Manchester United and Manchester City - a football trip to Manchester

Robert, who's 12 writes:

Our family loves football so I was super excited when I found out that mum and I were going on holiday all about it. We travelled by train to Manchester where we checked in to Hotel Football. The hotel was really cool as so many things were to do with footie, from the wallpaper to the pillows to the astro turf pitch on the top floor. It is also owned by ex Man Utd players. Our room was really nice. It had an incredible view of Old Trafford, really comfy beds and a complimentary mini-bar that got re-stocked every day. What more could you want?!

[caption id="attachment_4406" align="alignnone" width="1200"] View of Old Trafford from our room at Hotel Football[/caption]

On our first day in Manchester we went on a tour of Old Trafford, Manchester United’s stadium. Before the tour we spent some time in the Man Utd museum which was filled with information about the club and loads of cool objects to see. There were football boots, medals, kits and even the official Carabao Cup which United won last season.

[caption id="attachment_4407" align="alignnone" width="1200"] The pitch at Old Trafford[/caption]

The tour was brilliant! We started off by walking around the empty stadium and learning about its history. We then got to enter the Manchester United changing room where all the players would get ready. The shirts were on the wall next to where the player would sit and it was really cool to imagine that only a few days later footballing superstars like Pogba or De Gea would be sitting there. We also looked into the away dressing room which was nowhere near as fancy. This time the walls were lined with the shirts of the greatest footabllers who had players at Old Trafford including Messi, Ronaldo and David Beckham.

[caption id="attachment_4408" align="alignnone" width="1200"] The Home changing room at Old Trafford[/caption]

We then learnt more about what the players did before a game and re-enacted what players would do in the tunnel. I was the captain of my team so shook hands with my opponent before my teammates did the same. Music then started blaring and we walked down the astro onto the pitch that soon would be filled with 75,000 people. It was awesome! We then got to sit in the managers chairs before finishing the tour with a trip to the shop and some cool, free certificates.

[caption id="attachment_4409" align="alignnone" width="1200"] In the away changing room at Old Trafford[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_4410" align="alignnone" width="1200"] This letter to George Best's father was on display in the Man Utd museum[/caption]

The next day we went to the Football Museum, which was one of the best, if not the best, museums I’ve ever been to. The first floor was full of history and talked about how the game has evolved to what it is today. There were sections on stadiums, fans, media and of course the great legends and record-breakers of football. Throughout all the information boards and things to look at there were also loads of interactive things to do. There were games, quizzes, a chance to be a commentator and loads more. I especially liked the board that showed where your club had come every season for the last 200 years. I loved the first floor, yet the second was somehow even better.

[caption id="attachment_4411" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Robert became a commentator at the National Football Museum[/caption]

The second floor focused on kits, managers and the rules of the game and it was a lot more hands on.There was a section where you could be a football referee and another where you had a penalty shootout against a projected keeper. There were times when you had to kick a ball at flashing lights on the floor or to try and hit targets worth different amounts of points on the wall. There was so much to do! There were also lots of old fashioned sports games on this floor as well, which you had insert old pennies for; they were really cool.

[caption id="attachment_4412" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Stanley Matthew memorabilia at the National Football Museum[/caption]

The third floor is an exhibition so it is always changing. The exhibition we saw was all about Brazilian legend Pele and I really enjoyed it. However a new exhibition about England’s 1966 world cup victory will be opening soon.

[caption id="attachment_4413" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Manchester City's home changing room (much, much bigger than the away one!)[/caption]

Finally, mum and I travelled to the Etihad, Manchester City's ground. The stadium was much fancier with heated seats for rich people and a restaurant where you could see the tunnel, for even richer people. This tour was more focused on Manchester City as a business instead of a club, although it was still really fun. Once again I enjoyed going into the incredible changing room and was surprised at how bad the away one was. Our tour guide told us about all the tricks Man City did to annoy the opposing team and we got to walk out the tunnel and sit on the manager seats like Old Trafford. Personally I found the Old Trafford tour much more interesting but maybe that is just because I did it first.

Overall I had a brilliant time in Manchester. I loved visiting the stadiums which I see on the TV and will remember the Football Museum for years to come.

Disclosure: We were helped in our trip by Visit Manchester and our stay at Hotel Football was free. However, neither Visit Manchester, nor any of the places we visited had any input into this piece.

Read about our trip to St George's Park, where England's footballers train!

Football and fun at St George's Park, Staffordshire

We love travel and we're all big football fans too, so a trip to St George's Park sounded like a good fit for us! And you know what? It was. We all had a great time. Let Robert, aged 11, tell you more....

St George’s Park is in Staffordshire and is the English Football training ground, home to all 20 of our national teams. The site was bought by FA in 2001 but the actual project only started in 2005. It took fifteen months and £105 million to build St George’s Park and so everyone would be happy it is located right in the middle of the country. The whole site is 330 acres in size although only 130 acres are currently in use (there’s space for a golf course so the players will enjoy staying there even more in future!)

[kad_youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_AyKod7WCc&t=3s" width=200 height=100 ]

 

The Hilton hotel is connected to St George’s and is where all the players stay. It’s not just English footballers who stay there though, as foreign teams might come when they are playing an English side. Most of the Premier League teams have stayed and Barcelona have been there on two occasions. There are eleven executive rooms used mainly by managers and important club staff and the England team stayed there at the beginning of November, ahead of the World Cup qualifier game against Scotland and the friendly against Spain.

When we went to St Georges Park, the Australian Rugby Team were there, which shows that it’s not just footballers who come and stay. During the Rugby World Cup last year both the Irish and Argentinian teams rested at the Hilton.

[caption id="attachment_3496" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Robert and Harry Kane![/caption]

We were given a tour around the site and were shown some really cool things like an autograph wall which had been signed by countless famous people. Geoff Hurst was the first to sign his name and the list now includes Messi, Suarez, Gerrard, David Cameron and Ollie Murs plus loads of other footballers and celebrities.

Throughout our tour we saw some of the thirteen full size pitches that were scattered about. There was an exact replica of the pitch at Wembley Stadium which was 96 percent real grass and only four percent artificial. There was also a full size indoor pitch which cost £1m and is made of elite fibre. The indoor pitch is temperature controlled and can be watered although it is artificial. When we came, the England under 16’s were playing on this pitch.

[caption id="attachment_3497" align="alignnone" width="1200"] All of us by the Wembley replica pitch[/caption]

England has so many different football teams, including a men’s and women’s team, under 21’s, under 16’s plus a team for the blind and a team for the disabled. There are quite a few others which I haven’t yet mentioned like the English Futsal team who play Futsal, a game with a smaller teams and a smaller pitch. They train in the blue indoor Futsal hall which was paid for by St George’s main sponsor Nike and can also be used for basketball and netball. There are also a number of other pitches including a 3G pitch and one made of elite fibresand.

[caption id="attachment_3493" align="alignnone" width="1200"] The changing rooms were all named after players (or people connected to football!)[/caption]

On our tour around St George’s, which opened in October 2012, we were shown all the training equipment that players would use. There is a massive gym full of cross trainers and weights as well as three normal pools, a plunge pool and an underwater treadmill which cost a quarter of a million pounds. We were shown inside the human performance lab and I was amazed by all the machinery inside like the treadmill that takes away gravity from your legs. The room is mainly used for testing players’ ability but can also be used for player medicals.

[caption id="attachment_3494" align="alignnone" width="1200"] The state of the art underwater treadmill[/caption]

St George’s Park is home to top physios who treat the top players, although members of the public can also come as part of their medical treatment.

There are seven changing rooms on site and we were let into the under 21’s changing room and the senior team’s one where all the top English players like Harry Kane, Deli Alli and Eric Dier would have changed into their kit or had an ice bath after a game.

I loved going on the tour and learning about English football and England’s national training ground. Our rooms in the Hilton Hotel were lovely too, there was a great swimming pool we enjoyed using, and overall I had a great day.

Sarah adds: We all enjoyed our St George's tour and also staying at the Hilton. We had interconnecting rooms (always brilliant for families) and the pool area was large and really lovely. It is a huge hotel which is football themed - the bar is called Crossbar and there is a Centre Circle coffee lounge! We were particularly impressed by the excellent breakfast where there was lots of choice. It's a good place to stay if you're in the area as it's quiet and very convenient for Drayton Manor (read Robert's piece here) and the National Memorial Arboretum (read my piece here).

Disclosure: We went on the St George's tour and stayed at the Hilton as part of a “Staffordsheerescape” package, courtesy of Enjoy Staffordshire, although they had no input at all into this blog post. You can find details of the St George's tours on their website and they cost £9 per person. We also visited Drayton Manor, on a package which starts at £170 for a family of four, and includes an overnight stay (hence our stay at the Hilton St George’s Park), plus admission to Drayton Manor Park and two other attractions. There’s a basket of 10 to choose from in all, including the Snow Dome and Trentham Monkey Forest – so you’ll have a fun packed time. You can see the details of the Drayton Manor package here. You can add on the tour as an extra if you like! Rooms at the Hilton vary from £90 to £110 per room per night.

What to do in Norwich (by all of us!)

Jess, aged 14, writes: During half term, our family visited Norwich and the Norfolk Broads. Over the course of our two days in Norwich, we visited fascinating museums, ate delicious food, and saw gorgeous sights, such as the castle and cathedral. We were very lucky to have a fair bit of sun, and loved walking around the city. Here are our favourite bits (don't miss the video which Robert made too - just click on the link!)

[kad_youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JVJqGPn57g" width=200 height=100 ]

 

We stayed in the Norwich City Holiday Inn, which was very convenient and great for families. We always find inter-connecting rooms useful, and the fact that Robert and I had separate beds was a bonus. The food was good, and everything was clean and tidy. It wasn't luxurious, but it is a great budget choice for families, and it's right next to Norwich City's football stadium!

Sarah says: We decided to start at our trip at the Museum of Norwich at Bridewell and were really impressed by this lovely, informative gem of a museum. The museum gives the story of this city (once England's second in terms of importance), and taught us a lot, impressing all of us. It is bright and easy to navigate (it's set out logically) and also very interactive, which appealed to the children.

[caption id="attachment_2303" align="alignnone" width="1200"] We loved looking around the Norwich Museum.[/caption]

Norwich's story includes that of the "strangers" - Huguenots who were invited to come from the Netherlands in the 16th century in order to help the textile industry. Thirty families of master weavers came initially (soon followed by more) and made a huge contribution to the city's fortunes.

Norwich's story is not only one of textiles and weaving, but also of mustard (Colman's of course), plus football (we found out why Norwich City are called the Canaries), chocolate (Caleys and Rowntrees) and shoes (Norwich used to provide eight million pairs of shoes a year!).

[caption id="attachment_2305" align="alignnone" width="900"] We loved looking at the old fashioned objects from Norwich[/caption]

We were surprised by how much there was to see in this small museum and I was especially fascinated by its darker side, as it used to be a prison. The stories of some of those who spent time here were really sobering.
The Museum is in Bridewell Alley, off Bedford Street and is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 to 4.30am. It costs £5.20 for adults and £3.90 for children. You can also pop in for an hour for just £1 which seems a great idea to us.

[caption id="attachment_2307" align="alignnone" width="1200"] We loved visiting Norwich Castle![/caption]

Robert, aged 10, writes: I really enjoyed exploring the medieval castle. We studied an array of interesting displays on the top floor and had fun taking part in some interactive activities on British History on the first floor. My favourite was an activity where you catapulted a rock and had to try and knock over a wall. The castle used to be a prison and there was a very interesting display about this, including stories of criminals and even a prison cell.

The second floor was my favourite though. When we went there was an exhibition on dragons and the How To Train Your Dragon books so there were loads of things to do on that topic. They included listening to books being read out and arts and crafts. I created my own mini dragon.

[caption id="attachment_2309" align="alignnone" width="851"] There was so much to do, see, and make in Norwich Castle[/caption]

Jess says: Norwich Cathedral is one of the most complete major Romanesque buildings in Europe, and has the second tallest spire and largest monastic cloisters in England. It was absolutely beautiful, and we walked around for about half an hour. There are guided tours around the 900 year -old Cathedral but we did not take one, preferring to walk around at a leisurely pace.

[caption id="attachment_2301" align="alignnone" width="1200"] The Cathedral was absolutely beautiful.[/caption]

We really enjoyed reading the inscriptions on the walls and tombstones, and reading the memorials. We also thought the staff were extremely friendly.The Cathedral is free to enter, although they do ask for donations.

[caption id="attachment_2310" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Robert loved looking at the art and making his own versions of it at the Sainsbury's Centre for Art[/caption]

Robert says: I loved going to the Sainsbury's Centre for Art as it displayed a large assortment of intricate sculptures and detailed painting that had been made over the years. I was stunned by the art and felt so relaxed when I drew some of my favourites on a piece of paper I was given, as it was so quiet and calm. The building itself was enormous; you could go outside and walk around the giant plot of land surrounding the gallery which had a starring role in the second Avengers movie. I really enjoyed going there and it was the highlight of my trip.

Sarah writes: Norwich was a lovely city to walk around and we really enjoyed the combination of the old and new side. There are lovely cobbled streets to walk along and small, independent shops and galleries in the Lanes and the medieval quarter, but there are also all the high street favourites, and it's so convenient to walk everywhere! Don't miss the huge market, which is right in the centre, and which is full of all sorts of different stalls (from food to clothes).

[caption id="attachment_2312" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Norwich was full of lovely shops.[/caption]

We especially enjoyed the fantastic food at the Macarons and More shop in the Royal Arcade (look at their website for some amazing pictures!) and had a terrific lunch at the Britons Arms, which is set in a 15th century building - and which featured in the film Stardust.

[caption id="attachment_2313" align="alignnone" width="1200"] We had a delicious lunch at the Britons Arms[/caption]

We had hoped to visit the Strangers' Hall, which has been a home to merchants and mayors in Norwich since 1320, but unfortunately it was closed, so definitely check up on its opening times if you're interested in a visit.

Jess writes: We had a lovely time in Norwich - the castle was beautiful, the museum was fascinating, and I loved my cinnamon pretzel, massive pistachio macaroon, and my raspberry meringue pavlova. Norwich is full of scrumptious food, which was one of the reasons that it is perfect for families. Norwich is full of so many things to see and do, and we would love to go back and see them all.

Disclosure: Our visit to Norwich was organised with help from Visit Norwich. We stayed in the Holiday Inn on a complimentary basis, although neither Visit Norwich not the hotel had any input into this piece. Our rooms at the Holiday Inn would have cost £95 per night including breakfast. Kids eat free at the hotel (we took advantage of this!)

More by us:

Seeing seals at Horsey Beach in Norfolk

Our Top Tips for Getting Around in London

A Fascinating Day at the Newseum in Washington DC