Love This City: Andrea Brookshaw | OneFootball

My earliest memory of City was meeting some of the players in December 2019 at Francis House Children's Hospice where my eldest goes.

My youngest daughter was so impressed by them that she began to play football herself and we went to our first game on 12 February 2020.

We beat Bristol City 1-0 and we loved the whole experience.

My typical matchday is getting to the game nice and early, wearing my lucky hat. We meet up with our friends and watch the players warm up.

I quite often get picked to wave a flag just before the game starts and I love that. It's the only chance I will get to go on the pitch!

Supporting and watching City has definitely improved my life. I'm a Mum to three girls. My eldest is severely disabled and takes up the majority of my time.

Going to football games gives me a chance to spend one-on-one time with my youngest. We go to all the home and away games.

I hadn't been abroad or even had a passport before this season because I had a phobia of flying. I got my passport when City got through to the Champions League.

I went on my first flight to Paris in August to watch them play so thanks to City I got over my phobia!

I have made some amazing friends through joining the Manchester City Women Official Supporters Club. We spend so much time together on coaches travelling to games and we feel like a family now.

It's lovely going to games and seeing our friends and catching up, we are a close-knit fan base.

It's been amazing seeing more fans at the games in the five years I've been following the team.

Women's football is getting more recognition and more girls are playing. Everyone that follows Man City are really passionate and we follow them everywhere!

I love being a City fan. We have so many great opportunities through the OSC like making the video with Kerstin Casparij when she announced her contract being extended, we really felt like we were part of the Club.

I have a lovely community of friends that I love spending time with.

I'm getting to visit lots of new stadiums, although none of them compare to ours.

Going to City games gives me a chance to feel normal. I stop worrying about my daughter for 90 minutes and I'm not just her carer, I'm me.

Andrea Brookshaw