Few things both unite and divide the United Kingdom (and especially England) more than football. European football, soccer to us in the States. England is home to nearly 100 professional football clubs (with a few in Wales) arranged in four levels, and a whopping 5,000 clubs in the amateur levels below that. It is absolutely the national sport, with nothing else close.

Manchester is itself a city divided in football loyalty, with two Premier League (the top level) teams, four more professional clubs, and dozens more of the amateur variety. In a city of only about 500,000, that is a huge number. (Consider for a moment that New York City only has two NFL teams in a city of more than 8 million.) And the metro area that also contains Liverpool holds even more, with that city’s Premier League team also being local to those living here. And there are even more in cities like Leeds and Sheffield, less than an hour or so by train.

English football works very differently as a league than American sports. The teams in the four professional leagues change levels over time, with the bottom teams each season being demoted and the top teams being promoted to the next level up. So one’s local club might not always be in the Premier League. Here in Manchester, however, that is less of an issue, since both Manchester City and Manchester United seem to always be in the top rung (and have been since 2002 when City was last relegated).

Those two teams, and Liverpool down the road, divide Manchester just as much as the English national team unites those living here. To claim to be a fan of one club both has you feeling included and incredibly excluded depending on which pub you may decide to watch a match from. And woe to the person who sits in a home stadium rooting for the away team (unless in those specific seats reserved for away fans).

My visit to Manchester corresponds with a break in the Premier League for the European Championships, so club colors have temporarily vanished from the city in favor of the red and white of England. (Manchester United uses the same colors, but still.) And fans are out in force, both watching matches and participating in a number of football related activities I see in my time exploring the city.

But just because the Premier League is on a break doesn’t mean one can’t experience it. Both Manchester City and Manchester United offer tours of their stadiums, visits to their team museums, and other forms of pilgrimage for the faithful. Only having time for one, I choose Old Trafford Stadium, home of Manchester United. Before any City fans get offended, I only chose them because they were first to respond to host me for a tour. I’ve heard of exactly zero current players from either club, never seen a match either has played in, and can even only easily name David Beckham as a former member of one (United). That doesn’t mean that some names aren’t semi-familiar, but it gives you the idea of the level of expertise I approached this situation with.

Old Trafford claims to be the largest Premier League stadium, with a current capacity around 76,000 that has changed over time with additions, elimination of standing room, and configuration. The matches routinely sell out, even with United not having the best of seasons currently. (My guide says that the exit doors, which normally open fifteen minutes prior to the game ending, have begun to be available for use at halftime.) And the stadium is magnificent, even from the outside.

Inside, the pitch (field) is superb, being a mix of mainly natural grass with a small amount of turf, in a system that claims to make it impossible to pull it out or create divots. It is bright green, being cared for daily even on breaks in league action, and against rules to touch for tour groups, so I can’t claim to know how soft it feels. (All practices and training take place in a separate facility, so the field here doesn’t get used except for matches.)

My tour begins in United’s museum, which itself is a small but good look at the team and its storied history. Exhibits focus on the top players, especially the “Trinity” of George Best, Denis Law, and Bobby Charlton, a 1958 plane crash in Munich that killed many United players returning from a match in Belgrade, and the 1998-99 “treble” that saw United win the Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League in the same year (and actually within a month), plus others.

Beyond that, the tour visits several areas of seats, the home locker room, press area, and concourses, with stories being told from all. It is a pleasant hour and a bit, even for a football-ignorant American. (My favorite part of the stadium is the accessibility area, with special seats for blind fans with headphones featuring the broadcast, in addition to other accommodations for fans with other disabilities.)

Perhaps you are a fan of football as a whole, and not of a particular club. Well, Manchester is also home to England’s National Football Museum, a modern glass building that to me resembles a shoe and sits right in the center of the city. Here, exhibits are more general, focusing on the history of the sport and its clubs/leagues in England (international football as we know it was invented here, specifically in Sheffield), diversification, rules, equipment, and of course the trophies awarded.

There are also some interactive components where one can actually practice skills related to football, with some being free and at least one having a charge (and presumably prizes). But the best part is posing with the Premier League trophy, pretending like I’d have recognized it.

Football is engrained into the English character, and perhaps nowhere more so than here in Manchester. Even for a non-fan like me, visits to the National Football Museum and to Manchester United are wonderful excursions, glimpses into a cultural phenomenon that is just beginning to catch on back home.

Note: thank you to both the National Football Museum and Manchester United for hosting my visits, as well as to Visit Manchester for your help in introductions and design of my overall itinerary.

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