1st Trip to Wembley - Part 2

England 4 v 1 Montenegro. The boys done good!

A decent professional England performance topped off a wonderful 1 st Wembley experience for me and my boy.

Starting off at 9.00am from our house in Northumberland, we set off down the A1 on a 4 hour drive to my cousins house in Bedfordshire. We arrived at base camp and then set off into London via train and tube. This was my son's first experience of the Tube and he enjoyed this as much as the football later that night.

My cousin, the perfect host and guide showed my boy and I some of the sights of London, including the Mall, Buckingham Palace, Horse Guards Parade, Downing Street and the Houses of Parliament / Big Ben, however, my son seemed to be more impressed by the numerous tame squirrels in St James Park? After a taking in sights of London and a quick pit stop at Baker Street public houses, it was off to Wembley via the Metropolitan line.

Once we arrived and emerged from the Wembley Park station, we were both taken a back by the view of the stadium complete with gleaming arch in the night sky. Walking along Wembley way was somewhat of a pipe dream of mine as a kid that never quite materialised for one reason or another. This was a very special moment for me and I was very proud to share it with my oldest boy for the first time. Each step soaked up more and more of the atmosphere and a couple of photo opportunities could not be passed up on

Upon approaching the Bobby Moore statue an overwhelming sense of pride came over me, and I tried my best to make my son understand just how iconic that statue is to the English fans.

I know that Wembley cost a fortune and over 2 years to build but it was worth every penny in my eyes. What a wonderful stadium. Once my son and I took our seats we were just in awe of the place. The atmosphere was brilliant and I asked my son if he would like to play here one day, his eyes lit up and he nodded excitedly. I genuinely believe that a visit to Wembley to watch the best footballers represent their country in a World Cup qualifier can be more educational and inspiring as any coaching or game to some youngsters.

I was lucky enough to have won tickets via the FA Coaches Club and I thank the FA for that opportunity. I hope that they will continue to provide tickets (free of charge) to many more coaches and youngsters from all around the country, in order to try provide that little extra bit of magical inspiration that was so evident in my boys face that night.
I hope England go on to win against Poland tonight and make it to the World Cup, as this will inspire hundreds or thousands of children in it self.