Posted on 15th June 2026
Free Lions hits 200th edition!
England face Croatia at the Dallas Stadium in Texas on Wednesday and the game marks a huge milestone for the England fanzine, Free Lions, as the publication hits its 200th edition.
Free Lions is produced by the Football Supporters’ Association and handed out free of charge to England fans at all away games by the FSA and volunteers.
As well as football features and quizzes, the fanzine provides valuable information for travelling supporters covering travel, stadium guides and city information.
The first edition was produced for Euro 2000, when England slipped to a 3-2 defeat against Portugal, and it’s still going strong a quarter of a century later.
Free Lions is handed out by members of the FSA’s Fans’ Embassy team who also act as an independent voice for travelling supporters, explaining the story on-the-ground.
A famous example occurred at Euro 2016 when normal England fans were attacked by Russian hooligans. Initial reports suggested Three Lions fans had willingly taken part in violence but this was not the case and our Fans’ Embassy team set the record straight.
The FSA’s Kevin Miles helped found the Fans’ Embassy service and the Free Lions fanzine, and he says it still has huge value in the modern age.
Kevin says: “A crucial part of the work of the Free Lions team has always been to represent the majority with the simple request that we be policed on the basis of our behaviour, not our reputation.”
Free Lions #200
The reputation of England supporters has certainly benefitted from that work and behaviour in recent World Cups has been excellent with only three supporters arrested in Russia 2018 and no arrests whatsoever in Qatar 2022.
Thomas Concannon leads the Fans’ Embassy service now and he’s out in the US handing out the Free Lions fanzine and producing new editions for every match as he follows the England team around North America.
Thomas says: “Free Lions is firmly part of the England away landscape and it’s a pleasure to be part of a team helping those travelling supporters. We can’t change what happens once the team steps over the white line but we will always try and ensure that fans have the best information off-the-pitch.”
The Fans’ Embassy will be located at Dallas’s City Tavern pub on Tuesday 16th June from around 12pm until 5pm handing out Free Lions #200. On matchday, they will be located at the eSports Stadium at the Arlington Museum of Art from around 9am until 1pm.
For World Cup 2026 the FSA will also launch a dedicated Free Lions website which will be a single port-of-call for England fans travelling throughout North and Central America.
