Last call for the Wembley experience

Walking down Wembley Way

By Dick Durham, CNN.com writer

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Fans have been jetting into London to pay their last respects to Wembley, before England's national stadium is torn down and completely rebuilt.

The grand old stadium, opened in 1923 with its distinctive Twin Towers, shows signs of decay but it is retains an aura for fans across the world.

"Wembley is the worldwide icon of football," says stadium spokesman Martin Corrie. "Pele called it the 'church of football'. It is the most powerful brand name in the world, but it has been trading on its image rather than the reality, which is that it is encumbered by its architecture."

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The final game at the stadium, between England and Germany, takes place on Saturday.

Fans have been flocking to the Wembley "experience", a £7.95 ($12) tour of the 219-acre site.

Austrian bank worker Ernst Pummer, 45, who has a ticket for Saturday, saw his visit as a pilgrimage. "I am a big football supporter. Everybody knows Wembley, everybody wants to be at Wembley so this is a special day for me."

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He is one of the 5.5 million people to visit the stadium every year.

"I have come here because this is the Holy Grass," said Andreas Wanitschek, an engineer from Stuttgart, Germany. "At last I've had the chance to see it."

His partner Martina Raible added: "I only came because we had a deal -- Andreas had to come with me to Madame Tussaud waxworks. But now I have come it is much better than I thought."

Glenn Van Vuuren, 39, from Durban, South Africa, felt the stadium looked tired but said: "I feel honoured to be here. World famous events have taken place here, historical events. A lot of history will disappear when it is pulled down."

Also paying their respects were the daughters of Billy Wright, the first footballer to win 100 international caps for England and a former captain.

Vicky Wright and Babette Woodham in the royal box

Vicky Wright, 39, and Babette Woodham, 36, had visited the stadium dozens of times with their late father after he retired, but returned for the last time to make a poignant journey -- walking the 100 metres from the changing rooms, through the tunnel and onto the pitch.

Their father had told them he was physically sick with nerves just before entering the tunnel at every big match and had to clean himself up in the changing rooms.

Vicky said: "We came here a lot with dad and it is all a bit emotional but we were determined to make the pilgrimage before the stadium closed."

"I wanted to know what he felt like," said Babette. "I had always wanted to walk the tunnel."

Inside the changing rooms

Her husband Gerry, 34, said: "It is very emotional to come here. I've been involved in sport all my life and this is very moving."

Tour the stadium now and you cannot escape the smell of decay -- damp worn carpet tiles, stained polystyrene ceilings, grubby emulsioned walls.

It's also the end of an era for Wembley guide John Mangum. He, along with 69 others, will be redundant by the end of the week.

But he retains his enthusiasm as he leads his party up the 39 steps to the royal box, where fans can lift a replica of the English FA Cup, into the stadium hospital, where he said the red curtains were to hide the blood of injured players, and the changing rooms with their red-painted baths.

Soon all this will be gone and a new £326 million ($477 million) stadium will rise in its place -- the start of a new era.

From CNN.com Europe.

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