Re: Wembley Week : Sat Aug 25, 2018 10:25 am
First memory of the challenge cup final was 1979, when me aged 6 and my brother were sat in front of the TV waving our Wakefield flags to no avail!. I think because we didnt go the year before all our family went for the weekend in 1980, I remember going on the tube for the first time to see the sights of Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace . On the day of the game I seem to remember my dad organised for us to get a lift with a Wakefield supporters coach from central London to Wembley (Not quite sure how he did this, thats my dad!) I had forgotten to take a jumper or coat with me so I had to wear my Mum's big cardigan, it was red and down to my knees! I think the red cardigan was the reason we bought Hull KR scarfs and supported them on the day, like most people do on Cup Final day you choose a side to support if your team wasnt there.
Next time i remember going was in 1985, my dad drove coaches usually at the weekend whilst working during the week and nearly every year he drove a coach to Wembley so this year, aged 12, I went with him and because there werent any spare seats I sat on the steps down to the emergency exit/toilet!. My dad got us both a ticket off somebody when we got there. I was sat in one area and he was sat in another, so I was on my own. I remember feeling quite scared at that age, on my own with 90,000+ people around me but I can still remember the feeling of excitement when you went from the concourse to your seat and see the pitch for the first time. The match seemed to go so fast and exciting it didnt seem long before it was over and found my dad again. I dont know why, age or nostalgia but the new Wembley doesnt feel as good as the old one!. We went again in 1986, to watch Cas v Hull KR and 1987 Halifax v St Helens but then my dad had to give up coach driving so we didnt go again. I remember one year after the game , I dont what group had hired the coach but it was all men and they went into central London and parked up next to St Pancras station, they all went to the pub and I was left on my own in the coach watching a video and we set off home at 12 midnight (something to do with drivers hours) and we didnt get home until 5am when it was getting light..That was a long, exciting day!
The Challenge Cup has lost some of it's sparkle but the stories of people who go every year, make a weekend of it or just get dressed up and enjoy Rugby League's big day out means we HAVE to keep on with it and it HAS to stay in London, enjoy!
