‘‘Oh my god, they’re getting closer.’’ That was the cue for screaming girls from Sutherland Sharks Football club to stampede the fence when the mighty Manchester United players came to Kogarah this afternoon.
Almost 9,000 youngsters from football clubs from all over Sydney and NSW were lucky members of a ticket-only training run for the Man U players, which also included their club officials and parents.
A sea of Red Devil jumpers mixed in with the colours of our own, as the boys from Manchester - arguably the most famous sporting club in the land - put on a training exhibition for their excited young fans.
Even night rain couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of football fans at Kogarah’s Jubilee Stadium, as they yelled approval as goal after goal was scored.
‘‘Look, it’s Ryan,’’ said one youngster pulling his friend towards football superstar Ryan Giggs (scroll or swipe through photos in the carousel above) as the players moved towards the fence and started signing autographs, watched over by dozens of security guards.
This was a once only experience for most fans, some of whom won’t make Saturday’s big ‘‘friendly’’ between the club and the Australian All-Stars team at ANZ Stadium, to be played in front of a sell-out 84,000 crowd.
St George-based commentator Andy ‘‘Mr Football’’ Paschalides was in the crowd but ‘‘lost’’ his youngsters from Sans Souci and Forest Rangers in the crush, where district teams like Rockdale, St George Saints, Sutherland, Bosco, Lilli Pilli and others mixed with teams from all over the state .
‘‘It’s just football madness here,’’ said Andy as players signed more autographs under floodlights. ‘‘It is a great spectacle for football in this country.’’
Boyfanfootballcj sent us this video of the Red Devils heading to training at the oval.
Sydney Traffic warned motorists that the event caused heavy traffic delays in both directions on the Princes Highway, near Jubilee Avenue, and some streets were closed.
Calvin Nguyen sent in his shots of Man U players. Click on the photo to see his gallery.
Were you there? Tell us your story or send photos to christiner@fairfaxmedia.com.au or tweet @theleadernews
