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 the club moved to the City of Manchester Stadium. 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... This is the song that never ends yes it gos on and on my friends some people started singing it not knowing what it was they just started singing it forever just becauseThis is the song that never ends yes it gos on and on my friends some... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... This is a list of major football (soccer) stadiums, grouped by country and ordered by capacity. ... Manchester City Football Club is a football club based in Manchester, United Kingdom. ... Moss Side is an area of Manchester in England. ... Manchester is a city in the United Kingdom, considered by some to be the countrys second city [1][2]. It is a centre of the arts, the media, higher education and big business. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages None official English de facto Capital None official London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked... Manchester City Football Club is a football club based in Manchester, United Kingdom. ... 1923 (MCMXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Built for the Commonwealth Games of 2002, the City of Manchester Stadium (also known as COMS, Eastlands and Sportcity) is located in Manchester, England. ...

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. Hyde Road was a football stadium in Ardwick, Manchester. ... Belle Vue, a dog racing track near Manchester, holds a special place in the greyhound racing record books because the very first race round an oval track in Britain was staged there on July 24, 1926. ... Hampden Park from the air Main Entrance, Hampden Park Hampden Park This article is about the Scottish football ground; for the area in Eastbourne, see Hampden Park, East Sussex Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland is home to Queens Park F.C. and the Scottish national football team. ... For the railway station of the same name, see Wembley Stadium railway station Wembley Stadium is the most famous football stadium in the world, located in Wembley, London, England, which is currently being rebuilt, although it is well behind schedule. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England and is the most populous city in the European Union. ... Sir Robert McAlpine, 1st Bt (13 February 1847-3 November 1934), known as Concrete Bob, founded the major construction firm now known as Sir Robert McAlpine. ...

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 seems to be an urban myth, endemic to a large percentage of football league grounds. Irish Travellers are a nomadic or itinerant people of Irish origin living in Ireland, Great Britain and the United States. ... Urban Legend is also the name of a 1998 movie. ...

The first match at Maine Road saw 56,993 fans watch the home side beat Sheffield United F.C. by two goals to one. Sheffield United Football Club are a professional English football club based in the City of Sheffield. ...

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. Bizarrely, the highest attendance at an English League game was at Maine Road on the January 17, 1948, when Manchester United played Arsenal in front of 83,260 fans. However, 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. Manchester United Football Club is an English football club, based at Old Trafford Football Ground, Manchester. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Old Trafford Football Stadium (given the nickname The Theatre of Dreams by Bobby Charlton) is the home of Manchester United F.C. Located in the borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, it has been Uniteds home since 1910. ... Manchester is a city in the United Kingdom, considered by some to be the countrys second city [1][2]. It is a centre of the arts, the media, higher education and big business. ... German bomber over the Surrey Docks, Southwark, London The Blitz was the bombing of the United Kingdom by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 16 May 1941, during World War II. It was carried out by the Luftwaffe across the UK, but their attack was concentrated on London. ... January 17 is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... Arsenal Football Club (also known as Arsenal, The Arsenal or The Gunners) are an English professional football club based in north London. ... March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (63rd in leap years). ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Stoke City Football Club (known as Stoke Football Club until 1925) is a football club from Stoke-on-Trent in England (the other league club in the city being Port Vale F.C.). The club is reputedly the second-oldest football league club in the world, after Notts County F... The FA Cup - this is the fourth trophy, in use since 1992, and identical in design to the third trophy introduced in 1911. ...

Maine Road hosted two England internationals, November 13, 1946 a 3-0 defeat of Wales and November 16, 1949 a 9-2 win over Northern Ireland in England's first ever World Cup qualifier. A number of wartime internationals were also held at the ground. First international Scotland 0 - 0 England (Partick, Scotland; 30 November 1872) Largest win Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Northern Ireland; 18 February 1882) Worst defeat Hungary 7 - 1 England (Budapest, Hungary; 23 May 1954) World Cup Appearances 12 (First in 1950) Best result Winners, 1966 European Championship Appearances 7 (First... November 13 is the 317th day of the year (318th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 48 days remaining. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... First international Scotland 4 - 0 Wales (Glasgow, Scotland; 26 March 1876) Largest win Wales 11 - 0 Ireland (Wrexham, Wales; 3 March 1888) Worst defeat Scotland 9 - 0 Wales (Glasgow, Scotland; 23 March 1878) World Cup Appearances 1 (First in 1958) Best result Quarter-finals, 1958 European Championship Appearances none (First... November 16 is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 45 days remaining. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... First international Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Ireland; February 18, 1882) Largest win Ireland (IFA) 7 - 0 Wales (Belfast, Northern Ireland; February 1, 1930) Worst defeat Ireland 0 - 13 England (Belfast, Ireland; February 18, 1882) World Cup Appearances 3 (First in 1958) Best result Quarterfinals, 1958 European Championship Appearances none... The Football World Cup (official name: FIFA World Cup) is the most important competition in international football (soccer). ...

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. Southampton Football Club (originally St. ... Michael Svensson (born 25 November 1975) is a Swedish professional football player who currently plays as a central defender for Southampton. ... Badly Drawn Boy live in Paris in 2003 Badly Drawn Boy (born 2 October 1970) is an indie singer/songwriter, born Damon Gough in Dunstable, England. ... Doves is a British indie rock band from Manchester, England. ...

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. This article describes the FA Premier League 2002-03 season. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Rusholme is a part of Manchester, England, about two miles south of the city centre. ...

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. Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, either in terms of the space available, or in terms of limitations set by law. ...

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. The Taylor Report is a document, whose development was overseen by Lord Justice Taylor, concerning the aftermath and causes of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. ...

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.

Maine Road and the arts

Maine Road 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. 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as part of... Cup-Tie Honeymoon was the first motion picture to be produced by Mancunian Film Studios in 1948, themed around football. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Theres Only One Jimmy Grimble (1999) was a film set in Manchester, United Kingdom. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... ITVs Logo 2006—present Independent Television (ITV) is the name given to the original network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up to provide competition to the BBC. In England and Wales, the channel has been rebranded to ITV1 by ITV plc, the owners of the broadcasting licences for... The opening titles of The Second Coming. ... Christopher Eccleston Christopher Eccleston (born on 16 February 1964) is an English stage, television and film actor, best known for his roles in several high profile prestige films and television series and for playing the ninth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who. ...

Maine Road has also played host to a number of rock concerts, with bands such as Bon Jovi and Guns N' Roses performing at the stadium, but perhaps the most significant musical event at the stadium was the visit of Mancunian band Oasis in April 1996. Bon Jovi is an American rock music band from New Jersey. ... Guns N Roses (GNR) is an American hard rock band that gained fame during the late 1980s and early 1990s. ... Manchester is a city in the United Kingdom, considered by some to be the countrys second city [1][2]. It is a centre of the arts, the media, higher education and big business. ... Oasis are a rock band originally formed in Manchester, England. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

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. Celebrating 50 years 1955 - 2005 The club was formed in 1955 as City Supporters Rusholme, when our past Chairman Frank Thompson and a few friends formed a team and after playing a few friendlies joined the local Rusholme Sunday League. ... The North West Counties Football League is a football league in the north west of England. ... 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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

External links

• Satellite Photo of Maine Road
• "The Stadium Guide - Maine Road." URL accessed on July 27, 2005.
• "BBC Sport - Maine Road through the ages." URL accessed on July 27, 2005.
• "BBC Sport - Saints spoil Maine Road party." URL accessed on July 27, 2005.
• "CNNSI Soccer - Manchester derby highlights English weekend." URL accessed on July 27, 2005.