On Friday we departed from Lancing College at 8am aboard two coach buses headed for Manchester. We were expecting a long ride as highways are typically congested heading north toward the cities.
Early wake up at 6:30, breakfast scheduled for 7:15 and boxed lunches for all of us were prepared by the kitchen staff at the college for our journey.
The new duffle bags received on Monday from CMT came in handy as they are the perfect size for an overnight trip.
We had a stop at a service area at 10am to swap out bus drivers, then continued on straight to Manchester. In total, it took us about 6.5 hours to get there with traffic and construction on the roads.
And I was able to get a proper latte...
Upon arrival, we sat at the picnic tables lining the main entrance to Old Trafford to eat lunch and take photos with the stadium as a backdrop.
The staff treated us to a quick tour, and a visit to the museum, and photos inside the stadium. The kids repeatedly could be heard saying “whoa” and “wow” as they were amazed by the views and scope of the historic 76,000 seat ground.
The staff treated us to a quick tour, and a visit to the museum, and photos inside the stadium. The kids repeatedly could be heard saying “whoa” and “wow” as they were amazed by the views and scope of the historic 76,000 seat ground.
Our hotel was a stone’s throw from Old Trafford: Hotel Football. Only a year or so old, it is owned by Manchester United greats Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt, etc. The mini fridges in each of the rooms were stacked with complimentary sweets, and it didn’t take long for the kids to realize this and stuff their bags with something to enjoy later.
Another exciting part to arriving in Manchester was being greeted by several of the SUSC families as they just reached the UK. In addition to the players’ families (Olszewski, Brown, Zimmermann, Ragonese, Varley, Strong, Dos Santos, Rodgers, Cortez), Chris Scott’s parents drove down from Scotland, and Iain Scott’s parents, sister, and daughter made the journey from Newcastle by train to spend some time with us.
After checking in, we had about 45 minutes before departing for our games. The boys played on the Manchester City training facility, with the girls just a few blocks away. Again more competitive games for all four of our teams, and the kids responded once again with positive results. Feedback from the Manchester parents and coaches was great to hear too, as they were impressed with Seacoast United’s performances. Photographs on the campus of the Man City Training Ground were prohibited.
Back to the hotel for a lovely dinner in the conference room dining area overlooking Old Trafford, then bedtime for the kids after a long day.
Adults met in the hotel lounge for a pint after the kids went to bed to celebrate the games.
Adults met in the hotel lounge for a pint after the kids went to bed to celebrate the games.
View all the pics from today here.
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