Remember before Christmas when I told you that I was trying to focus more on experiences rather than gifts?
Well one of Master Frugal’s experiences took place this week and it was amazing – far better than I had expected and worth every penny we paid for it.
He’s a huge Boro fan and follows them avidly so when he didn’t really ask for much at Christmas we had no idea what to buy him as his main present. It felt like we’d be buying him something for the sake of it as he hadn’t really asked for anything and didn’t really need anything. So we started thinking about what sort of experience we could buy him that would leave him with amazing lifelong memories.
We toyed with a few ideas but the one we kept coming back to was the mascot package at the Riverside Stadium which would give him the chance to meet the team, have a kickabout with the captain and then finally, lead out his beloved Boro on to the pitch before a match.
I’m not going to lie, it was the least frugal thing I’ve ever bought but I’m so pleased we went for it because he was so pleased with it and was literally speechless when he he found out on Christmas morning!
Anyway, after weeks of waiting, last Tuesday was the big night so we headed along to the Boro ground before the match ready for his big night.
He was so nervous bless him but as we sat in a little lounge with the match referee and the other officials, his nerves started to ease a bit and he started to enjoy himself. One of the match officials then took him down to the dressing room to meet the team and he was smiling so much when he came out that I honestly could have cried. The team seemed to make a real effort to make him feel welcome and he apparently chatted away quite happily with them in there for about 15 minutes which I thought was amazing.
We spent the time he was in there taking selfies and sitting in the team seats 😉
He came back to stand with us at the pitch side to wait for the team to come out for their warm up and when they did, at least three of them came out of their way to give him a high five and one of them told him not to forget that he was his favourite.(I forget the names but apparently they were a big deal – one was a goalie if that helps). On the way off the pitch from the warm up he got more high fives and asked a few of them to sign his shirt which is now his most prized possession.
He was the whisked away again only to reappear a few minutes later with the captain’s arm on his shoulder leading the team out.
He then had a little kick about on the pitch with the captain who was very lovely – he noticed how nervous Master Frugal was in the tunnel and had a quiet word with him telling him how nervous he gets before a match to make him feel better.
There were so many other little touches that made the night even better – he was in the programme and on the big screen before the match, we got free meal vouchers, there was a professional photographer following him and he made sure to take pictures of us all (can’t wait to see them) and the brilliant seats we got to watch the match which was a great one with a 3-1 win.
He hasn’t stopped smiling since!
Don’t miss out on future posts like this – receive updates directly to your inbox by email by adding your email address to the box on the top right of this page and hitting subscribe. You can also find me on BlogLovin, Yummly and Networked Blogs and I’d love to see you over on my Facebook page and on Instagram.
What a lovely gift idea. I had no idea they sold mascot packages. He looks like he had the time of his life and it's something he will probably remember forever whereas s toy wouldn't have the same impact.
How amazing for Master Frugal and all the better for winning on the night as well!
That is amazing, what a lovely experience for him. Kian was a player escort at wembley and it was one of my proudest moments but this seems better as he got to meet the players and have a kick about on the pitch :0)
Wow what an amazing experience, something I actually always would have loved to do.
such a big day for him. He must have been chuffed to bits.
I'm a big fan of the idea of the experience gift and your lad seems to have had an amazing day with memories that'll last a lifetime, trouble is how will you top it next Christmas?
Aww! That is fantastic! It looks and sounds like he had the best time. A fantastic bonus they won too 😀
Absolutely the stuff of dreams! I bet he'll remember it forever. I bet he's the envy of his school friends too!
We are thinking of that for our son at Pompey. What a fabulous experience your son had, thanks for writing about it. X
What an amazing experience! Much to the disgust of my husband, thanks to living here my son is a huge FC Bayern fan. Mr R thought he could get around that problem by suggesting he liked a team here, and one at home – hoping he would be a Saints fan like him. Nope, he decided his English team would be Arsenal! He would love this! 🙂
Aw bless him. So glad he enjoyed it. We did the same thing for our son many years ago and he's never forgotten it. He then went on to do the same thing for his son which we went along to watch. We were such proud grandparents as we watched our grandson lead the way out with the captain. As you say not a cheap present but one that he'll always remember and talk about.