Day 1: Sunday, Feb. 18

We started our journey landing in Glasgow, the world-famous city in Scotland. At the airport we met our XL Tour Guides and after collecting our luggage it was off to the pitch! Players shook off the jet lag while undergoing a training session held on a street-style court. These parks are common in Scotland but not so much in America, allowing our players to instantly gain an authentic experience. 

Day 2: Monday, Feb. 19

Monday morning we went to our first stadium visit of the tour: Ibrox Stadium, home to Rangers F.C. We saw the club museum, dressing rooms and walked right onto the field! Shortly thereafter our players went through the paces in a training session led by the Rangers coaching staff. It was held on the same fields where their youth academy practices. After our day with Rangers we took our coach to Edinburgh and explored the capital city of Scotland. The history and architecture woven into every street is something our parents and players won’t ever forget. 

Day 3: Tuesday, Feb. 20

On Tuesday we explored a few more areas of Scotland but then it was time to cross the border to head to England! Our first stop was in the Northwest of the country where we stayed in Manchester at Hotel Football. Hotel Football is owned by former Manchester United legends and sits right next to Old Trafford! Even though we slept next to the red side of the city, we enjoyed the afternoon and evening on the blue side at Manchester City. Our players performed in yet another training session, this time led by City’s academy staff. We then toured the Academy Stadium, home to the club’s youth and women’s teams. The night ended with a live fixture between Man City and Brentford. We got seats right behind the goal where Erling Haaland scored the winner right in front of us! You can even see some players and coaches in the background of the celebration (photo found below). It was amazing to watch one of the best teams in the world in-person, and even more memorable given how close we were.  

Day 4: Wednesday, Feb. 21

We returned to the Etihad Stadium the next day for another stadium tour. Our players were in awe of how quiet it felt relative to the game they saw less than 24 hours ago. When taking a group photo in the press room our players encountered a surprise visitor - Pep Guardiola (virtually)! In the afternoon we toured the streets of Manchester where we got to experience the sights and sounds of the city. 

Day 5: Thursday, Feb. 22

Our time in Manchester had come to an end, but our journey in England continued on! We hopped on the coach and made our way south to the city of Wolverhampton, home to Wolves. Wolves are currently having a great season in the EPL, doing the league double over both Chelsea and Spurs! We got a tour of their stadium led by terrific and informative tour guides. Later on in the day, our players got in their last training session of the tour led by their Academy coaching staff. After a great day with Wolves we hopped back on the coach for a long journey to London.

Day 6: Friday, Feb. 23

London provided us a lot more free time than other stops on the trip, but the day was highlighted by our comprehensive tour of the city. We explored famous attractions such as Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Parliament. The highlight of the day was definitely our river cruise down the Thames River where we saw the Tower Bridge and London Eye light up the sky!

Day 7: Saturday, Feb. 24

Our last day in Great Britain primarily saw parents and players explore the city on their own. Some returned to the famous landmarks of London while others shopped their way around the city. Coach Dan even took a short journey to Charlton to see his boyhood club play in person. As always with our partners at XL Sports Tours, our tour guides held a dinner where they honored our players with small gifts and fun stories from throughout the week. 

We can’t wait to reconnect with our friends at XL Sports Tours next February when we plan to visit Spain! See you then!