Soccer Academy England Trip - Day 6

Tuesday, March 13 – Manchester 

We had breakfast at 8 a.m. The boys were moving a bit slow after a hard-fought game the night before. We took a mini-bus into Doncaster’s train station to board the train for an hour-long ride into Manchester’s City Center. 

At 2:30 p.m., we all traveled out to Old Trafford to get a VIP tour, including the players’ lounge and locker room. The kids were able to sit where the players sit during games. We also saw the special florescent lights that roll over the 18’ yard box to help the grass grow and recover. At the end of the tour, we went to the Manchester United stadium store to help Manchester's economy. I was also able to meet a friend of mine at the stadium, Manchester United Academy coach Tom Statham. (Tom is working with me on a few potential Soccer Academy players for the years to come!)

When we loaded the bus from Old Trafford, we were taken to the hotel for 15 minutes before going to watch the Doncaster Rovers vs. Reading game. We were seated 20 yards from the visiting fan section ... and let me tell you, there is no love loss between the clubs!