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Manchester United tourists guide
Manutdzone.com's guide to all the places in the Manchester area which
have connections both past and present to the club.
| 1:
Old Trafford |
 The
76,000 seater stadium is the hub of the empire. On non match
days the museum, tour and Megastore attract thousands of
tourists every week.
On match day, souvenir and fast
food stalls line the roads around as well as fanzine sellers.
A good place to spot United heroes past and present is
the players car park at the South East corner. You can
see the United stars array of frighteningly expensive
cars and you'll see the stars arrive if you're there early
enough (about 3-4 hours before KO.
In 1993 the Warwick Road North
passing Old Trafford was officially renamed Sir Matt Busby
Way in honour of the great man. Favourite haunts of the
fans on match day are the nearby pubs, The Trafford, The
Bishops Blaize (Wetherspoons) and Samuel Platts. Lou Macari's
chip shop is also round the corner and the Classic sports
shop has memorabilia. United also have the Red Cinema
across the canal in Salford Quays which shows important
away games on the big screen.
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| 2:
Carrington Training Centre |
 United's
state of the art training facility six miles west from Old
Trafford, deep in the countryside of Manchester's suburbs.
The site covers 70 acres and boasts 14 pitches of varying
size. Inside the complex, there is training and rehabilitation
areas, physiotherapy, massage rooms and remedial and hydrotherapy
pools.
Its not called fortress Carrington for nothing, fans can
hang outside the entrance in the hope of a player stopping
to sign autographs but most zoom by in their cars. Players
won't autograph merchandise in case you sell it on E-bay
and just be careful you don't confuse it with another Carrington
sports centre, Manchester City have their training facility
close nearby.
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| 3:
The Cliff |
 The
Cliff used to be Manchester United's main training and practice
grounds facilities in Salford on the banks of the River
Irwell. It has an outdoor training pitch, indoor pitch,
Gym, training area, sports hall and extensive injury treatment
equipment.
Carrington replaced it in 1999 but the Cliff is still used
for junior, academy and Manchester United Women's games.
United's "Football in the Community" project HQ is at the
Cliff, aimed to give something back to the local people
by involving schools and local children. Recently the England
national team have used it for training sessions when Old
Trafford hosts internationals.
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| 4:
Altrincham FC, Moss Lane |
 United's
home reserve team games are played here. They play in the
FA Premier Reserve League (North) and the Manchester Senior
Cup. The normal kick-off time is 7pm on a weekday. Previously
games were played at Bury's Gigg Lane.
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| 5:
Hale/Halebarns |
Roy
Keane is Hale's most famous resident living in a £1.5 million
house. During the World Cup fallout of 2002 he was seen
walking his dog around the area. The United captain and
was also involved in a bit of bother at the local Golf course.
Ole Solskjaer also lives in the Hale and there are probably
a few other red heroes, both past and present in the area.
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| 6:
Bowdon |
Several United players live in Bowdon. In his United days Ruud van Nistelrooy lived in an apartment overlooking the hills.
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| 7:
Wilmslow |
 If
you're strolling around the plush streets of this little
village you might see the great man himself flying by in
his car - Sir Alex Ferguson lives here. Wayne Rooney
also lived in the area when his new house was being built.
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| 8:
Alderley Edge |
Rio
Ferdinand lives in the village of Alderley Edge. When Rio
saw the house he wanted there, United have a special estate
agent who approached the owner with a cash offer that was
too good to refuse. Cristiano Ronaldo bought a £500,000
apartment in Alderley Edge soon after his move from Portugal
and David Beckham used to have a flat here.
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| 9:
Deansgate |
Giggsy has a £1 million penthouse
apartment in the luxury No1 Deansgate tower block. Just
down the road is the Living Room, a favorite drinking haunt
of United players and celebrities. You might have a bit
of trouble getting in though if you want to meet the lads,
as its a bit swanky. Recently United players held their
Christmas party at the nearby Prohibition bar.
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| 10:
Worsley |
Giggsy
is moving to the village of Worlsey. He is set to demolish
a Victorian mansion called "Silver How "and build an ultra-modern
£1.9m red-brick mansion. His six-bedroom home will be complete
with gym and swimming pool. Giggs faces opposition to his
plan though, locals have objected to the proposal and are
kicking up a fuss.
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| 11:
Newton Heath |
Man City's current home, The City of Manchester Stadium
is just down the road, but this area is where it all started
for United back in 1878. Newton Heath LYR started on a local
pitch in Monsall Road. 500 yards down the Oldham Road, "The
Three Crowns Inn" was used as dressing rooms.
Opposite a chemical works in Bank Street, Clayton, they
had their first stadium. They then moved a short distance
down to North Road. The stadium's are not there any longer
but the streets that they were named after still exist.
On Bank Street there is a blue plaque commemorating United's
days playing there, on a row of terrace houses, on the
right as you drive from the chemical works.
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| 12:
The Pennines |
Gary
Neville has splashed out on a new home - his own village
in the Pennines according to Ananova. com. Neville has bought
a remote moorland hamlet, once home to 60 people, called
"Top O' Th' Knotts".
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| 13:
Manchester Airport |
A
good place to see United players as they jet off on or return
from another European adventure. They leave Manchester two
days before a European fixture, usually in the morning and
nearly always return the following morning after the game.
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| 14:
The Trafford Centre |
Manchester United players have often been seen spending
some of their vast fortunes, shopping in the Trafford Centre.
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| 15:
Hyde United |
Manchester
United play their Pontins League games at little Hyde United's
home. The Pontins League was originally the Central League
featuring teams from the Midlands and North-West. United
play mainly youth and reserve players in this league.
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| 16:
George Best's Bachelor Pad |
In 1969 George Best, then just 23, had a house built by
architect Frazer Crane, who also designed Best's city centre
boutique. It took a year to build on a plot of land in Blossoms
Lane near Bramhall, Cheshire, at a cost of £30,000 and was
a modernist split-level design encased in glass with a flat
roof.
Leading from the games room was a concrete disc surrounded
by a moat. It was faced in small white tiles and you could
sweep down the drive into the underground garage. A short
walk down the garden was the swimming pool.
The Goldfish bowl could come straight out of one of the
latest design magazines - not one from more than 30 years
ago. It had all the latest gadgets: hot air heating pumped
underfloor by a huge boiler, a TV that disappeared into
the chimney, remote-controlled curtains and garage door
and intercom security.
Best had to suffer fans continually besieging the house
and a ten-feet high fence was built all round to keep out
prying eyes. He sold the house for £40,000 staying only
three years before being banished back to his Chorlton-cum-Hardy
landlady for breaking club rules.
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| 17:
Prestbury |
Wayne Rooney persuaded his girlfriend Coleen McLoughlin
that he had found the home of their dreams after driving
through the affluent village of Prestbury. The 19-year-old
United forward noticed an 18th century local pub appeared
to be called the "Admiral Rooney".
Taking it as a lucky omen, plans were soon in motion to
build a £4 million mansion in the area. Only then did Rooney
realise that the pub was actually called "Admiral Rodney",
after a famous British navy commander - the 'd' in Rodney
had become faded to look like on 'o'. Wayne took a fair
bit of stick from his team-mates over the blunder but the
house is still going ahead and will have four-bedrooms with
an indoor swimming pool, cinema, games room and gym.
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| 18:
FC United of Manchester |
 The
club set up by disillusioned United fan's angry at Malcolm
Glazers' takeover, play their games here at Droylsden
FC's 3,5000 capacity Butcher's Arms Ground. The team
plays in Division 2 of the North West Counties League.
The Hierarchy is as follows:
North
West Counties League Division 2
North West Counties League Division 1
Northern Premier League Division 1
Northern Premier League (Unibond
League)
Football Conference North
Football Conference National
League 2
League 1
Championship
Premiership
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