Schalker International: Josh Cordeschi

Hi, Josh! Tell us about your story.
When I was young, I was inspired to create my own football videos to showcase the experiences for fans who can’t attend so that they could feel a part of the atmosphere. Watching other YouTubers ultimately made me want to start to create videos. I started when I was 15, but have taken it more seriously in the last couple of years. Now, aged 21, I have been to some of the most famous football stadiums and fixtures in world football.

Talk us through your challenge.
I set myself the challenge of attending seven football matches in seven countries across seven days. I had to visit two continents and every goal scored in the series meant I would donate £5 to charity. Additionally, I had to visit stadiums I had never been to before to make it more interesting! I believe that on YouTube you have to challenge yourself and deliver content other people might not do – it was a challenge I had been eager to do for a long time. I love football, I love travelling and I love creating content – the perfect trio for this challenge!

I brainstorm video ideas and I’ve wanted to start the season strong for my YouTube channel & I felt this was the perfect start I needed. A lot of money was spent, risks were taken but this goes for anything in life – ‚risk for reward‘ is sometimes a step you have to take!

How did the challenge go? What were the highlights? What kind of difficulties did you experience?
The series went fantastically, but not without its low points. The highlight was the access the clubs gave me, especially Schalke, who allowed me to go pitch-side, conducted an interview with me and gave me a shirt too. The all-round experience at the stadium left me speechless! The interview at the VELTINS-Arena was a big thing for me because I was that kid in school who was shy and struggled to speak in front of people. Fast forward to now and I went out of my comfort zone to conduct an interview in front of thousands of people! I felt very proud of myself, but also very grateful to the club for this opportunity – I loved it! This experience was the best part of the challenge for me.

My lowest point was my journey from Sweden to Italy. The flight kept on getting delayed and I was starting to run out of time. I had no plan B, I couldn’t do anything and it was out of my control. With time ticking and my hopes running out, I decided I couldn’t let this defeat me. Just six hours before the game kicked off in Italy, I booked a new flight from Sweden to Copenhagen and then from Copenhagen to Bologna in Italy. I had to then get a train up to the football match, it was the most stressful travel experience of my life. I ultimately only caught the second half of the game, but that was still a miracle when you consider that I thought I’d completely miss it!

Were you impressed by the VELTINS-Arena and your experience at the game?
The whole experience at Schalke simply took my breath away and left me speechless. It’s the kind of place that I would love to come back and visit every single week. The fans are so passionate about the area and the club, it’s evident to see. 60,000 fans for a second-division game is simply ridiculous! They created a fantastic atmosphere and I would love to visit again. The stadium is a work of art and it’s up there with one of my favourites out of the ones I’ve been to.

The people were really friendly and helpful, and that made the experience even more special. I would like to thank the club for allowing me to have the time of my life – it was the best treatment I’ve received from anywhere I’ve visited. I will never take this kind of thing for granted.