Nothing screams football culture more than match day. Match day is where every football supporter in England stops what they are doing to watch their favorite team play. Some make it a day at home. while others may head to their local pub. However, the best experience of match day is going to a football match itself.

No matter what football match it is, match day is an all-day occasion, especially when the match is in the middle of the afternoon. What is surprising, however, is that none of the previous research about football fan culture has mentioned match day and the significance it has to football fans in England

For my all day experience, I went to the Manchester City-Brighton match at the AMEX Stadium in Brighton on the 12th of May for the last day of the Premier League season.

What was special about that day was that it was Championship Sunday, the last day of the Premier League season. That final day of the season can be the deciding factor in which team wins the Premier League, what teams qualify for European competition, and which teams get relegated to the Championship (the second tier of English football). Sometimes, all three of these can be determined before Championship Sunday, but a lot of times, at least one of the three is not determined until the last day.

With the Brighton game being one of the determining factors in whether or not Manchester City won the Premier League title or not. As someone who supports City, the nerves were high. If City did not win the game and Liverpool were to win, which was expected of them, then Liverpool would get the title. It was a scenario that many City fans did not want to think about.

From the moment I got on the train to Brighton, I was nervous. As I traveled down to Brighton, I had thoughts of both the best and worst case scenarios. The anxiety about the worst case scenario were going through my head.

Even as I arrived in Brighton with a smile on my face, I still felt nervous. Of course, there was so much excitement about the game. Seeing an English football game live is one of the best experiences, but wanting the team you love to win something big makes it more of a nervy experience.

Even with the sunshine that day, the nerves were high. I still kept a smile on my face as I walked down the streets of Brighton with a smile on my face.

Fans were buzzing around the city of Brighton during the late morning/early afternoon of that day. The pubs, including the one I had been in, were crowded and filled with people ready for the match. Anyone would be barely able to move in those pubs and barely hear themselves think. The people were alive and well in the pubs. Much was to be discussed during that time and anyone would be able to feel the energy that was going around.

Even going to the game, there was a mix of excitement and tension. In Brighton, the best way to get the AMEX Stadium is by the rail system. People piled onto the trains a couple of hours before the match. As I traveled, I spoke to other City supporters, I learned I shared the same tensions they did. They were as nervous as I was, but they also loved the fact that an American was going to the game and were interested to know.

However, I went on my way once I got to the stadium as I wanted to make my experience for myself.

Before I went into the stadium, I took a walk around it. So many fans from both sides were standing around and mingling as they got ready to go in for the game. The Brighton fans seemed to be more relaxed as their team was already safe from relegation, but the City fans seemed more nervy.

One of the most unexpected parts of my little journey around the stadium was when the Manchester City bus came rolling in. I felt such a rush of excitement as I followed other City fans to see all of our favorite players come out of the bus. It was exhilarating to see some of my favorite players up close, despite having a limited view with the crowd, and being able to cheer as they came off the bus and went into the stadium.

The next part of my adventure consisted of the game itself. For me, I had to watch as a neutral fan. The ticket I was given was in the Brighton section, so I could not externally show my support for City. I even had to put on a neutral hoodie to cover up my City shirt that I had worn. It was rough, especially with how much I had been shaking the whole time.

The plus of it was the view of the pitch I had. To say the least, my seat allowed me to get the energy from both sets of supporters.

The view for the match was beautiful. I could see both ends of the pitch clearly which led to being able to see the goals.

Yet, it was still nerve-wrecking as the game started. The moment that kickoff occurred, I started shaking for awhile. I could not sing along with the City fans, and I did not allow myself to join in with the Brighton fans. I was just a nervous wreck, but I could not show it.

It made me over the moon happy to see City play, but like a lot of the other City fans, I was nervous.

The worst moment was when the first goal was scored in the middle of the first half. It was a Brighton goal. I remember everyone around me jumping up and yelling while my heart just sank. I feared the worst and was already holding back tears. For a few moments, it was like the world crashed down.

Luckily, it only lasted a few minutes. To a Manchester City fan, there’s nothing like a goal from star striker Sergio Aguero when City needs it most and that calmed the nerves just a little. Soon after, City had gone up 2-1 with a goal from star defender Aymeric Laporte. The first half ended 2-1. At that point, I had felt a rollercoaster of emotions. I was still nervous at the end of that first half, especially with what had gone on at the beginning of the game. I was afraid of it happening again.

With the second half, the nerves just kept lessening and turned more into excitement. City had scored two more goals. One had been a beauty from Riyad Mahrez, and the other was a freekick from Ilkay Gundogan. The excitement only built up as the goals kept coming. It was exhilarating to see the players get so excited for winning the Premier League the second year in a row and to hear the fans get louder and louder as the second half went on.

All while the goals were happening, the Brighton fans had been respectful. Some booed City defender Kyle Walker, but other than that, they respected . City’s clinch of the title. Brighton were already guaranteed safety from relegation, so the game did not mean as much to them. They even applauded Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany when he was subbed off. It showed that supporters of other clubs can have respect for a team’s players, especially when that player is loved.

Along with the respect, the excitement only got greater when the final whistle blew. Manchester City became Champions of England once again, but as they did not win the league at home, there was so much that had to go on before the City celebration.

As it was the Brighton captain’s last game ever, there was a ceremony for him. With the respect that Brighton gave for City captain Vincent Kompany, it was only fair to give the same respect to Brighton captain Bruno. When a player leads their team for a long time, they deserve the respect when they leave. Bruno was applauded by all supporters in the stadium. It felt special to see. The Brighton players also did a lap of appreciation for the home crowd as it was their last game of the season.

At this point, I had taken off my hoodie as the game was over and it was almost time for the presentation of the Premier League trophy. As people noticed I was a City fan, they congratulated me for the win of the league. Many of them decided to stay and watch the trophy ceremony.

Once the presentation had started, the City fans got louder and I finally got to start singing along with them as it did not matter anymore as the match had ended.

As it was for all City fans, it was exhilarating to sing the various songs made up for each player and see them be able to hold up the Premier League trophy. For all of us, it was relieving as we were able to keep the title from Liverpool. Everyone felt very happy to sing the song “Championes” at this time. What was even more beautiful was to see the shared happiness that the players had as well.

The trophy only enhanced the experience. As the day kept going, it got even better.

As that ceremony had ended, I stuck around to see if I could catch any of the players. Then again, I had more interactions with some Brighton fans. One had commented on the respect I had for the home side and the fans and condemned me for that as well as congratulated me. It was all in good fun.

Lucky for me, I got to sneak a picture with Manchester City Player of the Year Bernardo Silva.

They say good things come to those who wait, and this was one of the best. I was satisfied after that and had decided to leave the stadium after that. I had to take the train back to Brighton to get a train back to London.

The train back to Brighton was packed with fans from both sides. The energy was so high as both sides sang, especially the City fans. Never had a train ride been so much fun before. It had felt like I had belonged there. Even as I had gotten back to London, I felt like I had belonged, City fans getting off the train had been singing once again and I had joined in with a large smile.

There was so much that was special about that day. It even showed as I was applauded by random people walking down the streets of London.

It was the real experience of a football fan with a bit of a twist.