You can’t beat nfluk.com for al the official information, and even some unoffical stuff that can be found out in the forums, but here’s a list of our findings and experience from previous years.

Drink Prices

This is the prices from last year’s game, I would have expected them to have gone up slightly since then. You can take drinks back to your seats, even alcoholic ones. The rule that stops this normally is a FIFA madate and not a stadium rule or local law.

Please enjoy your drinks responsibly. :)

Travel

Craig produced this guide last year and as far as I can tell it’s all still pretty accurate. The Chiltern line is running fine this time though, and I know I’ll be taking advantage of that to travel down from Banbury directly to the stadium. Our party comes from all over (Kent, Northamptonshire, Middlesex, Hampshire and Buckinghamshire) so we know a fair bit about travelling to Wembley.

Entry / Exit to the Stadium

For Club Wembley, the stadium will be opened 3 hours before the game, you need to go to the ground level to get in. For everyone else, it’s two hours before the kick-off. Expect the pre-match ceremonies to take about 25 minutes so you’ll want to be at your seat for about 17:30. If you get in earlier you’ll be able to see the players warming up, going through organised activities, etc. There is stuff to see.

Expect to have any bags searched, and there are some things that you cannot take in. Check the prohibited items, in fact all the rules and regulations, before you leave. You can take in cartons of drinks and a few snacks and that sort of stuff. Cans and bottles are not allowed, but a Ribena and a Mars bar won’t be a problem.

The Club level stays open for up to an hour after the match finishes. In the past we’ve enjoyed a relaxing beer before heading out and finding the area to be quiet. In 2008 however, it did not as the Chargers/Saints game had taken so long. This year, with the later kickoff, there might be a similar push to clear out the stadium.

Pre-Match Entertainment

The Goo Goo Dolls will be performing a couple of songs and Katherine Jenkins will be singing the British National Anthem. There is no news yet on who’ll be doing The Star Spangled Banner, but it’ll likely be awesome whomever it is!

Tailgate

The Tailgate Party opens at midday and will close at 5pm. Entrance will be restricted if it’s too busy and be prepared to queue a lot, for everything, when you’re in there. We don’t even bother anymore, but I’d say to get there early if you want to get in.

Weather

The BBC forecast says that it will be fairly warm (certainly compared to the last couple of days) and that it might be as high as 14C even in the evening. I’m going to risk sounding like a Cub Leader and say that you should dress in layers and maybe bring a hat, just in case.

Previous memories

Craig remembers the 2009 game, the last time the Bucs were here and I scour my memory for the 2008 game.