Couple expecting Hull City match stumble across KCOM game at the MKM

When Julia Fulopa decided to treat her boyfriend to a night out at the football this wasn’t quite what she was expecting.

Julia believed she had booked tickets to see Hull City play Coventry, at the MKM Stadium, on Wednesday, not realising that the Tigers were actually playing 140 miles away at the Coventry Building Society Arena.

So when Julia and boyfriend Szymon turned up at the MKM they accidentally stumbled across KCOM’s annual staff match - where two teams of employees from the telecoms company take each other on in a hotly contested friendly, followed by hotdogs and a pint or two in the stadium bar.

The fixture has been a highlight on the company’s social calendar for a decade and one of the most popular perks of working for the Hull-based broadband business.

Julia, a Spanish interpreter who originally hails from Hungary, said: “To be honest I know nothing about football. So I didn’t realise that the team that’s first on the ticket is the one playing at home.

“When we were walking to the stadium, we started to get suspicious because it was so quiet – we were thinking where are all the fans? But then when we got to the reception, the lady just told us to go up to the lounge and we were welcomed in and given a burger. We thought well, this is unusual - but nice. ”

“It was only when we went to the security man and asked him if we needed to go to the south stand, because that’s where our tickets were for, that we realised that Hull were playing in Coventry and we were in the wrong stadium. I mean, all the signs were there, we just hadn’t realised!

“We saw the funny side and thought, well we might as well stay and watch the match that is on. We got chatting to the other KCOM people there, who were really friendly and made us feel welcome – so we had a really good night. It was certainly an experience. Not the one we were expecting but it was fun!”

Arsenal fan Szymon, 35, a machine operator, who lives in Hull but originally hails from Poland, said despite missing the Coventry game, he enjoyed joining 300 spectators made up of the KCOM players’ friends and family.

“We thought it was odd when it was so quiet,” he laughs. “It wasn’t what we were expecting but it was still a good experience. The atmosphere was very cheerful and everybody was having fun.”

And what of the quality of the play on the pitch? Was it the beautiful game at its best?

“The match was ok – it wasn’t quite like watching Hull City – but it was a good quality,” he says. “We saw two good goals, so the players did well.”

To make up for missing the Tigers’ promotion push, KCOM and Hull City presented the couple with two tickets to see the real Hull City players in action for Saturday’s game at home to Ipswich. As an extra treat Julia and Syzmon will also receive a souvenir City shirt as a reminder of their day.

A KCOM spokesperson said: “We are delighted that Julia and Syzmon were able to enjoy our Play On the Pitch event and I hope the quality of the football provided them with some entertainment. The fixture is a great event and one of the unique experiences that working for KCOM can bring.

“We hope that Julia and Syzmon enjoy Saturday’s match, which we can confirm is definitely being held at the MKM Stadium. And good luck to City in their push for the playoffs. Up the Tigers!”