Hi there,
I hope every body is well. This blog is about my first trip to Old Trafford to watch a football match.
On Saturday 2nd September my son and I went to Old Trafford to watch a Legends match between Manchester United and Barcelona.
As you may know Old Trafford is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of around 75,000, it is the largest club football stadium in the United Kingdom.
I have been a Manchester United fan ever since I was young and this was my first ever time watching a match at Old Trafford. I know it was just a legends match but it still felt special.
It was a lovely sunny warm day and I remember feeling very excited when I arose. I was like a child in a sweet shop. We got to the ground at around 12 (kick off was at 3pm). My son and I had a slow walk around and took in the atmosphere. Outside the ground was the fan zone with some things for children to do.
We started queuing up to get in the stadium at around 1pm. We got inside and found our seats, in the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand. The view was absolutely amazing. I was awe-struck.
Here are some pictures I took of the day.
We watched “The Vamps” perform before the start of the match. But was a bit of a let down as they were only on for around 20 minutes. I was expecting much longer. And other than that there was not much else pre-match entertainment. And further more there was not much at half time either. But this did not affect our enjoyment of the day.
A minutes silence was observed before kick off (in remembrance of those affected by Terrorist attacks in Manchester & Barcelona) and you could of heard a pin drop as an eerie silence came over the stadium. It was quiet an emotional feeling seeing every body observing it.
Finally we cheered as the match kicked off. And I was not disappointed as the game itself was brilliant. It was end to end stuff and full of action. Because of where we were seated I was really close to the action. And I felt privileged seeing all the different “Legend” players from both sides. I saw Van Nistelrooy, Dwight Yorke, Ji-sung Park, Edgar Davids, Luis Garcia and many others. It just made the day extra special.
Although it did not really matter (in my opinion) who won, as it was a great spectacle and all the money raised was going to local charities, the match itself ended 2-2 (Manchester United won 5-3 on aggregate, as they had won 3-1 away in Barcelona).
The atmosphere was amazing and we had a fantastic time. We even participated in a “Mexican Wave” at one point. The stadium itself is amazing and the staff were very helpful. However, I must admit the food and drink was very expensive. I spent £20 on a couple of drinks and an ice cream!
But on the whole, it was a great day :).
Check out this YouTube video I did of our trip.
My first visit to old Trafford
Blog of Darren Derbyshire 