Maine Road

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Lore & Background

Plans to build Maine Road were first announced in May 1922, following a decision by Manchester City to leave their Hyde Road ground, which did not have room for expansion and its main stand had been severely damaged by fire in 1920. Two sites in Belle Vue in east Manchester were suggested, but neither was deemed sufficient. The move to a larger stadium at Maine Road was backed by then manager Ernest Mangnall. A 16.25 acre former brickworks on Maine Road was purchased for £5,500. The road was originally known as Dog Kennel Lane but renamed Maine Road (after the Maine law) during the 1870s at the insistence of the Temperance movement. During construction, the stadium was reputedly cursed by a Gypsy when officials evicted a Gypsy camp from the area. This curse was allegedly removed on 28 December 1998. However, the Gypsy curse is likely to be an urban myth. Construction took 300 days at a total cost of £100,000. 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. The first match at Maine Road took place on 25 August 1923 when 58,159 fans watched Manchester City beat Sheffield United 2–1. In 1934, the highest attendance for an English football club playing at their own stadium was recorded at Maine Road, when 84,569 fans watched Manchester City play Stoke City in the sixth round of the FA Cup on 3 March 1934. This is the record home attendance for a domestic match and the record home attendance at a club ground at the time. The stadium was shared by Manchester United after the Second World War as Manchester United's Old Trafford ground had been damaged 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 17 January 1948. Floodlights for the stadium were installed in 1953. The Kippax became the part of the ground where the club's most vociferous fans congregated. In 1963, benches were installed at the Platt Lane end, meaning that Maine Road had more seats than any other English club ground at the time. The next major redevelopment came in the 1970s, with the construction of the North Stand. The era of standing accommodation at Maine Road came to an end in May 1994 as the stadium became all-seater to comply with the requirements of the Taylor Report.

In Their Own Story

The final competitive match before the closure of the stadium took place on 11 May 2003 with a Premiership match against Southampton. Tickets were sold upwards of £250 and a crowd of 34,957, about 100 short of maximum capacity, filled Maine Road for the final day. City lost the match 1–0 with Michael Svensson scoring the stadium's last goal. The final match was followed by performances by musical acts Badly Drawn Boy and Doves. City's final goal at the stadium was scored on 21 April 2003 by Marc-Vivien Foé during a 3–0 victory over Sunderland. Sixty-six days later, Fóe died on 26 June from an undetected heart condition while representing the Cameroon national football team during the 2003 Confederations Cup. An auction of the ground's fixtures and fittings took place in July 2003, raising £100,000, which was donated to community projects in the Moss Side area, which was undergoing a lengthy regeneration process. The two penalty spots and the centre spot were thought to be the most desired mementos, but all three had been cut out from the grass before the auction took place. The auction lasted for seven hours and 1,000 supporters attended the auction, with interest from clubs such as Preston North End and Norwich City for the bigger lots which could be reused.

Reader's Guide

Maine Road was located in Moss Side, Manchester. It was home to Manchester City from 1923 to 2003. The stadium had a capacity of 35,150 at closure. Notable features included the Kippax stand, the North Stand, and the Platt Lane Stand. The ground was known for its haphazard design with stands of varying heights. The record attendance was 84,569 for an FA Cup match in 1934. The stadium hosted FA Cup semi-finals, Charity Shield, a League Cup final, and England matches. It was also used by Manchester United after WWII. The final match was against Southampton on 11 May 2003.

Did You Know?

• Maine Road's highest attendance of 84,569 was set in 1934 and was a record for an English club ground at the time.
• The stadium was built on a former brickworks purchased for £5,500.
• Maine Road was shared by Manchester United after WWII because Old Trafford was damaged in the Manchester Blitz.
• The Kippax stand, when completed in 1995, was the tallest stand in the country.
• City's final goal at Maine Road was scored by Marc-Vivien Foé on 21 April 2003.