Not so sure about the north American fans, but on youthful journeys, particularly to England, I would look out for the unmistakable sights of floodlight pylons reaching for the sky on the approach to towns or cities.
It meant that’s where the local football club was. It would depend of course on who was driving, but I’d often wonder if it were possible to nip in and see the stadium.
Or simply going to a match in an unfamiliar location, you’d look for the towering floodlights and know you were on course.
Didn’t help me right enough the time I gave a girlfriend a book with the directions for Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough stadium, and asked her to navigate as I drove.