It was not so long ago that any discussion of the English national football team would default to hooliganism.

But things have changed from the days of England “fans” throwing plastic chairs across Brussels side streets and running riot in Marseille.

Watching England is now a more leisurely pursuit – even if it is confined to the stands rather than the action on the pitch.

The Japan World Cup in 2002 was a turning point, believes playwright and fan Paul Hodson.

“England fans are no longer those types who used to appear at the beginning of news reports.

“Of course, there is still a tiny minority, but at the German World Cup in 2006 there were thousands there for weeks and there was no trouble at all. I hope the bad days are behind us.”

Many fans whose support had waned are returning – including Hodson.

He rediscovered his love for the team and travelled to Montenegro and San Marino to watch qualifying away games for this year’s Brazil World Cup and to Wembley to see home games.

On his return, he found a surprising new breed of fan and “a melting pot of characters”.

“You meet lads you wouldn’t normally fancy being in a dark alley with, the traditional hooligan-looking lads, and talk to them to find amazing things that don’t fit the stereotype.

“You meet lots of wealthy expats at the away games and I didn’t realise this breed of person existed – they have the money to go to Rio to watch England.

“I met women who would go to England home and away games on their own. I didn’t think that happened. And I met a lot of Asian fans who were more passionate about following England than anyone I have ever met.”

With his writer’s eye, he saw the opportunity to pen something about England which was more than a series of anecdotes about the “English disease”.

“People have been there and done it, so I thought it was time to explore new ground.”

England Away uses England’s 5-1 defeat of Germany in Munich in 2001 as the setting-off point for a piece which rewinds to 1945, with the protagonists’ ancestors marching through Europe for home, fighting fascism while dreaming of a new England, and fast-forwards to contemporary English fans.

“Football is the great leveller,” says Hodson.

“You can get a vicar and a scallywag sitting next to each other.

“Watching those games I got doubly interested and went off on another line. I couldn’t stop thinking about what it was they were supporting.

“It raised questions: what is Englishness and England? What was it, and what will it be? Why do we feel patriotic?”

The play begins the night before the game. Five characters are on a campsite, thrown together by circumstance and meeting each other for the first time.

“I thought English people in Germany probably become more English than they normally are.

“There is a lot going on about attitudes to war and patriotism.

“That has become the key structure for the main part of the show, following these guys over a pretty messy drunken and druggy night for some of them and their individual stories that spill out.”

Stand-up comic Eddy Brimson – a Watford fan who travelled abroad with England in the 1990s and wrote books retelling the adventures – appears between scenes to deliver skits about football culture and national identity.

He is now based in Brighton and reflects on the changes since 2001.

Hodson – who penned much-loved Albion tale Brighton ’Til I Die! and made the first stage adaptation of Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch – calls Brimson’s appearance a first.

“I’ve devised the characters but the idea struck me that Eddy could be in it.

“He does four sets intertwined with the play. He heads the show really – is the MC – and gives a third angle.”

  • England Away is at The Old Market, Upper Market Street, Hove, on Wednesday, April 30. Starts 7.30pm, tickets £12. Call 01273 201801