The UK football Tour in January 2020 was an absolute experience of a lifetime. We set off on the 7th of January leaving our families behind at Canberra Airport. We then travelled halfway across the world and 24 hours’ worth of flying later, we made it to Manchester, England. We landed at 6am and with half-awake bodies, we went to Etihad Stadium, the home of Manchester City. We were taken on a tour of the stadium and its facilities including behind the scenes access to changing rooms and media rooms. Our first day in England was an absolute success with many of the boys loving the food, people and the scenes.
Our first game in England came in Manchester against Manchester Grammar School. This was an amazing experience playing in the cold, on a synthetic pitch against amazing talent. After a stadium tour of Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United, we went to our first Premier League Match, Norwich vs Man United, ending in a 4-0 United win. It was a once in a lifetime experience for all of us.
We then took a day trip to Liverpool where we visited Anfield, the home of Liverpool. While in Liverpool we also visited the memorial for the titanic and where the beetles originated. After the memorials we drove to Mount Saint Marys Boarding school where we played our second match and stayed for 2 nights. After Mount Saint Marys we travelled to St Georges Training park, the home of England’s national teams training facilities. At St Georges park we were trained by two professional coaches and also did hydrotherapy. Hydrotherapy included an ice bath and an underwater treadmill. Personally, this was one of the highlights of the tour and a phenomenal experience.
After St Georges Park we travelled to Birmingham where we stayed while playing against Wrekin College. While in Birmingham we also went to Villa Park, the home of Aston Villa. This was my favourite stadium tour as the stadium and team had a rich history and impressive facilities. After Birmingham we travelled to Cardiff in Wales where we went to a local farmers markets, travelled to Cardiff Castle and toured around Principality Stadium the home of welsh rugby. After playing a tough match in hail we drove to our final destination of our tour, London.
Before coming to London, we stopped at Windsor Castle and watched the guards. That afternoon, we went to our second and final Premier League fixture, West Ham vs Everton. The game finished in a 1-1 draw but was full of entertainment and controversy. The next morning, we went to Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium, one of the newest and most impressive stadiums we visited. Straight after, we visited Emirates Stadium, the home of Arsenal. That night we went walking around London sightseeing. This was definitely my favourite night of the tour as we saw the iconic Big Ben, London Eye and Westminster Abbey.
The next morning, we went to Wembley before playing the final fixture of our tour against Epsom College. At Epsom we were trained by an ex-Chelsea coach, Rob Seale before playing. This was my favourite game and 100% the most thrilling match. That night we all came together as a tour and had an award night featuring many fun awards and gifts. The next morning, we went to Buckingham palace and then walked down Oxford Street. We then finished our tour by going into the infamous store, Harrods. We then went to the airport and said goodbye to our bus driver Steve. We then took the 24-hour flight home and were sad to leave our amazing adventure behind.
It was such a privilege to go overseas and it was even more special as I was honoured to Captain the 17 other boys on this tour. I would like to thank all the schools we played against, Mr Zarb, Ms Manenica, Mr Woodger, Ms Hutchinson, Aiden Rhodes and especially a massive thanks to Mr Hall. Without Mr Hall this tour wouldn’t have been possible, he made the tour 100 times better and took me under his wing. There also needs to be a special thank you and amount of appreciation to all the parents who allowed us to go on this trip.
Matthew McGrath (Year 10)
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