Off to Wembley

Mon July 20

First stop on my stadium tour was to Wembley Stadium, the home of UK football.

After taking a stadium tour (more on that below), I met with some of the staff at Wembley National Stadium Limited, the organisation owned by the Football Association, which manages the venue.

I had very productive meetings with the communications manager, marketing manager and group facilities director. They were very open about what they do and certainly interested in what is happening at the 'G.

The Wembley Tour

The tour is very professionally operated, from the moment you arrive via Club Wembley entrance and are met by suited staff who check your ticket. Next is a bag search by security and then up two flights of escalators to the tour booth and departure point.

You are given a sticker to pin on your chest and ushered to a waiting area containing a kiosk/café/television and three Xbox 360 terminals where you can play soccer while you wait – for free!

The tour was fascinating, particularly when compared to how the MCG Tour is constructed. There were 12 people in our group, hailing from Malta, Austria, Belgium, Scotland, Leeds and the lone Aussie. Daniel the tour guide was young, friendly, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and clearly passionate about the venue.

Some tour facts:

• The 1966 World Cup trophy won by England (a fact we hear a lot on the tour!) went missing shortly afterwards and was found by Pickles the Dog.
  
• You can get a corporate suite on a three-year license for just £200,000 per year…
  
• This summer, the venue has hosted more than one million people for concerts alone.
  
• The ground’s capacity of 90,000 is the largest in the UK and is the largest stadium in the world that has a roof structure. Although the roof itself does not cover the pitch, it covers every seat in the venue.
  
• Wembley has more toilets (2618) than any venue in the world.
  
• Wembley can only host a maximum of 36 events per year, due to council restrictions to do with operating in a residential zone.


• Every bar in the venue is named after a famous moment or person in the stadium’s history.
  

The tour takes you up to Level 4 seating, then into the Press Room, which seats 400 and is quite amazing. There are no TV cameras permitted in post-match media conferences, it is simply for print journalists.

We were shown a video while in this room, with the lights down, chronicling the history and highlights of the old Wembley (opened in 1923), as well as the construction and key events since the new Wembley opened in 2007. It's a reminder to me that we need to update the MCG videos when I get home.

Then it’s down to the dressing rooms, where England player shirts drape the lockers for a nice effect, followed by lining up in two teams and walking out onto the pitch with crowd applause playing over the PA, just like you were walking out for the FA Cup final. It was brilliant.

As he did throughout the tour, our guide took photos on our behalf and then invited us to walk the 107 steps up to the Royal Box, where the FA Cup trophy awaited for photo opportunities. It is interesting to note that the tour does not allow you to go onto the pitch, unlike the 'G.

Finally, it was outside to view the Bobby Moore statue and then, like any good tour, finishing in the merchandise store.

All in all, the tour was brilliant. A very helpful tour guide and plenty of opportunities to relive the experience of the players at Wembley. Top marks.

Tomorrow is a massive day - off to Emirates Stadium and then back to Lord's for a meeting, watch the end of the MCC v MCC cricket match and then dinner with the MCC member tour groups.