Manchester School Trips For Fanatical Football Fans

For secondary school sports students, an overnight school trip to the football-mad city of Manchester offers multiple opportunities to immerse themselves in the sporting culture and to explore some of the most iconic venues in the country. As well as taking in the educational and historical aspects of Old Trafford, Etihad Stadium, the National Football Museum and Sport City, the itinerary of a well-planned school trip touring the top football attractions of Manchester is also imbued with fun and memories.

Old Trafford

The legendary home of Man United has a range of educational experiences on offer for young people and, as the largest club football stadium in the UK, simply being there is probably the most memorable of all! An itinerary designed for secondary students will encompass a behind-the-scenes-tour of the venue, interactive workshops, a visit to the award-winning museum, tailored educational workshops and the famous Theatre of Dreams. To round out a truly memorable day, students are also able to make use of the Apollo pitch: either for a football training session with an expert coach, or play their own five-a-side match.

Etihad Stadium

Etihad Stadium holds the history of the Manchester City FC, a community club dating back to 1880, in its impressive hands. Founded by the Connell family in a bid to create positive opportunities and inspire young people through football, Man City's proud heritage provides a superb learning environment for sports-mad youngsters. Student groups are treated to a thrilling tour through the stadium, taking in aspects of its past, present and future, with plenty of time for memorable photo opportunities. The tour takes in the changing rooms, pitch side, player's tunnel and warm up rooms, with discussions along the way relating to topics like nutrition and hi-tech performance analysis. There are also specialist presentations available for curricular subjects like sports science, business studies and urban regeneration.

The National Football Museum

The excellent secondary school programme at the National Football Museum provides an exciting and interactive environment using objects and stories to inspire young hearts and bring curricular learning to vivid life. The museum incorporates a diverse range of sessions to explore the history of the "beautiful game" covering early history, WW1 and contemporary times; literacy and numeracy, through engaging poetry and practical application of maths; and design and science, through football-related artefacts and museum conservation. Students can also attend sessions on the role of the game in tourism and leisure and its place within the very core of British culture.

Sport City

Established in 2002 for the Commonwealth Games, Sport City is a collection of world class venues including the Velodrome, Tennis Centre, National Squash Centre, the Regional Arena (athletics) and, of course, the 48,000-seat City of Manchester Stadium, official home of premiership team MCFC (known as Etihad Stadium for sponsorship purposes). For young learners, touring the various sites of Sport City on a school trip offers a glimpse into the wider world of elite athletes (beyond just football) as they magnificent facilities of the venues that host more than 400 events and 4.5 million visits every year.

Specialised Educational Travel

If you are a teacher looking to inspire young sportspeople, the most effective way of delivering a fun, educational and engaging school trip itinerary is to enlist the assistance of a specialised educational travel tour operator. These experts are highly experienced in the sector and are passionate about providing safe, inspiring learning experiences outside the classroom.

Author Plate

John Gardiner is the Managing Director of The School Travel Company, a tour operator specialising in school trip itineraries for school and youth groups to the UK, Europe and beyond. As a father and avid traveller, John is very passionate about providing students with valuable and engaging learning experiences outside of the classroom. By sharing his expert advice with teachers, he allows them to inspire their students and bring their studies to life.