I love helping people plan their English soccer adventures. Even when I don’t actually sell them Premier League tickets, I sometimes just consult with them about which game to check out and how to go about it.

In David’s case, he is a Man U fan, and his wife Maryann wanted a little comfort with her football, so I suggested they get a hospitality package from Southampton when Man U was playing there. As they found out, Southampton is a cool place to visit, and the vast majority of people are super friendly — even to a couple of American away fans in the posh suite!

David was nice enough to write up a little report from the day, and send some pictures, so here you go:

David and Maryann say hello to the Saints.

Here’s a report back on our memorable experience at the Southampton Saints match against visiting Manchester United on Sept 23, 2017. What a fabulous time! Thanks for your advice and recommendations provided through your English Soccer Guide Consulting Services. We are already planning another trip next fall to attend a match at Old Trafford. My wife is now a full-fledged Premier League fan. Of course, we will need your trip planning help again!

Having arrived in Southampton on Friday the 22nd, we rested up from the flight and walked around the beautiful town of Southampton on Saturday morning of game day. The weather couldn’t have been better.

Football and luxury dining? Yes!

Through your coaching, we purchased tickets for the Saints President’s Lounge which allowed access 2.5 hours prior to the 3pm game plus time after the game in the lounge to unwind as the crowd dispersed. We highly recommend this package as it provided the opportunity to meet other fans as well as enjoy white table cloth dining with excellent food and beer/wine included in the cost. Former Saints players were dining as well and there was time allotted for their on-stage interviews by the Saints’ host.

We were fortunate to be seated with four men from the Isle of Wight (a short ferry ride to Southampton) who were especially welcoming to us as visitors to their country as well as showing open arms to us as Man U fans experiencing our first Premier League match. Many thanks to Paul, Terry, Roy and Clive for their hospitality! They even invited us to visit them the next day on the Isle but we had to take a rain check that we do intend to use.

Check the view — and the weather! I can help with the former, not the latter.

Our dining and game experience was well organized by the Saints. After dining, we were led to the seating area and our mid-field reserved seats. The in-seat experience was beyond words. The out-numbered Man U fans were clearly louder than the Saints fans chanting throughout the game. We sat with both Saints and Man U fans and there was no animosity. Man U lead at half 1-0 and we went back to the dining room for pre-arranged drinks. The game ended 1 nil Man U and then back to the dining room we went. We stayed another hour and a half with our new English friends. The Saints host had to herd us out of the dining room as we were the last to leave. The dining room experience was almost as good as the game!

We look forward to working with you again next summer, Paul. You provide a great service well worth the money.

Best regards,

David & Maryann

And thank you, David! Very glad to help.

One final note: the Man U manager, Jose Mourinho, who has an incredible knack for making every game about him, was actually banished to the stands for crossing the touch line during this contest. And David realized later he had captured the moment in a video! I uploaded it to my Youtube Channel:

All in all, those two had a great time, which is what this whole thing is about: Helping Americans learn about and enjoy soccer all over England. Well done to David and Maryann for getting out of London and out of their comfort zone, and well done to Southampton for showing them a great time!