Manchester City v Watford : The View From the Chairman’s Club

At the Etihad Stadium over the years I have sat in most areas of the ground  watching Manchester City but have little experience of the posh seats which are where the hospitality areas are, which usually host the rich and the famous.

However, for the game between Manchester City and Watford that was about to change because thanks to a competition run by one of City’s global sponsors – City Wega – I won two tickets in the prestigious Chairman’s Club as part of the City Rewards programme they run.

City Wega have developed a prepaid mastercard which is tailored to City fans because every pound spent using the card earns loyalty points which can be used to enter exclusive competitions. Using my points I entered a competition to win 2 Chairman’s Club tickets and was ecstatic when City Wega got in touch to say I had won and invited me to the game.

It was a great day all round and throughout we were treated brilliantly by all the staff at City. Given most of us fans will never have had this kind of opportunity before I thought i would share some of the highlights in case any of you are lucky enough to go in the future.

More from Man City Square

• Rodri believes City can have even more success this season
• Grealish, Stones, and Kovacic will NOT play tomorrow
• My Manchester City UCL Group Stage predictions
• After Injury Guardiola is back in Etihad
• Phil Foden Scores Opener for England Against Scotland

Having won two tickets meant that I was able to take my 77 year old Dad with me and neither of us were really prepared for the high quality service and excellent food we received. Of course it also meant he could regale everyone with tales of watching football greats of old such as Stanley Matthews and Bert Trautmann.

Our day started in the car park – unusually for us in one of the hospitality car parks and then we had a short walk into the Main Reception in the Colin Bell Stand along the famed blue carpet. We entered the ground some two and a half hours before kick off and were immediately escorted into the beautiful Chairman’s Club – a lavishly appointed restaurant serving 5 courses of fine dining.

We were shown to our own private table and were served champagne on arrival and handed our menus for the day. To be honest we were both happy at this stage with the free programme let alone the complimentary bar.

The restaurant is decorated throughout with moments from the history of City – replica doors adorn the wall recalling the days when our club was formed and local door knockers from the church would stir the youth from their slumber, and there are lots of items of memorabilia around.

We ate our way through a starter of Beetroot and Manchester gin cured salmon, followed by 28 day aged Hereford Beef Truffle with Parmesan chips, mushrooms and kale. Our wine glasses were continually restocked and we found room for a Manchester tart as pudding.

The rich and the famous were around and about. We saw Ferran Soriano, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, Tony Book, Mike Summerbee and Colin Bell. There were probably lots of celebrities there too but neither of us recognised any of those.

There was a silent auction taking place and the catalogue contained a host of fantastic things from Bernardo Silva signed shirts (guide price £250) to Private Boxes at Royal Ascot, Various Grand Prix and even a Monte Carlo yacht experience.

This was a wonderful glimpse into how others may live as we watched those around us write their bids in the auction.

City Wega had organised as a part of our experience, for us to be met and escorted by staff from the City Hospitality Team down onto the pitch side where we watched the players warming up before the game and even had our photos taken by the official photographer!

We went back to our table through the Tunnel Club which was a lovely tour through the other unique hospitality area at the club. Once back we were attentively served other courses and the wine continued to flow before we took our seats in the minutes before kick off.

The seats for the Chairman’s Club are padded and heated and sit in the front rows of the second tier at the half way line. A beautiful view of all of the action and the whole stadium.

Of course, we  were then treated to a scintillating display of attacking football as City stormed to a 5-0 half time lead. We went back to our table at half time where our glasses had been refilled and were served with a lovely Halloumi slider burger.

We were back in our seats eager to catch the action again and enjoyed a further 3 goals – and as the second half wore on someone even turned on the heated seats!

After the game we were taken back to our table for tea and coffee and a selection of fine cheeses and some gorgeous milk chocolate fudge. Sadly the time had come to depart and we made our way back to the car.

The Chairman’s Club is a stunning experience where fine dining is coupled with personal and attentive service. It is a far cry from the usual queues I face at half time for a beer and a pie.

My Dad said afterwards this was one of the greatest experiences of his life which seems high praise indeed. If you ever get the chance then go and enjoy this pinnacle of corporate hospitality. I am hoping to win these seats for every game!