From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maine Road
Full name	Maine Road
Nickname	None
Built	1923
Opened	23 August 1923
Capacity	32,000 - 80,000
Home of	Manchester City (1923-2003) Manchester United (1946-49)
Pitch size	see main text

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. The design of the ground changed several times over its 80 year history. 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 goal scored by Swedish defender Michael Svensson. The following season Manchester City relocated to the newly-built City of Manchester Stadium in east Manchester. Maine Road was demolished in 2004.

Contents 1 Construction 2 Early years 3 Regeneration 4 Relocation 5 Pitch 6 Other uses 7 Maine Road Football Club 8 References 9 Footnotes 10 External links

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 number of football league grounds. 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 match at Maine Road saw 56,993 fans watch the home side beat Sheffield United F.C. by two goals to one. The first changes to the ground 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.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. Changes at the Platt Lane end took place in 1935, extending the terracing and providing a roof for the full stand.

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.

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 1990, some areas of the ground looked antiquated, and the Platt Lane stand was demolished in 1992. Its place was taken by the all-seater Umbro Stand, that also incorporated executive boxes. The era of standing accommodation at Maine Road came to an end in 1994 as the stadium became all-seater to comply with the requirements of the Taylor Report with the demolition of the Kippax Street Terrace. The three-tier Kippax Stand was built on the site and on its 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.

There were plans for further expansion at Maine Road to take the capacity to 45,000 all-seated, but these were abandoned in favour of relocation to the City of Manchester Stadium that was being constructed for the Commonwealth Games in 2002.

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. There were several proposals for other sports teams to make use of Maine Road following City's relocation, but none of these proposals ever went ahead.

Demolition of Maine Road began later in 2003, and two years later the go-ahead was given for a new housing development to take part on the site.

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 (117 x 77 2/3 yards).

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.^[1]

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 The Rolling Stones, Queen, Fleetwood Mac, Bryan Adams, Jean Michel Jarre, David Bowie (on two occasions), 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 (themselves avowed Manchester City fans) in April 1996, a performance which was later released as a video, Oasis:...There and Then. Prince also played the stadium in the 1980s, as did Pink Floyd. In 1974, teen idol David Cassidy played the stadium.

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.

• James, Gary Farewell To Maine Road ISBN 1-899538-19-4
• Cummins, Kevin We're Not Really Here: Manchester City's Final Season at Maine Road ISBN 1-904688-00-4

1. ^ BBC Sport - Maine Road through the ages. Retrieved on 24 June 2006.

• The Stadium Guide - Maine Road. Retrieved on July 27, 2005.
• BBC Sport - Saints spoil Maine Road party. Retrieved on July 27, 2005.

Coordinates: 53°27′04.06″N, 2°14′06.53″W