Fallowfield Stadium

Fallowfield Stadium stood in Fallowfield, Manchester, as an athletics stadium and velodrome. It opened in May 1892 after Manchester Athletics Club had to leave its ground next to Old Trafford Cricket Ground. The Manchester Wheelers’ Club used the track regularly for cycling, holding its annual competition there until 1976. The stadium became nationally known when it hosted the 1893 FA Cup final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton. With space for only 15,000, the crowd of 45,000 left many spectators unable to see the match. It also staged the 1899 FA Cup semi-final replay between Sheffield United and Liverpool, which had to be abandoned after a dangerous crush. The cycle track began as shale before being rebuilt in concrete, 509 yards around with steep 30-degree bankings. Reg Harris bought the stadium in 1955 and renamed it after himself for a time. Athletics records were set at the venue, including Sydney Wooderson’s world 3/4-mile best of 2 minutes 59.5 seconds in 1939. The stadium also hosted the AAA championships in 1897 and 1907, the 1934 British Empire Games cycling events, and rugby union and league finals. Manchester University acquired the ground in the early 1960s, and after demolition in 1994 the site became Richmond Park Halls of Residence on the Fallowfield Campus.