England: Sacred ground

A replica of the FA Cup at the new Wembley Stadium in London. Photo / Rob McFarland

I leave the England changing room and turn right into the players' tunnel. I'm only metres from Wembley's hallowed turf and my nerves are jangling.

The roar of the crowd is deafening - 90,000 people cheering and singing. I take a deep breath and sprint out on to the pitch. The crowd goes wild. In one voice they scream: "Give us an R, give us an O, give us a B ..."

Okay, so maybe there aren't 90,000 people and maybe I haven't just sprinted on to the pitch but even just walking from the players' tunnel out into the yawning, cavernous new Wembley Stadium gives you goosebumps.

Brazilian footballing great Pele called Wembley "the church of football" and there were misgivings when it was announced that the old stadium - scene of historic events such as Live Aid and England's World Cup win in 1966 - would be replaced by a larger venue.

Designed by the architectural dream team of Lord Norman Foster - the man behind London's Millennium Bridge - and HOK Sport, the company responsible for Sydney's Olympic Stadium, the new Wembley Stadium opened in March 2007 after numerous delays.

It instantly added a new feature to London's skyline. Its 315m arch is the longest single-span roof structure in the world and is fitted with a beacon to warn low-flying planes. When lit at night it can be seen from more than 60km away.

Other statistics are equally impressive: the stadium has four of the biggest restaurants in London, 98 kitchens and 2618 toilets - more than any other building in the world.

I know all this because I'm on a guided tour led by Welsh William, the Wembley expert (try saying that quickly) and 17 football enthusiasts (don't even think of calling it soccer over here). The 90-minute tours started last November and are so popular that at weekends there are often 40 people a day.

We're here three days before the 2008 FA Cup final clash between Portsmouth and Cardiff City, so staff are busy putting the final touches to the ground.

We take a peek into one of the 166 executive boxes and fawn over the sleek glass dining table, swish leather couches and private terrace overlooking the pitch. A mere £250,000 ($654,000) a year buys you a 20-person box but they've already been snapped up by the likes of David Beckham and Bill Gates.

We climb a steep flight of stairs to the back row of the stadium - which is no place for vertigo sufferers. The view is sensational: a sea of 90,000 red seats, each of which enjoys an uninterrupted view of the action (one of the main criticisms of the old ground was that 16,000 seats had an obstructed view). The stadium is not completely covered - the northern and southern roofs provide shelter for the stands while still allowing sunlight and ventilation to reach the pitch - and part of the south roof can be drawn back for London's six sunny days a year.

Next stop is the press conference room for the obligatory photo sitting behind the manager's desk and an entertaining video of historic clips from Wembley's heyday.

We wander into the England dressing room which, despite being spotlessly clean, still has that school changing-room aroma of sweaty socks. The shirts from the last England game are still hanging up and a quick glance around the room locates the familiar names of Owen, Ferdinand and Gerrard.

One feature from the old stadium that remains is the famous climb to the Royal Box for the medal presentations.

It's our final stop and we take a photo with the only full-size replica of the FA Cup in existence.

On the way out I pass a statue of Bobby Moore, the only England World Cup-winning captain. Optimistic England fans still hope he won't be the last - and wouldn't it be fitting if this stunning new stadium was the venue?

Rob McFarland was a guest of Accor Hotels, Visit Britain and Virgin Atlantic.