Love This City: Jess and Poppy Cook | OneFootball

Manchester City is such a special part of our lives, so much so that Poppy has already watched over 50 games… and she’s not even turned three yet!

Her birthday is in July, but her 50 games (outside the womb!) have taken her all around the country, and even to Barcelona.

Game number 50 was the League Cup final against Chelsea recently, where she had a little cardboard banner and a special ‘50’ t-shirt which all the supporters signed. The bond we have with the fans we sit around is so special.

We only knew about the milestone because of our usual matchday routine, which is to go and visit the Official Supporters’ Club table at the Joie Stadium before kick-off.

We always collect a badge from them before each game, which are on scarves from each season, just so we’ve always got something to look back on.

She’s still only two, so Poppy’s now at an age where she’s a bit up and down so we’ll need to get up during the games, but the stewards know her and lots of fans around us understand and often sing ‘give us a wave’.

It’s nice that we get those interactions with people at the football, and we can celebrate with her. It just makes it a really nice atmosphere for Poppy and me as well.

She also has a really special connection with the players, which just makes it even better. We saw Steph Houghton at the Everton game, for example, and she came over to say hello to Poppy. I was thinking ‘oh my god, Steph Houghton knows her name!’.

Kerstin Casparij has also been over to see her and taken photos a few times. Poppy even has a doll named Kerstin and has been learning some of the chants for Mary Fowler, Bunny Shaw and other players as well.

She also absolutely loves Moonchester and Moonbeam and always gets a picture with them before the game.

There are some weeks where she’s not engaged at all, but she’s starting to recognise some of the players more which is great because I can say to her ‘where’s Kerstin’, for example.

If we can’t make a game, we’ll put it on at home and she’ll point to them as well.

I like that we have something we can do together, and that thing is Manchester City.