With the Wembley day fast approaching I know a lot of people are wondering what time to show up, how is best to travel, how much wonga should I bring along etc… So, for all you good people heading up to London I’ve created what I like to call, ‘The little travel guide to the NFL at Wembley’. Catchy eh?

The first thing you want to make sure you do: WEAR YOUR COLOURS!

This way I’ll know who to avoid…. I mean, that way we can all have good banter and a general good time with deep discussions and opinions regarding the NFL and said team.

Now, there are many ways to get into Wembley itself. What we like to do is drive the long drive down the motorway and stop at a lovely little place called Hillingdon just outside of Wembley itself, and right on the A40. There we can park up and just hop on the tube (Met. line) for a short 15 minute journey to Wembley Way. We miss a lot of traffic (both vehicle and human), don’t have to worry about parking near the stadium, and have a pretty much stress free time. Obviously getting out of Wembley is harder than it is to get in, but this way you only have to brave the queues once, get off the tube and then make your way home. There are many little ‘connection’ stations like Hillingdon that will make your journey easier, take a look at http://www.wembleystadium.com/ and plan your route accordingly.

If you are coming from central London, either directly or via another station (Euston, Paddington, etc.), then you can’t look beyond the Chiltern line from Marylebone. This is a 9 minute service that drops you at the conveniently placed Wembley Stadium Station. Due to engineering works, there is no service northwards on that line, but it’s perfect for London and is covered by Oyster or travel cards. If you don’t know London, Marylebone is just a 5 minute walk from Baker Street station, and perhaps 20 minutes walk from Euston and 10 minutes walk from Paddington. It’s easy to get there.

One other thing to be aware of – there is no Circle line service on the tube. Some other lines are also limited, check out TFL’s website for more information

This is all well and good, but what time should you show up? As a general rule my buddies and I like to get there early. This way we can grab a breakfast from McDonalds on the way. We aim to arrive at Wembley at around 11am – but I’d say getting there at around 1pm should give you ample time to take a look around and see what needs to be seen. It all depends on what you aim to get out of the day. If you’re looking to get into Tailgate and visit the many merchandise stands or memorabilia then the earlier the better.

Speaking of which, from what we understand here at Mac the Tailgate Party this year is a free for all, so to speak. Last year you had to be lucky enough to be one of few who had Tailgate tickets (well, up to about 3pm anyway, then the gates opened for everyone). So if you do intend on going into Tailgate then I would definitely say the earlier the better. I can probably guarantee that at least 40,000 people will at some point try to get into the Tailgate area, so best come prepared.

Which leads me on to my next tip: Bring lots of money. A lot of you will already know the prices inside Wembley so I’ll skip that, but with all of the food and merchandise stands around Wembley you will be hardpressed to buy… something. Be it a burger, a drink, or a combination of both! Jerseys, hats, t-shirts, throwbacks, they’ll all be hanging in the tents just waiting for you to take them home. As far as I am aware too the tents only accept cash, so it’s best to bring as much as you think you will need. (FYI, from memory the replica jerseys were around £50.00)

Lastly… enjoy yourself. This is like Christmas. It only comes once a year. Make the most of it, let your hair down, and show the world that London is the place to be for a cracking day out.

Hope to see y’all there.