MAN SPENT HOUSE DEPOSIT ON WORLD CUP TRIP WITH GRANDAD
Jacob Allmendinger, 21, from North Ferriby in East Yorkshire, spent about £10,000 of savings meant for a house deposit on a World Cup trip for himself and his grandad, Geoff Golliker, 80. He told the BBC he had no regrets and wanted to return the favour for years of being taken to Hull City games.
“The choice was between this or a house deposit and I don’t regret choosing it at all. You can make the money back, but memories are forever,” Allmendinger said.
The BBC told the story on June 20, 2026, when the pair were still getting ready to fly to New York to watch England play Panama. The plan was to follow the team across the United States for as long as it kept winning, with Allmendinger organising the itinerary.
Golliker said he did not need persuading. “I’m getting more excited each day… it was an instant yes.”
Hull City, a flag and a lot of Ubers
The two regularly go to Hull City matches home and away, and they were at Wembley to see the team win promotion to the Premier League. Golliker had been taking his grandson to games for most of his life, and Allmendinger saw the World Cup as returning the favour.
Football became even more important to them after Allmendinger’s grandmother died. “Ever since grandma died, football’s been a massive part of our lives really,” he said.
Golliker was just as direct: “Certainly, it really has been my saviour, she’d have absolutely loved this trip.”
Allmendinger had even bought his grandad an England flag with a Hull City emblem on the corner, as a Christmas present. Both of them were holding it in the BBC’s photos.
On the logistics, Golliker was happy to let his grandson take charge. “I was quite happy for him to arrange it all. I’ve now learned how to order an Uber, so I might be able to do that for us,” he said.
Allmendinger said it still felt unreal, given they had booked the trip more than a year earlier. “The stadiums on TV are huge,” he said.
The £10,000 comes back
The pair travelled to New York and Atlanta during the tournament. They were in Atlanta for England’s match against DR Congo, and they also watched England beat Mexico at Azteca Stadium. Golliker told BBC News the Mexican fans were “absolutely fantastic. Very happy, very boisterous.”
By then the story had gone viral, and MetaWin, an online crypto casino, stepped in. Metro reported that the company first offered to repay the money if England beat Panama by more than two goals, then said it would still pay if England beat DR Congo. England won 2–1.
On July 7, 2026, the £10,000 was in Allmendinger’s bank account. “I didn’t quite believe it, to be honest, until I looked at my bank and it was there. I was just in shock,” he told BBC News.
He said he planned to save the money until he got home.
Fame came with the cash. “We’re getting recognised quite a bit,” Golliker said. “When we were in New York, a guy came up to us and said, ‘are you the guys travelling round?’ It was brilliant.”
BBC Sport reported on July 14, 2026, that the pair would be at England’s semi-final against Argentina.
The attention did not stop with the tournament. On August 22, 2026, the BBC reported that Hull City had flown Allmendinger and Golliker to the United States to promote the club’s return to the Premier League.
