ANZ Stadium

 It was bigger than life. That’s what occurred to me when I hopped off the special events bus and walked a few metres into the view of ANZ Stadium in Sydney. Of course, that wasn’t the only thing in front of me; there were also a huge amount of people bustling their own way through the tight-knit crowd. As far as the eye could see, people were in red, waving their flags and banners around, chanting the team’s iconic song in expectant of a great game and a win. After all, it was in their nature. It was July 20, 2013 when Manchester United came to town for a friendly match against the A-League All Stars. As a massive fan of the team from Manchester, I knew this was probably the biggest opportunity, in my short life, to see my heroes in action. So, there I was, walking towards this great stadium swarmed by the huge masses of people who share my support for the team.

ANZ Stadium before the match

As me and my parents got through the crowded, to say the least, front gates, we entered the spacious atrium with a makeshift in-stadium megastore selling official merchandise. Then, we made our way to, at least, four flights of escalators to where our seats were allocated which was at second tier of the East stand. We ate first, ordering a hot dog and chips with soft drinks, from the concession stand located on the second tier atrium in the East Stand. In my opinion, the food tasted pretty basic I suppose, but it was good enough. Then a few minutes or so, game time was approaching and 83, 000 people or so started filing in. 

Inside the stadium before the match

Fans in the South Stand before the match

So, the game began. The atmosphere was great accompanied by deafening chants and roars of the crowd, mainly from the East Stand since we couldn't quite hear the ones on the other stands, especially when a United player scored. That occurred quite often since United scored 5 times. Near the end of the match, the crowd of 83, 000 people or so began engaging in a Mexican wave. This happened for 10 minutes or so and, to me, was the best part of the whole experience. Then, as the game finished, people began filing out in the same manner that they entered but the hassle was worth it. Our team won and 83,000 people or so, including me, went home very happy.

Last look at ANZ Stadium after the game