For many affiliated with Manchester United it is likely that they would be able to name at least two of their grounds – obviously, Old Trafford and North Road, where they started.
Fewer will probably be able to remember that the club started as Newton Heath Football Club, nicknamed ‘The Heathens’.
But, only a fraction will likely know that the club had a spell on Bank Street, after they moved from their North Street ground.
Also known as Bank Lane, this was based in Clayton and was the club’s home from 1893, after the club was evicted its first home at North Road due to the ground’s owners – the Deans and Cannons believing it was inappropriate for the club to charge an entry fee .
The actual name of it was the Bradford and Clayton Athletic Ground – owned by the Bradford and Clayton Athletic Company. The club leased the ground for eight months of the year, from June 1893, while it was allowed to have discretionary pre-season training throughout the summer on selected evenings.
By the beginning of the 1893/94 season, two stands had been built – essentially in an ‘L-shape’ – one behind one of the goals (the ‘Bradford End’) and the other down one side of the pitch. Eventually, the other end ‘built up’ to become the ‘Clayton End’.
The first match played at the ground resulted in a 3-2 win to Newton Heath against Burnley, attended by 10,000 people who watched Alf Farman hit a hattrick on 1 September 1893.
Further Expansion
Prior to the visit of Manchester City in October 1895, the club bought a 2,000 seater stand from Broughton Rangers Rugby league Club. Over the years, the club became entangled with disputes about further expansion plans, and faced substantial opposition.
Despite marginal ground improvements, these along with increasing player wages led to the club experiencing a period of financial difficulty and, indeed, was issued with a winding up order in January 1902.
However, at the 11th hour, it was saved by wealthy brewer John Henry Davies in addition to four others which included club captain Harry Stafford, who invested a total of £2,000 in the club.
Davies actually paid £500 out of his own pocket for the construction of a new 1,000 seater stand. Four years later, the ground was covered on all four sides with an approximate 50,000 capacity, with some being able to watch games from a viewing gallery at the top of the main stand.
In what was deemed to be somewhat of a masterstroke, the club even persuaded the Manchester Evening News to set up an office at the ground, which helped to create an even bigger buzz about the club, providing it with free publicity, leading to increased revenue over time.
The club’s last ever game at Bank Street was a 5-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on 22 January 1910, following the £5,500 sale of the ground to the Manchester Corporation prior to an ambitious move 5.5 miles down the road to Old Trafford. The site of the Bank Street ground now is an indoor BMX arena.