Story added: 17th January 2025

Canaries fans enjoy wish day at the training ground

On Wednesday 15th January, the Norwich City Community Sports Foundation invited a group of lifelong Canaries fans and programme participants to a once-in-a-lifetime day out at Norwich City FC’s AVANT Training Centre.

Arriving just shy of 11 am, a chilly but relatively mild January morning welcomed eager participants and fans to the training ground. With training in full swing, the group was invited to seek refuge in the warmth of the conservatory to watch on as their favourite players went through their paces.

The group then headed out to watch the final minutes of training pitchside before the unmistakable sound of the coach’s whistle drew a close to training and began a series of magical moments. The pitch gate swung open and the younger participants were onto the field in a flash, with Foundation volunteer Jack Stacey, Ken Aboh and young Canary AJ Bridge some of the first players to get involved.

It didn’t take long before the entire squad were photographing, kicking footballs, signing memorabilia, and creating all sorts of memories for those in attendance, not least 93-year-old John, who was a season ticket holder for 73 years.

After an hour of tiring out little legs and reminiscing through the decades of Norwich City FC, the majority of the group would head back to the conservatory to receive a goodie bag full of gifts and a spot of food from the club’s fantastic catering team.

John, meanwhile, was invited on an exclusive tour of the gym, Norwich City’s famous appearance-maker wall, and of course the legends wall, where John was able to find one of his favourite all-time Canaries. Accompanied by the ever-enthusiastic Onel Hernández, John’s trip down memory lane concluded with a fine rendition of Sweet Caroline with those completing their workouts in the gym.

To conclude the day, each participant would receive a personalised gift from one of their favourite players.

A Norwich City-branded rucksack was given to each participant, containing an array of goodies including a signed FA Cup match ball to a signed training shirt for their favourite player.

After a bit of fuel courtesy of the catering team and a few last-minute photos and extra signatures, the day concluded with a room beaming full of smiles from both young and old.

Head of Fundraising, Emma Fletcher-Dungay said:

“We would like to put on record a massive thank you to the club for opening its doors and allowing for this incredible day to take place.

“Moments like this will be lasting memories for all those involved in the day, and we really do have a special club that makes this happen.”