Friday, 06 June 2025-Manchester!

Today started at about 7:30 when we left the hotel to travel to Manchester. After arriving, we took a tram straight to Etihad Campus and walked to start our tour of Etihad Stadium, the home of Premier League club Manchester City. Compared to the other stadiums we toured, this one was by far the most interesting. We even got to learn about the sport psychology that the manager, Pep Guardiola, has implemented into the stadium and match day routines. After touring Etihad, we crossed the bridge to the club’s academy, an 80-acre complex with 16 full-size pitches. It was interesting to learn about development through the academy, especially because Phil Foden (a famous footballer) has been with the club his whole life! He also has two boxes in Etihad, since he is so local. This academy, along with other affiliate programs worldwide, is how the club recruits and develops talent for its first team. This is also the home of the women’s team! 

After some time in the gift shop (per usual), we took a tram downtown and split off into groups for some time to explore the city before dinner. Some went to Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United, to have a look around. One group went to a street show and got to help wow the crowd! Another tried some Mexican cuisine and had a kick about in a local park. Afterwards, we all met up for dinner at the Crafty Pig. Everyone seemed to enjoy their meals, especially Matt and Enzo. The food was demolished. And of course, we were all serenaded by the boys’ wonderful freestyling...

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By the time dinner ended, we were all ready to head back to Camden. With a two-hour train ride ahead of us, we were lucky to have almost the whole coach to ourselves (a bit unlucky for the few poor locals). Unlike most nights, when we got back, everyone actually checked in and went to bed. Overall, today was a great day in Manchester! Cheers!

Julia Flynn