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, provided recaps and photos from each day of the tour.

Catch up by reading the Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and Day 4 recaps.

The last day in Manchester brings the final adventure in an amazing trip.

It was nice to sleep in on this traditionally rainy day in Manchester, allowing the candidates the time needed to recover from a busy week. Lunch was served an upscale restaurant located on one of the canal’s that run through the heart of Manchester. From the private dining room, you can see the lock system that allows barges to travel through the labyrinth of water systems that makes Manchester a great tourist town.  

After lunch, we departed for the afternoon game at Old Trafford between Manchester United and Everton. On arriving at the stadium, we found the typical festivities going at full swing. Outside the stadium we had vendors selling scarfs, flags, t-shirts, and hats. The food being sold from trailers ranged from burgers and fries to fish and chips. All of the festivities were loud with singing even though the rain had been keeping a steady pace for most of the day. Once inside the stadium, candidates were treated to a local favorite: a chicken balti pie, sausage roll and a cup of tea.

As the players came on the field, the chants from the fans sprang to life. The game was also the anniversary of the 1958 Munich Air Disaster, so a special ceremony occurred before the game. The game kicked off in lively spirits with Van Persie hitting the post 10 miniutes into the game. Only three minutes later, a long, straight ball finds Van Persie, he gets around Heitinga and finds Giggs and he scores! He took it onto his right foot and finished it. The goal that Giggs scored makes him the only person to have scored in every single Premier League season.  The game went on to produce two goals with great chances on both ends that made for a great end to an amazing trip.

Related Links

Man U Tour Attendees Make Evening Detour to Blackburn

Man U Special Topics Attendees Get Inside Look at Club

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

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