I am VERY girly. I am NOT a big sports fan. I am definitely not a football fan. However, I do like trying new things and even being a hardened cynic I have become absolutely 100% obsesssed with London 2012 since the games began. The olympics has been absolutely phenomenal and I believe a resounding success.
So, last Tuesday, in the spirit of open-mindedness and Olympic fever, the boy persuaded me to watch the GB women’s football team play at Wembley stadium.
This ticked several ‘I’ve never’ boxes (visited Wembley Stadium, seen a live football match, been to the Olympics).
I had an absolute blast. I got really into it – cheering away, singing the national anthem, chanting and clapping, screaming when GB scored in the first 2 minutes, holding my head in despair when they missed a penalty. Amazing.
We ended up winning 1-0 against Brazil, said to be the best in the world. Very proud of all our girls that night. As I’m sure were the 70,582 other people who attended (a new record for the highest attended womens football match).
I was also throughly impressed with the way the event was handled. The Police were all exceptionally calm and good-spirited – allowing spectators to pet the horses and take photos and even swapping their uniforms for daft costumes. The Olympics staff also did a fantastic job of getting everyone out of the stadium and onto trains safely and efficiently – believe it or not the underground was less crowded than on a normal Monday morning in peak times. I really think everyone involved in the organisation deserves a throughly big pat on the back for their efforts.
The atmosphere in London is incredible, and if you have the chance to get your hands on some tickets (no matter what the event or where the seats are) – do not waste the incredible opportunity. You will absolutely not be disappointed.
We enjoyed ourselves so much, we have since purchased tickets to the paralympics to see the athletics at the Olympic stadium. I’m looking forward to seeing the Olympic park and cheering on Team GB again!
I am also hoping to go to another football match at some point as live football is actually very enjoyable.
