What the Youth Cup meant: Pride, emotion, history

JOE GANLEY: Teenage kicks!

There are few things finer than walking down the Warwick Road, on a balmy evening in early May, to watch Manchester United play. And it’s even better when you’re surrounded by thousands of young Reds – many attending their first-ever United game, all for the marvellously accessible price of £1. Much in modern life is prohibitively expensive for everyone, never mind teenagers, but the FA Youth Cup final felt like a glorious youth explosion. Virtually everyone that wanted a ticket could get one, no-one was priced out, and that was written across the face of Wednesday night’s crowd in wonderful beaming technicolour. Hopefully the match against Nottingham Forest instilled the United match-going bug in thousands of newbies, because it was amazing to see the Stretford End full of even more energy and colour than usual; full of groups of young mates stood together and singing their hearts out.

And let’s not forget: we won! It was quietly emotional watching United lift the Youth Cup – such an important trophy in our history, given the Babes and the memory of Munich – for a record 11th time. It reminded me of what this great club is ultimately about: supporting your team, acknowledging and respecting the club’s roots, and making sure that your love for United is passed on to future generations. My heart was bursting as I left the ground, and I wasn’t the only one.