Maine Road

Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England. It was home to Manchester City F.C. from its construction in 1923 until 2003.

When first opened, the stadium was the largest club ground in England, and the second largest in the country after Wembley Stadium. Maine Road's record attendance was set in 1934, when 84,569 people attended an FA Cup tie between Manchester City and Stoke City, a record for an English club ground. Prior to closure Maine Road was an all-seater stadium, with a capacity of 35,150.

The 2002-03 season was Manchester City's last at Maine Road, with the last match played on 11 May 2003, Manchester City losing 1-0 to Southampton. The following season Manchester City relocated to the newly-built City of Manchester Stadium in east Manchester. Maine Road was demolished in 2004.

History

Plans to build Maine Road were first announced in May 1922, following a decision by Manchester City F.C. to leave their Hyde Road ground, which did not have room for expansion and had been damaged by fire in 1920. Many people believed that the new stadium would be based in Belle Vue, in East Manchester. To many city fans east Manchester was regarded as city's home and many were disappointed when a site in south Manchester were chosen. A sixteen and a quarter acre former brickworking was purchased for £5,500, and construction commenced late in 1922. Plans by architect Charles Swain proposed a 120,000 capacity ground based on the design of Hampden Park, though these plans were scaled back to give a capacity of 80,000. However, this figure was still the second largest in the country, behind Wembley Stadium, leading to a label of "The Wembley of the North". Wembley had opened in London only a few months earlier, the near-simultaneous development being a source of rivalry between the northern and southern divisions of builders Robert McAlpine, who built both stadiums.

During construction, the stadium was reputedly cursed by a gypsy when Manchester City officials evicted a gypsy camp from the area. However, the gypsy curse is likely to be an urban myth, as such stories are endemic to a large percentage of football league grounds.

The first match at Maine Road saw 56,993 fans watch the home side beat Sheffield United F.C. by two goals to one. The highest attendance at an English football game of any type at a League ground was also at Maine Road on the March 3, 1934, when Manchester City played Stoke City in front of 84,569 fans in the 6th round of the FA Cup.

The stadium was shared by Manchester United for a period after the Second World War, since Manchester United's Old Trafford ground had been partially destroyed during the Manchester Blitz. The highest attendance for a League game at Maine Road occurred during this period, when 83,260 people watched Manchester United play Arsenal on January 17 1948. This figure is a national record for a League game.

The final competitive match before the closure of the stadium took place on 11 May 2003. Manchester City ended the Maine Road era with a 1-0 defeat to Southampton F.C., with Michael Svensson scoring the stadium's last goal. The final match was followed by short performances by musical acts Badly Drawn Boy and Doves.

Demolition of Maine Road started shortly after the end of the 2002-2003 season, and development of a new housing estate is due to begin in late 2005 as part of the ongoing project to regenerate the surrounding Moss Side and Rusholme areas.

Redevelopment

The design of the ground changed several times over its 80 year history. The initial layout of the ground consisted of one covered stand with a seating capacity of 10,000, and uncovered terracing on the other three sides, with gentle curves connecting the corners. The first redevelopment took place in 1931, when the corner between the Main Stand and the Platt Lane end at the south of the ground was rebuilt to incorporate a roof. Further changes at the Platt Lane end took place in 1935, extending the terracing and providing a roof for the full stand. In the 1950s, floodlights were installed, and the side facing the Main Stand (which until that time was generally known as the Popular Side) was redeveloped and named The Kippax Stand. In 1963, benches were installed at the Platt Lane end, meaning that Maine Road had more seats than any other English club ground of the time. The next major redevelopment came in the 1970s, with the construction of the North Stand, a cantilevered stand which remained in place until the closure of Maine Road. The 1980s saw ambitious plans for improvements: however, these plans were shelved due to financial pressures after the Main Stand roof had been replaced at a cost of £1 million.

By the 1990s, some areas of the ground looked antiquated, and the Platt Lane stand was demolished. The redeveloped Platt Lane stand (which for most of the 1990s was also known as the Umbro Stand for sponsorship reasons) caused controversy amongst supporters, who felt that the stand was dominated by executive boxes at the cost of places for ordinary fans. There were also concerns about costs, particularly as the Kippax Stand was due for redevelopment in order for Maine Road to comply with the Taylor Report, which required all top division teams to have all-seater stadia. The Kippax terracing was demolished in 1994, and was replaced by a three tier stand which on completion was the tallest in the country. The new stand was an impressive modern facility, but it also emphasised the haphazard nature in which the ground had been redeveloped, as all four sides were of differing heights and construction styles.

Pitch

For long periods of its history Maine Road had the widest pitch in England. However, the width was changed several times by managers wishing to alter the pitch size to suit their style of play. In the final season before the ground was closed, the pitch size was 107 x 71 metres.

Other uses

Maine Road hosted two England internationals, the first was a 3-0 defeat of Wales on November 13 1946 and the second a 9-2 win over Northern Ireland on November 16 1949, England's first ever World Cup qualifier. In addition, A number of wartime internationals were held at the ground. Maine Road was also the venue for a number of rugby league matches, hosting the rugby league championship final eleven times between 1938 and 1956.

The stadium was used for several scenes in the 1948 motion picture Cup-tie Honeymoon. More recently, it was featured in the 2000 film There's Only One Jimmy Grimble and the 2003 ITV drama The Second Coming, which starred Christopher Eccleston.

Maine Road has also played host to a number of rock concerts, with bands including Bon Jovi and Guns N' Roses performing at the stadium. The most high profile concert held at Maine Road was that of Mancunian band Oasis in April 1996, a performance which was later released as a video, Oasis: There and Then.

Maine Road Football Club

Maine Road also gives its name to a non-league football team, Maine Road F.C. The team, who currently play in the North West Counties Football League Division One, were founded by a group of Manchester City supporters in 1955. The club previously based its headquarters at the social club adjoining Maine Road.

References

James, Gary Farewell To Maine Road ISBN 1-899-53819-4
Cummins, Kevin We're Not Really Here: Manchester City's Final Season at Maine Road ISBN 1-904-68800-4

Footnotes

External links

Satellite Photo of Maine Road

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