However, they think of themselves as Manchester’s truely local club having most of the fanbase coming mostly from the city but season ticket data clearly suggests that Manchester United have significantly more local fans.
Also, City’s home ground, The Etihad Stadium, is located within the city of Manchester. However they were recently acquired by ADUG (Abu Dhabi United Group) and their new found wealth is expected by many to bring a return of the success that the club enjoyed back in the late 1960s/early 1970s.
Manchester United Football Club, the world’s most popular Football Club, is located in the borough of Trafford. The club is one of the most successful in England, and are the first English club to become European champions when they did it in 1968.
They have a very heated rivalry with Liverpool FC, considered by most football fans to be the biggest rivalry in all of England; a rivalry which stems from the traditional city rivalry between Manchester and Liverpool since the Industrial Revolution, and further fuelled by the fact that both clubs are the most successful English clubs in European competition. Matches between the two sides are always very charged affairs which attract sell-out crowds. Crowd violence is rare though, as there is always a strong police presence at big matches to keep things in order.
Sportcity is the “largest concentration of sporting venues in Europe.” It is located to the east of the city centre, about 30 minutes walk from Piccadilly Station. It was built to host most of the events for the 2002 Commonwealth Games and is home to the National Cycling Centre, Manchester City FC, and other important sporting venues, as well as the tallest sculpture in the UK, which is to be dismantled in spring 2009, for reasons of safety. Some are happy but many will miss it, it is reported.
Manchester Phoenix Ice Hockey Club, located in Altrincham, are the newly formed (2003) team to replace the once most supported team in European Hockey, Manchester Storm. The Phoenix also host the UK’s most sucessfull ice hockey player in the form of Tony Hand the team’s player/manager.
