Maine Road

Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, built for Manchester City after the club left Hyde Road. The ground opened in 1923 and stood on the site of an old brickworks, renamed Maine Road in the 1870s. It hosted major matches including FA Cup semi-finals, league cup finals and England internationals. The stadium’s highest attendance reached 84,569 in 1934 for an FA Cup tie against Stoke City. After 80 years of changes and renovations, Maine Road closed in 2003 when the club moved to the City of Manchester Stadium. The ground’s design reflected its long history, with stands of different heights added over time. In the 1930s it briefly held over 88,000 fans before becoming an all-seater stadium in the 1990s. Manchester United shared the ground after the Second World War while Old Trafford was repaired. The Kippax Stand became the heart of the club’s support, with space for 18,300 standing fans. Later redevelopments included the Umbro Stand and a new three-tier stand, though financial pressures limited further expansion. Visitors to Maine Road would have found a stadium shaped by decades of change. The Main Stand, Platt Lane End and North Stand stood at varying heights, creating an uneven skyline. The Kippax, once a vast terrace, became a modern three-tier stand before the ground closed. Though no longer standing, the site remains part of Manchester’s sporting history.