At the start of the month I went to Soccer Six Fest in Mile End. I'm going to try and keep this short but I wanted to write about meeting one of my long time faves for the first time!!! (More about that later on...).
We arrived at the football stadium to a smaller crowd than what I've seen at previous Soccer Sixes that I've attended. However, the venue and layout was one of the best that I'd seen and along with glorious sunshine, it was a good omen for the day. Unlike previous S6's, I wasn't intent on trying to hunt down Kingsland lol, so that in itself made the day more enjoyable. The main person I wanted to meet this time was Ray Quinn, although I wasn't hopeful as every time I could have met him at S6 before, he'd had to pull out for various reasons.
We saw a group of girls fangirling in a corner outside a small building so we went to see what was going on. I soon discovered that it was the area outside the players' dressing rooms so we saw quite a few people arriving. It was then that I caught a glimpse of Ray, and just knowing that he was actually there made me feel so much happier!
We wandered around the pitch and I saw Jake Wood (Max Branning in Eastenders) and had a picture with him. He had a full on beard, which just made me think about how his character is currently in jail and that he looked as if he was on the run haha!
I also saw George from Gogglebox - I'd forgotten that he was going to be there, and being a Gogglebox fangirl, I was properly buzzing to meet him! He was just as I'd expected him to be, he was so funny! His mum was also with him and I regretted not going to meet her too!
There were so many people on the line up, between known, unknown and rock acts, so I found it a bit overwhelming and didn't really utlilise my time properly. I was also a baby when it came to getting people's attention, I don't like shouting at people so missed out on a few people that I would have liked to meet. If I was to go again I would definitely take someone bolshy with me that isn't scared to get noticed lol! My fear of being hit by a ball was also heightened but I had a lucky escape this time unlike last year haha!
Also I was pretty much intent on meeting Ray, and it was a struggle and a half!!! I came to within an inch of meeting him in the morning but I wasn't on the barrier so I felt awkward clambering over others for a picture. Several failed attempts later and I finally caught him just as he was leaving! I'm so glad that I did - I've been a fan since he was in Brookside, around 13 years now and have followed his career from X Factor, Dancing on Ice and beyond. Some people have said that he isn't very nice in person but they couldn't be more wrong, I thought he was so lovely!
All in all, I had a really nice day. I didn't stay for the musical performances this time as I was tired and had seen who I wanted to. I didn't have any expectations as I have been disappointed at S6's in the past but this one was one of the best ones that I've been to. Players were very accessible and it was quite a relaxed day!
