An exclusive football weekend in Manchester

Getting there: everything arranged in advance

Ten of us, entrepreneurs and business contacts, flew out on the Friday with KLM from Amsterdam Schiphol to Manchester. The professionalism of The Football Travel Agency was clear before we even left. We received a thorough briefing, the programme was worked out in detail, and an experienced football hospitality specialist from TFTA travelled with us for the entire weekend.

That turned out to be worth a great deal. Nobody had to think about transfers, reservations, tickets or timings. It was all taken care of, which meant we could concentrate on our guests, on the conversations between us, and on enjoying a football weekend out of the ordinary.

Friday: Old Trafford and an evening with club legends

A private VIP transfer was waiting at Manchester Airport and took us straight to Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United and one of the best-known grounds in English football. After a short stop for photographs we continued to the Hilton Garden Inn Emirates Old Trafford, an unusual hotel built into the Lancashire Cricket ground of the same name.

The evening began with dinner together at Hotel Football, directly alongside Old Trafford. Afterwards The Football Travel Agency took us to an exclusive Superstar Speakers Evening.

Our host was Alan Keegan, known internationally as the Voice of Old Trafford and for many years the official stadium announcer at Manchester United. He interviewed three club legends: Steve Coppell, Stuart Pearson and Sammy McIlroy, who shared personal stories and gave us a look behind the scenes of the professional game.

There was ample opportunity to have photographs taken with the former players and to meet other supporters. During the evening an official Manchester United shirt was raffled and football memorabilia went under the hammer, with all proceeds going to charity.

Saturday: matchday

After a traditional English breakfast, matchday began. We travelled by tram towards the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City’s ground on the east side of the city, stopping briefly in the city centre. By late November Manchester was already fully in Christmas mode, which made a fine backdrop for a walk and some early Christmas shopping.

We arrived at the ground well before kick-off so we could take in the build-up properly. The club shop, the thousands of supporters and the tension you could feel in the air made it obvious why a Premier League match is about far more than ninety minutes of football.

The Tunnel Club

For this match The Football Travel Agency had arranged places in the Asahi Super Dry Tunnel Club, one of the most remarkable hospitality packages anywhere in the Premier League.

After a warm welcome we sat down to a three-course dinner. Then came the moment every football supporter dreams about. From inside the Tunnel Club we watched the Manchester City players walk past towards the players’ tunnel, a matter of metres away. Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne, Phil Foden and the rest of the squad went by right in front of us while the television cameras were setting up for the live broadcast. As a supporter you cannot get much closer to the players than this.

Before the ground had even filled up we had all the time we needed to take photographs, watch the warm-up at close quarters and take in the atmosphere inside the Etihad.

The match

From our seats close to the pitch we watched a remarkable Premier League match. Manchester City lost 0-4 to Tottenham Hotspur, against every expectation. That took nothing away from the experience; matches like this are the ones that stay with you. Afterwards we could talk it over at length in the hospitality area with dessert, coffee and an official matchday programme to take home.

On the recommendation of our TFTA host we went into central Manchester later that evening, where we closed out the day together.

Sunday: home

On the Sunday the VIP transfer was ready to take us to Manchester Airport. A few hours later we landed back at Schiphol, still talking about everything we had experienced together.

What it delivered

Looking back, this was a great deal more than a football trip. It was a business experience organised down to the last detail, in which everything fitted. From the flights and transfers to the hotels, restaurants, hospitality and events, every element had been carefully aligned with the rest.

What mattered most, though, was the peace of mind The Football Travel Agency gave us. Because the entire organisation was taken off our hands and we had someone with us throughout the weekend, we could give our full attention to each other. Valuable conversations came out of it, along with new business contacts and memories that will be talked about for a long time.

Finally

The Football Travel Agency has shown that a football trip can be far more than attending a match. It is a complete experience in which elite sport, hospitality, networking and moments you do not forget all come together.

Are you a business, an organisation or a group of friends looking for an exclusive football trip to England, Premier League hospitality, a client or incentive trip, or a fully arranged football experience? It is the combination of personal guidance, bespoke arrangements and access to experiences you cannot book yourself that makes the difference.