A chat with Joe Bryant
RdL: Hi Joe. First of all, let’s start with your main passion: Lego. When did you fall in love with these wonderful bricks?
J: I started building stands when i was younger, about 5. Then I went on holiday and i started watching a lot of german football. I liked Lego and football both at the time, so i decided to start building Lego stadiums. I also liked Bundesliga, so I chose this championship.
RdL: You’re a fan of Ipswich Town. What’s your favourite memory about The Blues? Do you believe in a promotion this year to the Championship?
J: I’d like it to happen, but I don’t think it will. My favourite moment about probably was Watford-Ipswich, a promotion game in March 2015. We scored a very late goal and the fans went crazy. Also, there were inflatables all around the stands.
RdL: When did you fall in love with Bundesliga and german football?
J: When I was 5, as I said before. The trip in Germany gave me interest in German football.
RdL: You have built more than ten different german stadiums. What do you love the most about them? And what do you miss the most since the start of the pandemic?
J: I miss the fans and the atmosphere, because they’re really loud in Germany. All the stadiums there are different, which I think it’s a very good thing. I also miss the Bratwurst!
RdL: Not only Bundesliga: you have built also the Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, home of Anderlecht. Can you tell me why this choice?
J: I was on the way back from Germany and I wanted to see another ground. I went to Anderlecht and it was really cool, an amazing reveal. Then I decided to build that stadium, which is now in their museum.
RdL: In your future plans there are constructions of stadiums all around Europe, maybe in Italy?
J: When I say “What Lego stadium should I build next?” there are always a lot of suggestions: I get German ones, but also from all around the world. I get comments from Peru, Italy: San Siro or the Olimpico, for example.
RdL: What has been the most difficult stadium to build? And the easiest one?
J: They’re all really hard! There are different feautures, I was finding the roof very hard. I think the hardest one has been the last I made, Wolfsburg. That’s because the roof raises up and it’s curved, but in the middle there’s a rectangle. It was really hard to keep it curved, because of the shape of bricks.
VfL Wolfsburg – the best of 2020 | 5️⃣ of 9️⃣
The best Lego version of the Volkswagen Arena comes of course from @AwayDayJoe_. 🏟👌#VfLWofsburg🎄
📸 (Joe Bryant) pic.twitter.com/pxzEB1Uevh— VfL Wolfsburg EN/US 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 (@VfLWolfsburg_EN) December 25, 2020
RdL: Hertha Berlin, Werder Brema and Mainz have placed your stadiums in their museums. What does it mean to you?
J: It means a lot, becuase when they decide to keep my Lego stadium, fans get to see it, which I think it’s wonderful. When this doesn’t happen, I have to break it down to use other bricks. So if the keep it, it stays up forever.
RdL: What’s your favourite stadium in the list of your constructions? And in general?
J: I really like the Olympiastadion, but also the Dortmund one. To be honest, I love every German stadiums, for different reasons.
RdL: Okay Joe, last question. If you could build a whole football player with LEGO bricks, who would it be?
J: That’s a good question… maybe a Legodowski!
how it started how it’s going pic.twitter.com/tWAMcbGg1I
— Joe Bryant (@AwayDayJoe_) October 9, 2020
