| Manchester is a city with a rich history in sports, | | | | re-named the team as Manchester United. During |
| especially football. The city hosts two major football | | | | World War II, the Old Trafford Football Ground was |
| clubs, Manchester United and Manchester City. The | | | | severely bombed, leaving United without a stadium. |
| former play at the Old Trafford ground, England's | | | | They had to seek the assistance of their then more |
| biggest club football ground, while the latter play at | | | | illustrious neighbours, Manchester City, and both |
| the City of Manchester Stadium. | | | | teams shared Maine Road as their home stadium for |
| Manchester United Football Club has brought great | | | | some time. |
| fame and glory to the city of Manchester because of | | | | The appointment of Sir Matt Busby as United's |
| its exploits in international fields of competition. For | | | | manager after the war signalled a turning point in the |
| many people, Manchester United is not only a great | | | | team's athletic fortunes. Busby instituted the practice |
| football team but one of the city's premier | | | | of tapping players from the club's youth team, then |
| ambassadors of goodwill to the world. The team | | | | an unheard-of practice, but which soon produced |
| proudly represents some of the best qualities of the | | | | impressive results as the team soon won the Football |
| people and city of Manchester. | | | | League in 1956 and 1957. The run ended in 1958 |
| With this as background, United is probably the more | | | | following the tragic Munich air disaster when eight of |
| popular of the two Manchester football teams, | | | | the team's players perished. After a shaky period |
| wouldn't you think? Such may not be the case as | | | | where some thought the club would fold, United once |
| there has been a long-standing belief that Manchester | | | | again made it to the winner's circle by winning the |
| City actually has more local fans than their more | | | | Football League in 1965 and 1967 and the European |
| famous namesakes. A few years ago, a Manchester | | | | Cup in 1968. |
| University research study discovered that Manchester | | | | It took a while before United would again savour the |
| United has 9,000 season ticket holders in the M | | | | sweet taste of victory, but in the nineties and early |
| postal area compared to Manchester City's 7,000 | | | | noughties, Sir Alex Ferguson led the club to eight |
| season ticket holders. City fans quickly pointed out, | | | | league championships in 11 years, the last one during |
| though, that the research study was conducted | | | | the 2002-03 season. The team also made history in |
| before the City team moved to the larger City of | | | | 1999 as the first team to win the elusive treble, the |
| Manchester stadium. As a result, no one is really sure | | | | UEFA Champions League, the FA Premier League and |
| which team is more popular among the locals. What is | | | | the FA Cup in the same season. |
| certain is that as far as nationwide and international | | | | Manchester United and Manchester City are only two |
| support is concerned, United has a far larger fan base | | | | of the city's local football teams. Recent estimates |
| than City. | | | | indicate that Greater Manchester has the most |
| To be perfectly honest, Manchester United has the | | | | number of football clubs per capita anywhere in the |
| kind of rich and accomplished sports history that can | | | | world. Among the other professional football teams in |
| make any native son or daughter of Manchester | | | | Greater Manchester are Oldham Athletic, Stockport |
| proud. They have been one of the most successful | | | | County, Bury, Wigan Athletic, Rochdale and Bolton |
| football clubs in English football history, winners of the | | | | Wanderers. |
| FA Premier League/Football League 15 times and the | | | | In anticipation of the 2002 Commonwealth Games, |
| FA Cup 11 times. In addition, Manchester United has | | | | which Manchester hosted, several first class sporting |
| also won the League Cup twice, the European Cup | | | | facilities were constructed and this further boosted |
| twice, the UEFA Cup Winners Cup once, the | | | | sports development in the city. These venues include |
| Intercontinental Cup once and the European Super | | | | the Manchester Velodrome, the City of Manchester |
| Cup once. | | | | Stadium, the National Squash Centre and the |
| As a tribute to United's nationwide popularity, the | | | | Manchester Aquatics Centre. |
| club has held the record for the highest average | | | | Among Manchester's other professional sports teams |
| attendance in English football for over 34 years. The | | | | are the Wigan Warriors of the Rugby League, the |
| only time they did not hold the record was during the | | | | Salford City Reds, the Oldham Roughyeds, Rochdale |
| 1987-89 period when the Old Trafford stadium was | | | | Hornets, Swinton Lions, Sale Sharks, Belle Vue Aces, |
| being renovated. In some circles, it is believed that | | | | Manchester Phoenix and others. |
| the Manchester United Red Devils are the most | | | | Many famous sports personalities trace their roots to |
| widely supported football club in the world. | | | | Manchester but there are too many to mention here. |
| Manchester United was established in 1878 as the | | | | Aside from successfully hosting the Commonwealth |
| Newton Heath Football Club, which served as the | | | | Games in 2002, Manchester has tried to host the |
| works team of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway | | | | Olympic Games twice but were beaten by Atlanta in |
| depot. The club nearly went bankrupt in 1902 but | | | | 1996 and Sydney in 2000. |
| was saved by J.H. Davies who subsequently | | | | |