Back in April Patrick and I got to travel to Manchester, England to watch our favorite team, Manchester City, take on their biggest rival in the Premier League. I’ve had many exciting jobs in the past, but getting to work with my favorite team for such a momentous match is something that I will always remember as a highlight in my career. I have grown up around and have played soccer my entire life and Patrick got me my first Man City Jersey almost 8 years ago. We’ve watched countless games together on TV, but it was always on our bucket list to go to a game in Manchester and see them play in person, which we were finally able to do last year.  There is no one that represents The Beautiful Game quite like Manchester City, so being able to watch 2 games in Manchester in less than a year has been a complete dream for us! Make sure to check out the Manchester Vlog at the bottom of this post!

Obviously I was beyond stoked to hear that Man City announced a US tour this Summer! They are playing in Chicago, New York and Miami and the tickets are already almost sold out!! The games are such an incredible experience, and the fans are unlike anyone else in the world! Going to a game would be such a fun date night or family outing if you are able to get tickets! Patrick and I will be at the Miami game vs. Bayern Munich on July 28th. Let me know if you plan on going to the game in Miami as well. I would love to plan a meetup!

We had such an amazing experience with Manchester City back in April! I had a few requests for our Manchester Itinerary for those traveling to England this year, so I’m excited to share our experience with you!

Wednesday-Thursday: Travel

We flew out to Manchester for the weekend and stayed at The Midland Hotel, which is a stunning hotel in the heart of Manchester City Centre. I definitely recommend staying at this hotel if you are making a trip! Their Spa is incredible and the hotel is in the absolute perfect location! This was also the first time we did not take a redeye for an international trip and it was 100% the way to go. Although we basically spent a day traveling, we didn’t get any jet lag and actually felt well-rested and ready for the experience. Once we got to our hotel we ate breakfast, took a long nap to catch up on sleep, worked a little bit and then went to a nice restaurant in the city.

Friday: City Football Academy & Etihad Stadium Tour

Friday was such an exciting day because the entire town was wearing blue and prepping for the match on Saturday! You could already feel the anticipation for the game. Football (should I say football or soccer?!!) is such a massive part of the culture in Europe. Being there for one of the most momentous games in the club’s history was unlike anything I have every experienced. The club made Patrick and I customized jerseys for the game on Saturday – I got “City Blonde” on mine, of course!

We got to spend the entire morning at their training ground where we got to see the practice fields, offices and even got to meet a Man City Legend, Joleon Lescott (see photo below). Patrick has been a Man City fan his entire life – so watching him freak out over every single thing we were experiencing was the BEST.

I got the exciting chance to work with one of Manchester City’s Photographers and Videographers which was so much fun! I swear every person we met there was so generous! The photographer, Tom Flathers, took Patrick and I into the Etihad Stadium to take pictures and also gave us a little private tour. We had the entire stadium to ourselves – it was unreal. We got to sit in the seats where the coaches and players are during the games and even got to walk through the infamous Tunnel Club.

After lunch we got to sit in on the Pre-Match Press Conference with Pep Guadiola, one of the best coaches in history. There were no more than 30 people allowed in the room and it totally felt like we were dreaming. It was such an unreal experience to be just feet away from such a legend and to hear him speak about the upcoming match to the reporters!

That evening, the Social Media Coordinators and City TV Producers took us out to Cottonopolis, a trendy restaurant in Manchester where we drank lots and lots of champagne to celebrate such an exciting weekend.

Saturday: Game Day

We arrived to the stadium early to pregame with the crowd. It was complete chaos! People were singing, drinking and getting so pumped up for the match. When we got to our seat, City fans were already singing in unison and holding up their City scarves. There wasn’t an empty seat in the house and you could feel an immense amount of energy pulsing through Etihad Stadium.

We were up 2-0 in the first half, I saw literal tears from grown men when we scored haha. There was so much passion! Unfortunately in the second half, Manchester United came out with a vengeance and scored 3 goals to win the game. The energy was so intense between the two rivals. If we had won this match, we would have won the Premier League that day against our biggest rival.

Not winning this game meant that we had to play 2 more games, but Manchester City later claimed the trophy as Premier League Champions in May (they actually won the title on my Birthday – May 6th)!

Fashion & Football

Having two of my passions collide: Fashion & Football. I have never really thought about game day fashion because Patrick and I don’t follow any sports in the US in the same way we follow Man City. It was cold and rainy in Manchester, so I bought a few scarves to pair with a more chic outfit. We had to have coats on most of the time, so a scarf was a nice way to show support without freezing! I also bought a few smaller scarves to tie in my hair for match day! Below are a few of my favorite looks from the trip!

We are already dying to get back to Manchester! It is such a fun city with so much to do! Will you guys be attending the US Tour?! Which game are you going to?! Let me know in the comments!

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