Customise your own package by selecting your own flight, travel dates, hotel and seating. No surcharges!
Club info
History Manchester City FC was founded in 1880 by members of St Mark’s Church in an area of Manchester known as West Gorton. The club was known as St Marks’s (West Gorton). The club briefly merged with Gorton Athletic in 1884 and renamed itself Gorton AFC after the breakup of the merger. The club moved to Ardwick in East Manchester in 1887 and became Ardwick Association Football Club. It joined the Football League in 1892 and, after some financial problems, the club emerged with another name – Manchester City Football Club, based at the Hyde Road stadium from 1887 to 1923. This time the name stuck and it has been called Manchester City FC ever since. In 1923, Manchester City FC moved to their Maine Road stadium which they occupied for the next 80 years. In 2003, the City of Manchester Stadium was built for the Commonwealth Games and it became the home ground for Manchester City. Before moving in, the club spent £20 million adding bars, restaurants and corporate entertainment areas. Known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship purposes, it is the fifth largest stadium in the Premier League with a seating capacity of 47,805. Manchester City Football Club Some of the things Manchester City FC is credited with include the “inflatables” craze when all types of toys, from bananas to gorillas, were taken to the matches to liven things up in the stands. City’s biggest rivalry has always been with neighbouring Manchester United and the Manchester Derby is always fiercely contested.
Performance During the 1960s and 70s the club was at its most successful when it won the League Championship, FA Cup, League Cup and the European Cup Winners’ Cup under Manager Joe Mercer (1969-71). Throughout their long history Manchester City has won the FA Cup five times, the Football League Cup twice, the FA Community Shield three times and the UEFA Cup Winners Cup once, back in 1970. However, it has always been in the shadow of the more successful Manchester United FC, whose trophy cabinet was always full. FA Cup 2011 WinnersTake-over In the summer of 2007, the club was taken over by the Thai billionaire Thaksin Shinawatra for £81,600,000, - and he was awarded 80% of the shares. He signed coach Sven-Goran Eriksson and players like Valeri Bojinov, Martin Petrov and Geovanni, but it did not net any truly great results. In 2008, the club was taken over by the Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG) who bought the majority share for £185 million. Manchester City is currently one of the richest clubs in the world. The Manchester City Plane In 2009, players like Robinho, Carlos Tevez, Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Adabayor, Gareth Barry and Joleon Lesscott Sylvinho came to the club. Even with these players, they were 5th in the Premier League, which just was not good enough for a spot in the Champions League. In 2010, there was again a powerful investment by the Abu Dhabi United Group, who bought in top players including David Silva, Mario Balotelli and Yaya Toure, who received a salary of € 220,000 per game even though he was previously a benchwarmer for FC Barcelona. As if that was not enough, in January 2011 Edin Dzeko was bought from Wolfsburg for €35 million and in the summer, Sergio Aguero of Atletico Madrid and Samir Nasri of Arsenal joined the club for €20 million and €25 million respectively. In 2011, Man City qualified for the Champions League and won the FA Cup. In 2012, it won the Premier League, the first league title for 44 years! The next step is to be even stronger, and with the player material they have available, maybe they can! Through these investments from the Middle East, Manchester City is now at the top in the English Premier League and is a formidable competitor against Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United. Tip: In 2010, a film about Manchester City was made called 'Blue Moon Rising’. The documentary followed a group of City supporters to all the Manchester City matches in the 2009-10 season. The documentary illustrates the fanatical passion of the Manchester City supporters very well. Fact: The band Oasis is known as a major supporter of the club and has also performed at Maine Road, the previous stadium of Manchester City. City celebrates a party after a goal against Wolves (Wolverhampton Wanderers). Main Entrance.Team photo
Manchester
The sprawling city of Manchester is the UK’s third largest urban area, nicknamed the Capital of the North. It dates back to Roman times with records showing a Roman fort at \'Mancunium\'. In more recent times this gritty Victorian city has been noted for its trend-setting music scene, lively nightlife, scientific and engineering industries, railways, media links and sports events, especially the fabulous football clubs of Manchester United and Manchester City. Well-visited by tourists, the city is served by the Metrolink, a great way to get around the excellent shopping, theatres, international cuisine, cultural attractions, museums and art galleries, architecture, conference centres and sporting grounds.
City info
Manchester Guide
Manchester lies in the northwest of England and is the UK’s third largest city. The city boomed during the Industrial Revolution when the Manchester Ship Canal was created, connecting it to the Mersey Estuary near Liverpool. This busy industrial city is known for its grand architecture, pop culture, shopping, media and sports club, particularly the rival football clubs of Manchester United and Manchester City.
Both teams are currently in the Premier League. While Man United’s home ground is historic Old Trafford, Manchester City plays at the newer Etihad Stadium. Both grounds offer guided tours and are a must for all true football fans, whether you follow “the Red Devils” or “the Citizens”.
Here are some top things to do when visiting Manchester:
Manchester United Stadium Tour
Old Trafford is the home of Manchester United F.C. and was built in 1909. It is now the second largest stadium in the UK after Wembley Stadium and has hosted many iconic games including the 1966 World Cup, 2012 summer Olympics and 2003 Champions League Finals. Legendary names such as Sir Matt Busby, Sir Bobby Charlton, Sir Alex Ferguson and David Beckham are all associated with this historic football ground. Behind the scenes tours of the “Theatre of Dreams” take place daily from 9.40am to 4.30pm excluding match days. They take 70 minutes and pre-booking is recommended.
Location: Sir Matt Busby Way, Stretford 4 miles southwest of Manchester city centre
Built in 2002 to host the Commonwealth Games, and sponsored by Etihad Airways, the Etihad Stadium is owned by Manchester City Council and leased by Manchester City F.C. The football club had previously been based at Maine Road stadium in Moss Side from 1923 to 2003 but they finally outgrew their old home.
Behind-the-scenes tours of the Etihad Stadium include the changing rooms, briefing room and walking up the Players’ Tunnel to the pitch. Stadium Tours and Matchday Tours are led by professional guides or opt for a Special Guest Tour led by Paul Lake. There’s a CityStore shop and souvenir photos are available.
Location: Etihad Stadium, Etihad Campus, Manchester M11 3FF Part of SportCity on Ashton New Road, Manchester 2.5 miles east of Manchester City Centre.
A visit to Manchester provides fans with the chance to visit the acclaimed National Football Museum in the heart of the city. Open daily 10am to 5pm with free entry, it’s a football lover’s dream. Explore the Football Walk of Fame, the Fans Exhibit, see trophies, and learn about clubs, stadiums and players from all over the world. Try the virtual penalty shootout against your favourite keeper, enjoy the Pele Story and end your visit in the Rabbit in the Moon Restaurant.
Location: Urbis Building, Cathedral Gardens, Manchester City Centre
Manchester produces some wonderful craft beer and you can walk to some of the bars that serve these local ales. TryPort Street Beer House, the Piccadilly Tap (run by the team behind London's Euston Tap) and Beermoth, all located just a short walk from Piccadilly Gardens. If you’re in search of a true Manchester brew try Blackjack Brewery’s Smithfield Market Tavern (just next to Band on the Wall), Seven Bro7hers’ Bar in Ancoats, or the historic Marble Arch pub on Rochdale Road, which showcases Marble’s newest beers. If you want to smaple a range of beers straight form the tank the industrial area of Manchester east of Piccadilly is home to well-known names including Alphabet, Runaway and Cloudwater.
Chinatown
Located between George Street and Faulkner Street is Manchester’s Chinatown, complete with brightly coloured arched entrance of dragons. It is a fabulous area for shopping and is a great place to enjoy authentic Chinese cuisine.
Location: Chinatown, Faulkner Street Manchester
Getting there by bus: Bus nos. 34, 85, 86 all serve this area.
Manchester Cathedral
Dating back in part to the 15th century, this massive Cathedral in the heart of the city hosts many important national events. It has a useful Visitor Centre. Inside the impressive building, there are beautifully carved choir stalls and magnificent stained glass windows.
Location: Manchester Cathedral, Victoria Street, Manchester M3 1SX
Arguably the most beautiful building in the city, the John Rylands Library has many Gothic architectural features and houses a collection of early-print books and local archives. It includes the Manchester fragment, the earliest known part of the New Testament.
Location: The John Rylands Library, 150 Deansgate, Manchester M3 3EH
Manchester city centre has some great shopping including Harvey Nichols and Selfridges department stores and the Arndale Centre. However, the serious shopper should head for the Trafford Centre just outside the city which has 280 shops on three floors. What really makes it stand out is the opulent architecture, marble flooring, paintings, sculptures and artefacts.
Location: Trafford Centre, Regent Cres, Stretford, Manchester M17 8AA
If you are flying into Manchester Airport, take time to visit one of the few surviving Concorde airplanes on display at the Runway Visitor Park. This was the world’s first supersonic airliner and you can take guided tours and view the aircraft, which is now a museum piece. The airport also offers guided tours behind-the-scenes of this important hub.
Location: Manchester Airport is located via the M56 at Junction 5. (SatNav: M90 1QX)
Another dramatic glass and steel building and another art collection. This one features over 300 original paintings by the local artist Lawrence Stephen Lowry. His depiction of 19th century Manchester with two-dimensional “Matchstick men” was also immortalized in a well-known song.
