Back in February Patrick and I made a trip to Manchester, England to watch our favorite team, Manchester City, take on Chelsea in the Premier League. We have had the incredible privilege of getting to know the club on a more personal level and it was so fun to be back at the stadium for the third time for such an insane match.

Every time I post about Manchester City a get several questions about why Patrick and I support the club. I have grown up around and have played soccer my entire life. My dad was a coach, I played D1 Soccer in college and my great grandfather even played professional soccer for Tottenham. Patrick got me my first Man City Jersey almost 8 years ago when we first started dating. For as long as I’ve known Patrick, he has gotten up before the sun to watch the games on weekend and it slowly morphed into something we would do together. There is so much passion behind the club that has come from years and years of ups and downs with relentless support. There is no one that represents the beautiful game quite like Manchester City, so being able to watch 3 games at the stadium in the last couple years has been such a dream for us!

Friday: Train from London to Manchester

Patrick and I flew out a couple days early to work and explore London before taking the train up to Manchester. We checked into the Holiday Inn Manchester City Centre, which I highly recommend. It is conveniently located right next to Piccadilly Station and close to some of our favorite restaurants.

Saturday: Etihad Stadium and Dinner at Cottonopolis

On Saturday, Patrick and I met our friend and City photographer, Tom Flathers, at Etihad Stadium to take some photos (most of the images seen in this recap are by him)! It is such a surreal experience to have the stadium all to ourselves and see the calm before the storm. We even got to see the starting lineup in the locker room before the game and were sworn to secrecy haha!

That evening, the Social Media Coordinator/City TV Producer took us out to Cottonopolis for dinner and drinks, a favorite of ours in the city, to meet the rest of the influencers on the trip. It was so fun to meet such interesting people from all over the world and get to share an incredible experience with them in Manchester. Make sure to give them a follow!

Kelly – Manchester

Sarah – Nashville

Rannvijay – India

Bruno – Brazil

Larissa – India

Triz – Brazil

Sunday: Game Day!!!

We came out to Manchester to watch the City vs. Chelsea match in the Premier League. We got to the pitch early for the Blue Carpet Experience where we got to watch the players arrive and then got to go pitchside before the game. Bucketlist ✓ City ended up winning 6-0. It was such an insane game!! Aguero scored a hat trick and our seats were right next to where the team scored the first 4 goals. The crowd was electric and our group was going crazy!

After the game we all went to 20 Stories in Manchester for drinks to celebrate (If you ever find yourself in Manchester you have to go here and grab a drink on their chic rooftop). After a few toasts to a successful weekend and a huge win for the city, we went to a local club where a few of the players later joined. I still don’t know how we kept our cool being at a club with Aguero and Kyle Walker, but the entire day definitely goes down as one of the coolest experiences Patrick and I have ever had together!

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