60,332: The Etihad’s Highest

Yesterday Manchester City’s final home game of the season saw the Etihad stage its record crowd for football (any sport actually). It was also City’s highest home attendance for 54 years. The attendance was 60,332 and next year the capacity will increase again as some hospitality areas will then open. The game was also the final emotional match for manager Pep Guardiola, Bernardo Silva and John Stones.

MCFC photo
MCFC photo
MCFC photo

I posted the following the other day, but here is the last home crowd of 60,000+ City attracted at Maine Road (ignoring the Charlton 1985 promotion match which many think was around that figure). There’s also a little bit of history of capacities at City.

The last 60,000+ crowd was for the Manchester Derby on 6/11/1971 and was 63,326. These images are from that game (lots changed since then – the MCFC badge has been redesigned 3 times; Brian Kidd became a Blue, then a Red coach then a Blue coach)

The last 60,000+ home cup attendance was 60,844 v Newcastle on 29/1/1969.

For those wondering about home attendances over 75,000, the last one of those was 76,129 for City ve Everton in the FA Cup on 3/3/1956.

For the first 49 years of its existence the capacity of Maine Road was over 60,000, with the record attendance at the old place being 84,569 (see the story of this elsewhere on this site). Stadium developments, alongside safety changes and legislation, reduced the capacity from that high to about 63,000 by 1967. The Ibrox disaster of 1971 caused a reconsideration of stadium safety and a further reduction and City took the decision to seat the one year old North Stand. That meant the capacity from 1972 was approximately 52,600 (there was an attendance of over 54,000 in 1972-73 which I’ll explain about another day based on an interview – and admission – by the then club secretary Bernard Halford!).

The capacity of Maine Road (based on official records and announcements) over the years is:

1923 – 84,000

1931 – 86,000

1935 – 88,000

1946 – 84,000

1953 – 76,500

1957 – 77,000

1963 – 64,000

1972 – 52,600

1989 – 48,500

1992 – 39,359

1994 – 19,150 (first game of the season; increased gradually throughout the season)

1995 – 31,458

1997 – 32,147

1999 – 34,026

2000 – 34,421

2002 – 35,150

You can read more about Maine Road’s record crowd here:

A National Record – 84,569

And watch Maine Road’s opening game in 1923 here:

Maine Road

Highest Attendance For Over Fifty Years

This weekend’s final Manchester City home game of the season will see the Etihad stage its record crowd for football (any sport actually) and the club stage its highest home attendance for over fifty years. The new capacity is expected to be over 60,000 with a further capacity increase at the start of 2026-27. Detailed below are the last home crowd of 60,000+ City have attracted plus a little bit of history of attendances at City.

The last 60,000+ crowd was for the Manchester Derby on 6/11/1971 and was 63,326. These images are from that game (lots changed since then – the MCFC badge has been redesigned 3 times; Brian Kidd became a Blue, then a Red coach then a Blue coach)

The last 60,000+ home cup attendance was 60,844 v Newcastle on 29/1/1969.

For those wondering about home attendances over 75,000, the last one of those was 76,129 for City ve Everton in the FA Cup on 3/3/1956.

For the first 49 years of its existence the capacity of Maine Road was over 60,000, with the record attendance at the old place being 84,569 (see the story of this elsewhere on this site). Stadium developments, alongside safety changes and legislation, reduced the capacity from that high to about 63,000 by 1967. The Ibrox disaster of 1971 caused a reconsideration of stadium safety and a further reduction and City took the decision to seat the one year old North Stand. That meant the capacity from 1972 was approximately 52,600 (there was an attendance of over 54,000 in 1972-73 which I’ll explain about another day based on an interview – and admission – by the then club secretary Bernard Halford!).

The capacity of Maine Road (based on official records and announcements) over the years is:

1923 – 84,000

1931 – 86,000

1935 – 88,000

1946 – 84,000

1953 – 76,500

1957 – 77,000

1963 – 64,000

1972 – 52,600

1989 – 48,500

1992 – 39,359

1994 – 19,150 (first game of the season; increased gradually throughout the season)

1995 – 31,458

1997 – 32,147

1999 – 34,026

2000 – 34,421

2002 – 35,150

You can read more about Maine Road’s record crowd here:

A National Record – 84,569

And watch Maine Road’s opening game in 1923 here:

Maine Road

Pep Leaving Quotes

These are wonderful comments released by City today:

 Pep Guardiola said: 

“When I arrived, my first interview was with Noel Gallagher. I walked out thinking, ‘Okay… Noel is here? This will be fun.’ 

“And what a time we have had together. Don’t ask me the reasons I’m leaving. There is no reason, but deep inside, I know it’s my time. Nothing is eternal, if it was, I would be here. Eternal will be the feeling, the people, the memories, the love I have for my Manchester City. 

“This is a city built from work. From graft. You see it in the colour of the bricks. From people who clocked in early, stayed late. The factories. The Pankhursts. The unions. The music. Simply the Industrial Revolution and how this changed the world. And I think I grew to understand that, and my teams did too. 

“We worked. We suffered. We fought. And we did things our own way. Our way. 

“Hard work comes in many forms. Trips to Bournemouth, when we lost the Premier League, and you were there. Trips to Istanbul, when you were there, too. 

“Remember, the Manchester Arena attack, when this city showed the world what strength actually looks like? Not anger. Not fear. Just love. Community. Togetherness. A city united. 

“Remember, losing my mum during COVID and feeling this club carry me through it. The fans, the staff, the people of Manchester, you gave me strength when I needed it most. Cris, my kids, my whole family, you were there as always. Khaldoon, you were there too. 

“Players don’t forget – every single instant, moment, me, my staff, this club, everything. What we have done, we have done it for all of you. And you have been just exceptional. You don’t know it yet, but you are leaving a legacy. 

“So as my time comes to an end, be happy. Oasis are back again. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for trusting me. 

“Thank you for pushing me. 

“Thank you for loving me. 

“Tony Walsh said in his unforgettable poem this is the place. I’m sorry, Tony: this is my place. 

“Noel…I was right. 

“It has been so f****** fun. 

“Love you all.” 

Manchester City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak said: 

“Over the last ten years honesty and trust have formed the bedrock on which we have navigated every situation together with Pep – always understanding that we could find the right answer together. Today the right answer is for Pep to finish his journey as the Manager of Manchester City. 

“There have been points along the way when he could have stopped, and it would have been enough. Somehow, Pep always found new energy and pushed on, finding different and innovative ways to continue winning and delivering success. 

“As a result, the Club has a decade of memories and success to be forever grateful for, and much more than that, an evolution that cannot be undone. 

“The unique approach that he brings to his coaching has allowed him to constantly challenge the accepted truths of our game. It is the reason that in the last ten years he has not only made Manchester City better – he has also made football better.” 

Manchester City Chief Executive Officer, Ferran Soriano added: 

“We have been privileged to work alongside Pep Guardiola for ten years. We have witnessed his greatness and dedication, but also enjoyed his companionship, his friendship and humanity. What a privilege it has been for so many of us at Manchester City! 

“Pep’s legacy is extraordinary and its true impact will be better assessed by Manchester City historians of the future. He contributed decisively to our journey to global excellence and his high standards will be a reference for our players and managers of the future. 

“If there is something more difficult than winning, it is winning again. It requires incredible persistence, resilience and the humility to start again every year, with the same energy, again and again. This is what Pep did. 

“Nobody would have believed, ten years ago, that we could win 20 trophies in this decade, playing entertaining football of such high quality. It was unthinkable… and yet it was done. 

“As we celebrate the past, we are also very happy to know that Pep will stay with the group and we will be able to use his knowledge and experience in so many of our other clubs to help managers and players. 

“We will forever be grateful to Pep and cherish so many unforgettable memories. He is a City legend… forever.” 

Pep Guardiola to Step Down as Manchester City Manager

A press release from Manchester City regarding Pep Guardiola:  Manchester City can confirm that Pep Guardiola will step down from his role as Manager this summer. 

The Catalan, who joined City in 2016, will depart as City’s most successful manager after an amazing decade of success at the Etihad Stadium, winning 20 trophies. 

Despite his departure as Manager of Manchester City, Pep will continue his relationship with City Football Group, by taking up a role as a Global Ambassador. The role will see him giving technical advice to the clubs in the group, working on specific projects and collaborations. 

In just his second season at the Club, Pep delivered a historic Premier League triumph, guiding his side to the title with a record-breaking 100-point haul – which remains an all-time competition record. The campaign proved one of the greatest and most dominant in Premier League history as his team set multiple records, including most goals scored (106), most wins (32), most away points (50), the biggest goal difference (+79) and the largest winning margin (19 points). 

Another exceptional campaign followed in 2018/19 as Pep’s side became the first team in the history of English football to win all four domestic trophies in a single season, winning the Premier League, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Community Shield. 

The 2022/23 season is considered as the one of the greatest in football history as Pep’s team secured a historic Treble – becoming only the second English side to achieve that feat. After winning a third consecutive Premier League title, City defeated Manchester United in the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium before overcoming Inter Milan at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul a week later to claim their first-ever UEFA Champions League crown. 

Victory in the UEFA Super Cup Final followed in August of that year, defeating Sevilla in a penalty shootout in Athens. City were then crowned world champions in Jeddah, defeating Fluminense in the FIFA Club World Cup Final. In doing so, City became the first English club in history to hold all five trophies in a calendar year. 

The 2023/24 season brought yet more history under Pep’s leadership, as he guided City to a fourth Premier League title in a row, becoming the first club in history of English football to win four top-flight titles in succession. 

And during the 2025/26 season, the Club have secured a Cup double, with the team winning the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. Pep will now step down after managing 593 games for City, which will mean he boasts the highest number of games in charge of any manager in our history. 

Pep’s achievements have seen him named Premier League Manager of the Season on five occasions and he has claimed the League Managers Association’s Manager of the Year award three times – more recognition of his sustained excellence at the very highest levels of the game. 

Away from the accolades, Pep’s legacy extends far beyond Manchester City, with his influence and tactical philosophy leaving a profound and lasting imprint across the English football pyramid, recognised and admired throughout the game. 

The Catalan has also become an adopted Mancunian across his ten years at the Club, certified by his awarding of an honorary degree by the University of Manchester at a ceremony in the historic Whitworth Hall, recognising his extraordinary contribution to the city of Manchester. 

Manchester City Women: The 1st Home WSL Win

A crowd of 947 attended the Mini-Com (as the regional athletics stadium next to the City Of Manchester Stadium was dubbed by City at the time), watching Manchester City win for the first time at home in the Women’s Super League on this day (21 May) in 2014. The game ended in a 2-0 win over Everton with the first goal being an own goal (25 minutes) and then Jill Scott added a second in the 46th minute. Photo is of Jill Scott kicking off at the club’s first home WSL game the previous month.

If you’re interested in the history of women’s football then you may be interested in my Authorised History of the Manchester Corinthians. You can get your name in the second edition if you subscribe to it here. All subscribers will get a copy of the second edition book (posted out before it appears in the shops) and your name will be included in a special roll of honour published within the book if ordered before publication:

UK ONLY – Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History (second edition)

The story of a pioneering women’s club as told to Gary James by those who were there. This is UK only at £19.95 (incl UK postage and packaging). Outside UK contact for additional postage costs. This revised and updated second edition will be a paperback edition and contain more pages than the first edition.

£19.95

Opportunities to buy multiple copies, sponsor the book or donate to ensure it’s published to the size and standard the women who played deserve exist. Please email Gary@GJFootballArchive.com for more information on those opportunities.

This book is a must for anyone interested in Manchester or women’s football and will consist of over 360 pages. It will be fully illustrated throughout and subscribers can order it now for £19.95 (including UK postage and packaging). All orders received before publication will have the purchaser’s name included within the special roll of honour at the back of the book. You can order the book for someone else – all details will be checked and confirmed before publication.

The book will be published this October (2026).

If you live outside the UK then please contact for details of additional postage costs.

You do not need to have a PayPal account to order – use the ‘Pay with PayPal’ button above and it will give you the option to pay by credit/debit card without creating a PayPal account.

A Momentous Event Held Here

This image is of the Old Boar’s Head, Withy Grove, Manchester. On this day (21 May) in 1894 a momentous event connected with Manchester football was held here. Read on for details of what that was….

Manchester was celebrating on this day in 1894. Not only did Queen Victoria open the Manchester Ship Canal that day but Manchester City Football Club was admitted into the Football League. The club had no players; little money and there were still question marks over the ground they would use but somehow they headed the vote for admission/re-election to the League. The full story was covered earlier this year when I did a hour long talk on it all. Subscribers can watch that below:

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Radio Interview re Manchester Corinthians

I meant to post this the other day. I was on Tameside Radio on Friday (15 May 2026) talking about the Manchester Corinthians and urging other Corinthians to come forward. You can listen here (select 15 May episode): https://www.notreallyheremedia.com/on-air/lewis-connell/ Thanks to Lewis and all at Tameside Radio for the ongoing support for the Corinthians and this 11 year long project.

European Span of Success 2025: Will Villa & Arsenal Move Up The Table?

Each year, following the end of the UEFA football season I update the UEFA European Span of Success table. What is this? It’s a list of those clubs who have won two or more (sorry Palace) major UEFA tournaments showing the span between their first UEFA success and their most recent. The list may surprise some who think that football is all about those perceived as European giants with ‘history’. This is how the table stands today (19 May 2026). Chelsea and Tottenham have moved up the table in recent seasons.

UEFA European Major Trophy Span of Success 2025

I can imagine a few Arsenal fans looking at this and saying ‘Why aren’t we on there?’ They won the Fairs Cup in 1970 and the ECWC in 1994 BUT the Fairs Cup wasn’t a UEFA tournament and had some odd entry rules over the years! For your benefit here’s a table including the Fairs Cup lower down on this page. The above table includes the four major UEFA tournaments: European Cup/Champions League; European Cup Winner’s Cup; UEFA Cup/Europa League & the Europa Conference League. It does not include non-UEFA tournaments such as the Mitropa Cup and Fairs Cup. Nor does it include the Intertoto Cup or similar.

So why are they excluded… I recognise that the Mitropa Cup had some significant clubs competing in it. However, it was predominantly an East European competition and participants were not spread over the entire continent.

With the Fairs Cup… It is true that this was later transformed into the UEFA Cup and I have included all UEFA Cup finals in my analysis. But the Fairs Cup had an odd series of entry rules at times. Cities, rather than clubs, often entered with Barcelona beating London in one final for example. It was set up as a friendly type of competition with cities that had staged trade fairs playing each other. As time wore on entry came via the League Cup or League position in England, which added significance to it. But two teams from the same city were not allowed to participate, which meant that teams finishing way down the table could be (and were) included if those above them were multiple clubs from the same city.

In 1970 Manchester City’s Mike Doyle joked that by winning the League Cup he was satisfying his aim of ‘keeping United out of Europe’ (he joked about creating car stickers with that slogan!) because it appeared at that time that United’s only chance of Europe had gone with City’s qualification for the Fairs Cup.

City went on to win the ECWC that season, meaning that Fairs Cup place was opened up to League position, but United had finished lower down the table anyway and qualified for the Watney Cup instead. Actually, the Watney Cup is one worth talking about, but I’ll save that for another day. In 1970 Fourth placed Derby County qualified for the Watney Cup, while 5th to 7th (Liverpool, Coventry and Newcastle) all got a Fairs Cup place, alongside 12th placed Arsenal (Fairs Cup winners). I’ve not investigated this fully but it does seem odd that the Watney Cup took precedence over the Fairs Cup.

Arsenal’s 1970 Fairs Cup success was their first European trophy but is not included in the span, neither are those Fairs Cup wins of Barcelona. However, as quite a few Arsenal fans seemed to get a bit upset when the table was posted the other year I’ve decided to include the Fairs Cup in the following version of the table. So this table is the winners of the main UEFA competitions I mentioned earlier plus the Fairs Cup with its odd rules:

ClubFirst Major European trophy wonSpanFirst Major European successMost Recent Major European trophy won
Real MadridEC 6819562024
TottenhamECWC6219632025
RomaFairs6119612022
West HamECWC5819652023
BarcelonaFairs5719582015
Atletico MadridECWC5619622018
ChelseaECWC5419712025
Bayern MunchenECWC5319672020
Manchester CityECWC5319702023
Manchester UnitedEC4919682017
LiverpoolUEFA4619732019
Inter MilanEC 4319642007
ValenciaFairs4219622004
Eintracht FrankfurtUEFA4219802022
AC MilanEC 4019632003
FeyernoordEC 3219702002
Real Zaragoza Fairs3119641995
Borussia DortmundECWC3119661997
Paris Saint-GermainECWC2919962025
ArsenalFairs2419701994
AjaxEC 2419711995
Porto EC 2419872011
JuventusUEFA1919771996
SevillaUEFA1720062023
Dynamo KyivECWC1119751986
PSV EindhovenUEFA1019781988
AnderlechtECWC719761983
ParmaECWC619931999
Borussia MoenchengladbachUEFA419751979
Leeds United (BOTH FAIRS CUP)Fairs319681971
BenficaEC 119611962
Nottingham ForestEC119791980

Obviously, neither table shows the number of major trophies won, but it does indicate trophy-winning longevity for those who obsess over ‘my cup’s bigger than yours’ and similar debates. Personally, I think we should all be proud of our club’s achievements and not worry about what a rival has won.

Hopefully, those Arsenal fans who were somewhat upset last year will now be happy. Note that both Roma and Barcelona have moved up the table. Both ‘Rome’ and ‘Barcelona’ won the Fairs Cup when it was city based and not club based, adding to the questionable nature of including the Fairs Cup. ‘London’ once competed in it!

Arsenal are now 20th in this combined table, behind their fellow English clubs Tottenham, West Ham, City, Chelsea, United and Liverpool. But they could move up, as could Aston Villa.

As an example of the odd qualification rules in place for the Fairs Cup at times it’s worth looking at the 1969 qualification via the English League system.

In 1969 champions Leeds entered the European Cup. The ECWC place went to FA Cup winners Manchester City and the Fairs Cup places went to: Arsenal (4th), Southampton (7th) and Newcastle (9th). Swindon had won the League Cup, beating Arsenal in the final, but the Fairs Cup organisers wouldn’t allow them to participate as they were not a top flight club! This adds to the reason the competition is usually excluded. It is certainly not a UEFA competition in any case.

Similarly, Everton (3rd), Chelsea (5th), Spurs (6th) and West Ham (8th) who all finished above Newcastle were denied because of the rule that only one club from each city be allowed. So Liverpool and Arsenal’s inclusion meant their rivals stood less chance of winning the trophy than Newcastle simply because there were multiple clubs in their cities.

That rule does make me wonder what would have happened if both Manchester clubs had qualified for the competition as City are within the city of Manchester boundaries and United are not. Would the two clubs have challenged any decision not to include one of them based on the age old argument of Manchester’s boundaries?

Maybe I’ll post more on the odd rules of football competitions and tell the story of some of those long forgotten competitions.

If you’re interested in the wider span of success for English clubs (listing those who have the longest span between their first trophy and most recent, not simply European trophies) then take a look at this I posted Sunday:

The Span of Success: Will This Change This Month?

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Manchester City Women: The 1st WSL Goal and Win

A crowd of 829 attended Manchester City Women’s WSL game away against Arsenal on this day (18 May) in 2014. This was a historic day as City not only scored their first goal in the WSL but they also defeated Arsenal. The historic goal was scored by Toni Duggan in the 11th minute and the match ended 1-0. The photo is of Duggan (far right) with Neil Mather (the original manager of Manchester City’s women’s team when founded in 1988) and Debbie Darbyshire (who played in the club’s historic first game back in 1988).

If you’re interested in the history of women’s football then you may be interested in my Authorised History of the Manchester Corinthians. You can get your name in the second edition if you subscribe to it here. All subscribers will get a copy of the second edition book (posted out before it appears in the shops) and your name will be included in a special roll of honour published within the book if ordered before publication:

UK ONLY – Manchester Corinthians: The Authorised History (second edition)

The story of a pioneering women’s club as told to Gary James by those who were there. This is UK only at £19.95 (incl UK postage and packaging). Outside UK contact for additional postage costs. This revised and updated second edition will be a paperback edition and contain more pages than the first edition.

£19.95

Opportunities to buy multiple copies, sponsor the book or donate to ensure it’s published to the size and standard the women who played deserve exist. Please email Gary@GJFootballArchive.com for more information on those opportunities.

This book is a must for anyone interested in Manchester or women’s football and will consist of over 360 pages. It will be fully illustrated throughout and subscribers can order it now for £19.95 (including UK postage and packaging). All orders received before publication will have the purchaser’s name included within the special roll of honour at the back of the book. You can order the book for someone else – all details will be checked and confirmed before publication.

The book will be published this October (2026).

If you live outside the UK then please contact for details of additional postage costs.

You do not need to have a PayPal account to order – use the ‘Pay with PayPal’ button above and it will give you the option to pay by credit/debit card without creating a PayPal account.