Five Places Every Football Fan in Manchester Should Visit

There are certain cities that simply live and breathe football. Glasgow, Milan, and Rio come to mind. Manchester is another one. Home to two of the biggest clubs on the planet in the shape of Manchester United and Manchester City, whether you’re red, blue, or neutral…there are plenty of places in Manchester that every football fan should visit. Let us bring you our top 5:

The National Football Museum

We like to think we know a little bit about storage, but we doff our (sadly not international) caps in respect to the storage skills of the National Football Museum. Located in the centre of Manchester, close to the city’s Victoria railway station, it stores and showcases a combination of the beautiful game’s most important and intriguing exhibits.

What do you think of when you hear the name George Best? A world class footballer? Of course. A playboy? Yes. A sensitive and polite 17 year-old with surprisingly neat handwriting who’d write a proud letter home to his parents after making his first-team debut for Man Utd? Probably not so much. That letter is just one of many fascinating items that can be found in the museum though.

The 1953 FA Cup Final (‘The Matthews Final’) shirt of Sir Stanley Matthews is another item taking pride of place. The so-called ‘Wizard of the Dribble’ gave perhaps the most iconic performance of his career in inspiring Blackpool back from 3-1 down to a 4-3 victory over a Bolton side boasting the talents of Nat Lofthouse. Lofthouse scored in every round of that season’s tournament, while his Blackpool opposite number Stan Mortensen became the only player to score an FA Cup Final hat-trick at the old Wembley. Despite this, the game is remembered for the performance of Blackpool’s legendary winger. Matthews set up two of his side’s goals and, even at the age of 38, was outstanding. A performance fit for the watching Queen Elizabeth II, the first time the reigning monarch had attended the FA Cup Final.

Old Trafford, The Theatre of Dreams

The stadium dubbed ‘The Theatre of Dreams’ by Sir Bobby Charlton has been home to Manchester United since 1910. As well as its obvious importance in terms of on-field events, it also serves as a monument to the architectural history of football stadia. Old Trafford was originally designed by Archibald Leitch (not to be confused with Archibald Leach…who went on to become better known as Cary Grant), who designed all or part of more than 20 British football stadiums between 1899 and 1939.

The now all-seater stadium holds the Premier League’s attendance record, set in 2007 when 76,098 people watched United play host to Blackburn Rovers. Old Trafford and its surrounding area also contains several notable plaques and statues, including the plaque commemorating the victims of the 1958 Munich air disaster and the statue to The United Trinity; the legendary trio of George Best, Denis Law, and Bobby Charlton.

Maine Road

Although Manchester City left their Maine Road home in 2003 and it has since been demolished, football fans may still want to make a pilgrimage to the spot where it once stood. City’s presence on the site has been marked by a blue road running alongside the new houses on the site and the naming of a new street, Blue Moon Way; this being a reference to the club’s theme song. Incidentally, a visit to Maine Road needn’t just be a slice of history for City fans, as the stadium was also home to United between 1941 and 1949 due to Old Trafford suffering bomb damage during the war.

One Manchester footballing icon who may not have been too sad to see the back of Maine Road is Sir Alex Ferguson. In 1989, it was the setting for the first Manchester derby in three seasons…and a rampant City side ran out 5-1 winners.

The City of Manchester Stadium aka The Etihad Stadium

Currently known as The Etihad Stadium due to Manchester City’s sponsorship deal with the Emirati airline of the same name, the ground was originally known as The City of Manchester Stadium, having been built for the city’s hosting of the 2002 Commonwealth Games. We have to confess to a sneaking admiration for the ground’s technical area, which manages to keep the likes of Edin Dzeko, Stevan Jovetic, and Micah Richards…in storage.

Gigg Lane, home of Bury FC

OK, so we’ve stretched this out to Greater Manchester, but bear with us. As well as Bury FC, the stadium is also the (rented) home of FC United of Manchester. Set up in 2005 by Manchester United fans who felt disenfranchised by the commercial culture of modern football, the club won three promotions in their first three seasons, though their attempts to rise further have stalled so far. Whatever team you support, you can imagine the pain and frustration of finishing as runners-up in the play-offs three seasons running!

It wouldn’t be fair to mention Gigg Lane without talking a little bit about FCUM’s landlords too. Bury, nicknamed The Shakers, have played at the ground since their formation in 1885 and the history of floodlit matches there actually goes back to 1889, when 7000 people watched the home side lose 4-5 to the now defunct Heywood Central.

As far as famous names to grace a Bury shirt at Gigg Lane go, would you be impressed if we told you that both Alex Ferguson and Mark Hughes had turned out for the club? Good. Unfortunately, they weren’t the Alex Ferguson or Mark Hughes. Still, England’s 1966 World Cup winner Roger Hunt did have a one-month trial with the club in the 1950s…only to be rejected by them. What might have been? Well, you can always pay a visit and imagine.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this little taster of Manchester’s rich footballing heritage. Whether you’re living in the city permanently or simply studying in it, there may be times when you need somehelp with your storage in Manchester...and that’s where Flexistore can be of assistance.

Related post: Why you should pack up and move to Manchester.

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