Hayley Hayes, 60, from Newport, Wales, has won a dream trip to Svalbard, Norway, without her sports-mad husband Anthony, 66. The prize, from giffgaff's Fair-play Summer Fund, sends Hayley and her friend Rebecca on an all-expenses-paid cold-weather adventure, leaving Anthony at home to keep up with sports fixtures.
Hayley hasn't enjoyed a proper summer holiday in eight years because summer plans are often centred around key sporting events so Anthony can watch them. The couple, who married in 2016, typically take holidays at other times of the year, but even then, much of their time is devoted to watching sports.
Holidays shaped by sport
For example, a trip to India in 2024 coincided with a test match cricket series. The couple returned to India a year later during the Six Nations. Despite the four-and-a-half-hour time difference, Hayley put on her Wales rugby shirt and joined her husband for late-night and early-hour match screenings from their accommodation.
Now, the retiree has been given the chance for a trip to Svalbard, a cold-weather landscape that fascinates her, with her friend Rebecca, leaving her sports-loving husband at home.
Winner of Fair-play Summer Fund
Hayley was selected as the winner of giffgaff's Fair-play Summer Fund, created to help people overcome obstacles preventing them from having a great summer and make the season feel fairer.
Speaking about her dream trip, Hayley said: "I was literally both bouncing up and down and crying with excitement when I found out I'd won and would be going on a cold weather summer holiday I could only previously dream about. I'm fascinated by the landscapes of Svalbard, and in particular the varied wildlife that calls the island home. Since my husband absolutely does not tolerate the cold, a wintry weather trip was never going to be on the cards for us, so this prize delivers on two fronts. Summer is turning into a whole new adventure for me."
Survey reveals sports impact on holidays
Balancing sports and summer holiday plans isn't just a juggling act for Hayley and Anthony. Research revealed over a fifth (21%) of holidaymakers routinely check the sporting calendar before booking a trip. A survey of 2,000 holiday-goers discovered 22% have booked, changed or adjusted their travel plans because of a sporting event, with 42% of those scheduling activities around matches.
A quarter of fans have returned home early from a trip for a sporting event, while 14% admitted they've previously cancelled a holiday altogether because of sport. Half of respondents who were still away watched or streamed live sport, according to the OnePoll findings. Of those, a quarter have tuned in from a restaurant, while 14% have followed the action poolside.
Time differences don't stop devoted supporters either, with 21% waking up early or staying up late to catch their favourite team in action. Some admit to going to extraordinary lengths to avoid missing a moment on holiday – with 5% of all those polled confessing they've watched while in the middle of sightseeing. Others have been willing to spend extra to stay connected, with 10% paying for Wi-Fi access and 9% using mobile data despite incurring roaming charges.
giffgaff data and response
giffgaff internal data backs up this demand for watching sports abroad, as it saw large data roaming surges during the football this summer, with international matches seeing uplifts of up to 90% for key matches.
Kate Dohaney, CEO for the mobile and broadband provider, which is currently giving data boosts on SIMs starting from just £8 per month, said: "We launched the Fair-play Summer Fund following new data that showed many of us feel like summer doesn't always play fair. From rising costs and hidden charges to missing out on experiences that matter, we wanted to help tackle some of these. This season, we've provided even greater value on our SIM plans so our members can stay connected for less. We've also helped 200 people solve their summer sting via our Fund, and are delighted to be sending Hayley to Norway as her fairness fix so she doesn't have to miss out on the summer trip she's always dreamed of."
