A Visitors Guide To The 2014 Soccerex Football Festival

The Soccerex Football Festival is heading to Manchester next month so we thought we’d put together a visitors guide for the event to help all those making the trip enjoy their stay and make the most of the festival.

About

The Soccerex Football Festival was launched in 2005 when the likes of Eric Cantona, Bobby Robson and Bryan Robson all made their way to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to play together in the shadow of the famous Burj-al-Arab.

The festival was then taken to Johannesburg in South Africa in 2007 when George Weah, Ruud Gullit and John Barnes were among the stars to attend before the last event was held in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, in 2010 where a purpose built arena stayed on the Copacabana Beach for 3 years providing football activities to the local community.

Manchester 2014

This year, the festival comes to England on the 6th and 7th September and will be held at City Square, at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.

The free to attend two-day event is available to all members of the public who will be able to enjoy football activities, entertainment, youth tournaments, prize draws, competitions, football freestylers and former professionals.

The Venue

City Square is a bespoke fanzone area which sits at the north end of the Etihad Stadium – the home of Premier League champions Manchester City Football Club. City Square was launched in August 2010 and has since provided a mix of music, live interviews, live bands, celebrity guests and entertainment to fans before and after kick off, which hugely enhances the enjoyment of the match-day experience for visiting fans.

Getting To City Square

The Etihad Stadium and City Square are easily accessible by various modes of transport. The full address is Etihad Stadium, City Square, Ashton New Road, Manchester, M11 3FF.

If travelling by car there is pay on the day car park available on site at the Blue Car Park, which is accessed from Alan Turner Way. Prices vary but cars are charged at £10 per day.

You can also get to the Etihad Stadium via the Metrolink as there is a dedicated stop, Etihad Campus, located directly opposite to City Square. The Etihad Campus stop is on the line between Manchester Piccadilly and Ashton-under-Lyne and it takes about 10 minutes from the City center.

A Metroshuttle is also available from main rail stations, car parks, shopping centers and main businesses in the City center, so check the timetables for more information on routes and pick-up times.

Where To Stay

For those travelling to Manchester from within the UK or abroad, why not make the most of your trip and stay the night or even the weekend? Manchester has a wealth of accommodation options for you to choose from at reasonable prices, here are just a small selection of hotels you could stay at:

• Crowne Plaza Manchester Airport – approx. 26 mins away by car
• Holiday Inn Manchester West – approx. 10 mins away by car
• Double Tree by Hilton –  approx. 8 minutes away by car
• Britannia Hotel – approx. 8 minutes away by car

Players Attending

There are a number of players and managers signed-up to attend the Soccerex Football Festival 2014 including former Manchester City players Dietmar Hamann and Terry Phelan, along with renowned stars like Gianfranco Zola, Bryan Robson, Luis Saha, Faustino Asprilla and Carlos Valderrama.

They will be taking part in a legends tournament on both days of the Festival, and will no doubt be more than happen to stay and chat to visitors.

Schedule

Over the course of the 6th and 7th September, the Soccerex Football Festival will provide a host of activities and entertainment for the visitors to City Square, including:

• Legends Tournament
• Competitions and Prizes
• Local Youth Tournaments
• Freestyle Football
• Entertainment
• Activation’s

So there’s your guide to the 2014 Soccerex Football Festival Manchester, I hope it was helpful and I’m sure all those who attend will be glad they made the trip!