If you aren’t a proper football fan, but like to dabble in the glamour and excitement of the winners and losers, or at least like the idea of indulging in a team away from home, then picking an English premiership team is a fine idea. Some of the best footballers from around the world flock to the English premiership, which is renowned for producing some of the most exciting games you’ll see.
If you’re venturing to England to check out some of the main attractions, then the historical football stadiums can certainly offer a spectacle.
The Emirates houses Arsenal, or ‘The Gunners’. The club actually started in Woolwich Arsenal when a group of workers at the Woolwich Arsenal Armament Factory formed a squad way back in 1886. In 1913, it moved to Highbury before changing names and venues again in 2006 from Highbury to The Emirates. Affectionately known as ‘The Home of Football’ by players and fans, it can hold up to 60,355 supporters (or haters if you’re a rival Tottenham fan spitting blood at the mention of this club - oh yes football is THAT tribal). The royal family of Arsenal players is rich and long: Ian Wright, Tony Adams, Thierry Henry, and Cesc Fabregas are a handful of famous names that have played, or play for Arsenal. They have a reputation for playing some of the ‘prettiest’ and most poetic football in the premiership so if you want to witness some great action and aren’t aligned to a special team, then Arsenal make an attractive choice.
Check out the Arsenal website for details of matches and how to get there.
Old Trafford - a Mecca of the North - has its nickname too after Bobby Charlton (a United legend) called it the ‘Theatre of Dreams’. Built in 1909, it is the largest stadium in the world, ever, and can house up to 80,000 fans. It’s a loud and epic experience, full of chants and thrills as football legends take to the Trafford stage. Modern players include Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, and over the years Eric Cantona and David Beckham and the late, great George Best have perfomed football-pitch magic. If you wander through the Old Trafford museum, you’ll get a backlog of history, and a profile of past legends, like the stars of Matt Busby’s team. Tickets aren’t cheap, but it’s a real day out and you’ll be entertained by the expert and super-human skills of Cristiano Ronaldo - considered by many to be one of the best modern players in the world.
Football can be just about as dramatic as it gets. It can be messy, ferocious and thrilling and certainly a spectacle worth seeing, just once.
You can fly on one of many direct and cheap flights to Manchester with Fly Monarch to spend a weekend touring the city and checking out Old Trafford. Look at Manchester United’s website to view fixtures for games and information on how to book tickets.