The NSCAA provided a unique opportunity for a group to travel to Manchester, England, on an exclusive Special Topics course about long term athlete development led by Rene Meulensteen, first team coach for Manchester United. Chris Clements, NSCAA Membership Development Coordinator, will provide brief recaps and photos from each day of the tour.

Catch up by reading the Day 1 and Day 2 recaps.

What can top Day 2 of this tour? Probably not much, but let's see what we can do. 

Day 3 brought a trip to Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United. The winning history that is contained at Old Trafford can’t be explained in words. We visited the megastore at Old Trafford to start. And when I say a megastore, I mean this store is nearly the size of your average grocery store and sells all Man United gear.  We then went on the Manchester United stadium tour. This in and of itself is an amazing opportunity that takes you up close to the field, locker room, and allows you the opportunity to sit in Sir Alex’s seat on game day.

The last stop is the Manchester Museum. This amazing interactive museum houses all the hardware Manchester United has won, along with all the original uniforms that have been worn by legends such as Eric Cantona, Bobby Charlton and George Best.  You also can watch every goal scored that has been filmed in the club's history, an amazing example of soccer at its best. After having lunch at Old Trafford, we were off to The Cliff training ground once again to have the opportunity to spend the afternoon with Rene Meulensteen.  Rene was once again an inspirational presenter and engaged the coaches in a discussion on his and Manchester United’s philosophy on developing talent with the youth and the first team.

Having the opportunity to spend so much time with Rene allowed coaches to feel as if a friendship had been developed. It is amazing to think that this man coaches arguably the most successful professional team in the world. 

What an amazing experience to be in the presence of one of the top trainers and most inspirational coaches I have ever been around. Once again, the question is posed: how on earth can tomorrow top today?

Related Links

A Surprise in Day 2 of the Man United Special Topics Course

Thoughts from Day 1 of the Manchester United Special Topics Course

Identifying Potential, Developing Talent, Building Successful Teams the Meulensteen Way

Rene Meulensteen Invites Coaches to Manchester

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