, and they don't need the same vehicle. Treating them as one movement is where away trips tend to go wrong.
The table shows the overall mix we arranged and why each type of vehicle fits the role. It doesn't say which vehicle carried whom on which day.
| Who | What they needed | Vehicle type arranged | Why that vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Players | Moving the squad together with their kit | Coach | Room for the whole squad, with underfloor luggage space and room for kit bags |
| Staff | Their own movements, which don't always match the squad's | Coaches and vans | Staff can travel on their own schedule |
| Training equipment | Kit and equipment taken to and from training | Van | Equipment travels separately, so the team coach isn't loaded up with it |
| VIP guests | Transfers to and around the match | Mercedes V-Class, E-Class and S-Class | V-Class for guests with extra luggage; E-Class as an executive saloon; S-Class as the flagship saloon |
Sizing works the same way for any club. A first-team squad with staff usually needs a full-size coach, and the 48 to 53 seat coaches we arrange are the usual starting point. Smaller groups, such as a medical or media team, may only need an 8 to 16 seat minibus. If you're unsure where the line falls, read minibus vs coach hire.
Luxury coaches, with high-spec interiors, are often used by professional teams and sponsors. Executive coaches are newer vehicles with air conditioning and reclining seats. For executive coach hire in Birmingham, see coach hire in Birmingham; for the full range of sizes, see coach hire.
What a visiting club needs from its UK transport
Most of the team travel management for an away fixture happens before the squad lands. For an overseas club planning football club travel in the UK, these are the parts we need settled first.
One point of contact
Your travel staff should deal with one person, not five operators. We coordinate several coaches, minibuses and cars with staggered pick-ups through one national point of contact, so a change to the training schedule is one phone call.
Keep team, kit and guests apart
Players, equipment and guests run to different timetables. Booking them as separate movements means a delayed guest flight doesn't hold up the squad, and kit can go ahead of the players.
Match-day stadium access
Stadiums often use pre-booked coach bays and set arrival routes on match days. Agree the team coach's arrival point and parking with the home club and the venue, then pass it to us.
The drivers we arrange are used to match-day traffic and stadium access. Even so, the venue's instructions come first. Our match day and stadium coach hire page has more on coach bays and access.
Training days
Training has its own pick-ups and returns, often at a different site from the hotel. Give us the venue and session times as soon as they're fixed, so the equipment van and the team coach can be timed together. For Viking FK, those runs went to Bodymoor Heath Training Ground.
When the squad lands
Champions League travel usually starts at an airport. Chauffeur car pickups can include flight monitoring, so the car allows for a late landing. Viking FK's squad was collected at Birmingham Airport. For your own arrival, see airport group transfers, or coach and minibus transfers at Birmingham Airport if your club is flying into the city.
What to settle at quote stage
An evening kick-off, a late return and an early flight can make a long day for a driver, and legal limits on driving time apply (covered below). Give us the full day's plan when you ask for a quote, so every leg is priced and staffed from the start. Ask for a fixed, pre-booked price for each part of the visit.
Planning an away fixture in the UK? Send us the fixture, your squad size and your training plans and we'll come back with a quote. Call 0800 112 3455.
VIP and hospitality transfers on match day
VIP guests travel separately from the team, in a car with its own driver. For the VIP guests we arranged Mercedes V-Class, E-Class and S-Class cars. Which one suits depends on the size of the party and how much luggage it has.
A Mercedes V-Class with driver suits guests arriving with extra luggage. The E-Class is an executive saloon for up to three guests with hand luggage. The S-Class is the flagship saloon, suited to the most senior guest in the party. Seat and luggage details for each car are on the 1 to 3 seater chauffeur cars page.
Two options are worth asking for:
- Meet points. Drivers can meet guests in arrivals or at their hotel on request.
- Chauffeur by the hour. Useful when guests have several stops on match day, such as a lunch, the ground and a hotel.
If you need chauffeur cars in Birmingham for a match day, the executive and luxury chauffeur cars page shows the options, with prices from £50.
Checklist: what to send us before a team visit
The more of this we have at enquiry stage, the more accurate the quote:
- Fixture. Date, venue and kick-off time.
- Flights. Arrival and departure flights for the squad, staff and any guests travelling separately.
- Hotel. Name and address for the team, and for the VIP guests if they're staying elsewhere.
- Training. Venue, session days and times.
- Numbers. Players and staff travelling, counted separately.
- Kit and equipment. Roughly how much, and whether any of it is bulky or needs to travel ahead.
- VIP guests. How many, where they need collecting from, and where they're going on match day.
- Contacts on the day. A name and mobile for the team side and for the guest side.
Rules worth knowing
Private hire in vehicles with 9 or more passenger seats normally falls under the assimilated drivers' hours rules. Under those rules a driver can drive for a maximum of 9 hours a day (10 hours twice a week) and 56 hours a week, with breaks totalling at least 45 minutes after no more than 4.5 hours of driving. The detail is on GOV.UK's pages on drivers' hours for passenger vehicles and the assimilated rules.
Anyone operating a vehicle that can carry 9 or more passengers for hire or reward needs a PSV operator licence. You can check an operator with GOV.UK's Find lorry or bus operators service. For more on both, read UK coach hire regulations.
Sports team transport: frequently asked questions
Do you arrange transport for clubs visiting the UK from abroad?
Yes. Viking FK came from Stavanger for this fixture. Send flight details for the squad, staff and any guests travelling separately, and we'll plan the pickups around them.
Can you quote for a whole tour or several fixtures?
Yes. We quote for a single fixture or a full season. For a tour or a run of away games, send the full fixture list with dates, venues and squad numbers so one quote covers every leg. We arrange local, regional and long-distance UK trips.
Do you own the coaches and cars?
No. We arrange coaches, minibuses, vans and chauffeur cars through our network of licensed operators, and every booking comes with a professional driver. You deal with us; we deal with the operators.
Do you arrange coach hire for sports teams outside football?
Yes. Rugby, hockey, cricket or netball, the method is the same: size the vehicle to the travelling party and allow room for kit. For student squads, see university sports transport.
How much does football team coach hire cost?
Prices on our site start from £150 for a minibus, £250 for a full-size coach and £50 for a chauffeur car. The final price for sports team travel depends on the vehicles, the distance, how long you need them and how many days the visit runs.
Sources and further reading
- Drivers' hours: passenger-carrying vehicles (GOV.UK)
- Drivers' hours: assimilated rules (GOV.UK)
- Find lorry or bus operators (GOV.UK)
Arranging transport for a club visit or away fixture? Request a quote through the quote form on our homepage, call 0800 112 3455, email info@coachhirenetwork.co.uk or use the contact page. We've been arranging coach and minibus hire since 2014.
About this case study
This case study was written by the Coach Hire Network team from our own record of the job, and is published with Viking FK's written agreement. Fixture details, vehicle information and regulations were checked on 3 November 2026 against public match listings, our own service pages and GOV.UK. Coach Hire Network is not affiliated with Aston Villa Football Club or UEFA.