A new daily series of articles for subscribers started yesterday covering the 1980s. This is a seasonal journey through a truly important decade in the history of Manchester City Football Club. Today’s article is a 2,500 word feature on the 1981-82 season. Enjoy!
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I’ve recently been on the Manchester City Podcast with Rob Pollard and Nedum Onuoha. I was being interviewed about Maine Road, the Etihad and my writing. If you’re lucky enough to have City+ you can watch it here:
Don’t forget I’ve also posted 100 days worth of free features on Maine Road on my website. Each one is titled Maine Road 100 followed by the day (Day One to Day 100 of course). Have a look through past posts or do a search/click the Maine Road tag below. Thanks
For Day 92 of the Maine Road 100 countdown I’m taking a look at the history of the Kippax Stand… Enjoy!
2024 will mark 30 years since we said goodbye to the terraced Kippax Stand and for those of us old enough to remember those days at Maine Road that stand, above all else, represented the passion fans had for their club.
Unlike most other grounds City’s main terracing ran the full length of the pitch and wasn’t tucked away behind a goal. Because of its positioning the Kippax breathed life into every area of the stadium and was huge. Originally, it held in excess of 35,000, but even in its final days it still gave the impression of power and passion.
The Kippax was originally known as the Popular Side, matching a similarly dominant feature of the Blues’ Hyde Road ground, when it opened in 1923. That first season it held an estimated 35,000 in a crowd of 76,166 – then a national record attendance for a club ground. In 1934 when 84,569 packed into the stadium City’s vast stand may well have held almost 40,000. Incidentally, that 84,569 became the new national record attendance for a club ground (a record that still stands as Wembley is a national stadium, not officially a club ground). You can read about that crowd and game here:
Incidentally, I know City fans get a lot of abuse these days from fans of certain other clubs about filling stadia etc. Well, if you need any ammunition that 84,569 record crowd is over 22,000 higher than Liverpool’s record crowd (61,905 – a figure which wouldn’t get anywhere near City’s top ten crowds!).
Throughout the period up to the mid-50s the Popular Side developed its reputation but it was when it was roofed in 1957 that it became the true heart of the club. Back then it was extended slightly, although legislative changes had reduced terracing capacities by this time. The club announced it would be known as The Kippax Street Stand and that is what it officially remained until 1994 although most of us knew it simply as The Kippax. Its capacity by this time was about 32,000, reducing to 26,155 by the end of the 1970s.
The Kippax accommodated fans of every age and gender and, although it was a formidable place for opposition supporters, it was a welcoming stand for Manchester’s Blues. Young children would sit on the walls and railings, while older fans would find their own preferred viewing spot. Here’s a few snippets about the old stand:
Originally four vast tunnels (one in each corner and two built into the stand) and two significant stairways allowed fans to move onto the Popular Side.
A flag pole, positioned at the back of the terracing up to 1957, allowed a blue and white flag emblazoned with the words City FC to proudly fly. The flag was then re-positioned until it disappeared for good in the 1960s. See:
Chanters Corner, also known as The Sways, was the area where the more vocal members of City’s support gathered. Packed above a tunnel and next to the segregation fence, fans here often generated the main chants.
The 1960s saw The Kippax’s reputation grow. Fans sang their way through success after success as Joe Mercer’s Aces won the European Cup Winners’ Cup and every domestic trophy possible. The Kippax would begin every game with the chant “Bring on the Champions!” and then follow up with a song for every player as they warmed up.
The final capacity of The Kippax was 18,300 – making this the largest terraced area at a League ground on its final day (The Kop held its final game on the same day but had a smaller capacity).
The Kippax was used for the last time on 30 April 1994 for the visit of Chelsea.
The Blue Print flag was a popular presence on many match days from the late 1980s until 1994, making its last appearance at The Kippax’s final game. The flag had been reduced in size by then. But it still covered much of the terracing. Blue Print was a City fanzine and they had paid for the flag.
Segregation was unnecessary for most of the stand’s existence, but by the end of the 1960s a rope would often be used to separate City and United fans on derby day. This was replaced by permanent barriers in the mid-70s which were increased over the years to keep home and away fans apart. Away fans were positioned at the Platt Lane end of the stand by this time.
It says much about the passion of the place that in the late 1970s the BBC came to film The Kippax chanting and in full flow.
In 1985 when City defeated Charlton 5-1 in a promotion decider on the final day of the season the Kippax was so packed that supporters remain convinced that its official capacity of 26,155 was significantly exceeded. Those of us on the terraces that day will never forget the shock we all experienced when the official crowd of 47,285 was announced – some 5,000 short of capacity!
The Kippax is no more, but those of us who experienced the stand will never forget its power, passion and presence. Its spirit lives on with thousands of Blues who stood there now bringing their own children and grandchildren to the Etihad who, if legislation allows, will soon be able to stand in a section specifically created for that purpose.
If you’re interested you can read how Maine Road got its name here:
While you’re here I’d like to thank you for taking the time and trouble to visit my website. I am not employed by anyone and no one pays me to do research or interviews. I do not have sponsorship or advertising either. I’ve set up this website to help share my 32 years plus writing and research. The intention is to develop the archive and to provide access to as much of my material as possible over the coming weeks, months & years. Subscribers can already access over 280 articles/posts including the entire Manchester A Football History book and audio interviews with former City bosses Malcolm Allison and John Bond.
It costs £20 a year (it works out £1.67 a month) or £3 if you’d like to sign up a month at a time to get full access for as long as you subscribe (see below). Thanks for the support, Gary.
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This has been a sample of the material on http://www.GJFootballArchive.com If you would like to read all the in-depth articles and listen to the audio interviews then please subscribe. It works out about £1.67 a month if you take out an annual subscription (£20 per year). Each subscriber gets full access to the 1000+ articles posted so far and the hundreds scheduled to be posted in the coming weeks.
This has been a sample of the material on http://www.GJFootballArchive.com If you would like to read all the in-depth articles and listen to the audio interviews then please subscribe. It works out about £3 a month if you take out a monthly subscription (cancel anytime; access everything since 1 October 2022).
Post 84 of my 100 Maine Rd countdown remembers the day in 1987 when Manchester City defeated Huddersfield Town 10-1. It was one of the most memorable days at the old ground for fans of my age. I was stood in the Kippax that day. Notice the newspaper cutting includes Maine Road in its headline. The old stadium name often appeared in headlines in a way that doesn’t seem to happen so much these days.
Paul Stewart, Tony Adcock, and David White each scored a hat-trick while the goal spree was started by Neil McNab. You can read the full story of the game; watch highlights and more here….
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Read more of this content when you subscribe today. You can subscribe at either £20 per year (above) or at £3 per month here (cancel any time). For those subscribing £3 per month you will be able to access all content from October 2022 onwards for as long as you are a subscriber. Those subscribing £20 a year have access to everything posted since December 2020.
For post 77 in my Maine Rd 100 countdown a reminder of a record City have held for almost a century! This image is of a day in 1924 when City attracted the highest crowd on a club ground. The drawing is looking from the Main Stand towards the Popular Side, later Kippax. It’s no longer the record attendance because it was beaten by another record crowd at Maine Rd a decade later. Want to know more? The read on…
1925 Aerial photo of Maine Road and Platt Fields Park
A record Manchester City have held for 99 years was set on 8 March in 1924 – the record is the highest attendance on a club ground! The record set in 1924 saw 76,166 attend City v Cardiff. City had moved to their new Maine Road stadium in August 1923. The capacity of the venue was estimated at around 90,000 but was actually approximately 83,000 when the stadium opened (it was enlarged in 1931 and 1935).
In its first season the capacity was tested and, on that day (8 March) in 1924 the largest attendance for any footballing fixture (including three FA Cup Finals) in Manchester gathered to watch the Blues. This was also, at the time, the record crowd for any game played on an English club ground. It was beaten ten years later when 84,569 watched City v Stoke. You can read about the remarkable day in 1924 below:
Subscribe to get access
Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £20 a year (access to everything) or £3 per month (see below).
Read more of this content when you subscribe today. It costs £20 a year (see above) or £3 per month (cancel anytime; access to everything posted since 1 October 2022).
This has been a sample of the material on http://www.GJFootballArchive.com If you would like to read all the in-depth articles (including the entire Manchester A Football History book and the audio interview with John Bond) then please subscribe. It works out about £1.67 a month if you take out an annual subscription (£20 per year) or £3 a month if you’d like to sign up for a month at a time. Each subscriber gets full access to the 260+ articles posted so far and the hundreds scheduled to be posted in the coming weeks.
Post 69 in the 100 Maine Rd countdown is this image from a game played on 5 March 1934. It shows Eric Brook scoring what some believed was the greatest goal ever netted at Maine Road (see post 68 for a later contender). What else makes this image special is that it’s from the 84,569 game v Stoke when City attracted a record English crowd on a club ground that still stands today.
Subscribers can read more on why this day, game and image is so special here:
Day 66 of my posts counting down to the centenary of Maine Road’s opening game is this night time image of the Kippax. This was taken in Maine Road’s final season and was loaned to me a few decades ago by the fanzine Blueprint (Phill Gatenby). Compare this with my Day 65 image and you’ll see the floodlights are now on the roof, alongside more adverts plus the Welcome To Maine Road sign is a newer version.
For its final game that season the Kippax had a higher official capacity than all other standing areas, including the Kop which also went on that day in April 1994.
This 1971 aerial image shows the Kippax (7 & 8) from the back. The stand was demolished in 1994:
Maine Road aerial 1971 from Farewell To Maine Road
If you’d like to read more on the history of Maine Road, take a look at Farewell To Maine Road, which can be downloaded from this page:
If you enjoy all the free material on my website and would like to support my research and keep this website going (but don’t want to subscribe) then why not make a one-time donation (or buy me a coffee). All support for my research is valued and welcome. It allows me to keep some free material available for all. Thanks.
Day 65 of my posts counting down to the centenary of Maine Road’s opening game is this image of the Kippax. When this was taken in the 1980s its capacity was over 26,500 in a 52,600 capacity Maine Road. Note the iconic Trumann’s for steel advert.
This 1971 aerial image shows the Kippax (7 & 8) from the back. The stand was demolished in 1994:
Maine Road aerial 1971 from Farewell To Maine Road
If you’d like to read more on the history of Maine Road, take a look at Farewell To Maine Road, which can be downloaded from this page:
If you enjoy all the free material on my website and would like to support my research and keep this website going (but don’t want to subscribe) then why not make a one-time donation (or buy me a coffee). All support for my research is valued and welcome. It allows me to keep some free material available for all. Thanks.
Day 64 of my posts counting down to the centenary of Maine Road’s opening game is this image taken by Steve Worthington from behind the old Kippax Stand during its final season. Notice the player named bar – this one after Francis Lee – and if you look carefully the second staircase visible (left) is the staircase to nowhere which was blocked off in the early 1970s following the safety legislation (that followed the Ibrox disaster) that outlawed the original style of staircase. The one closest to the camera was remodelled but the other was blocked off (see previous Maine Road 100 posts for details).
Steve Worthington’s photo was taken from the area behind the kippax, slightky 1971 aerial image shows the 1957 roof over the Kippax (7 & 8) which was demolished in 1994:
Maine Road aerial 1971 from Farewell To Maine Road
If you’d like to read more on the history of Maine Road, take a look at Farewell To Maine Road, which can be downloaded from this page:
If you enjoy all the free material on my website and would like to support my research and keep this website going (but don’t want to subscribe) then why not make a one-time donation (or buy me a coffee). All support for my research is valued and welcome. It allows me to keep some free material available for all. Thanks.
Day 63 of my posts counting down to the centenary of Maine Road’s opening game is this image from the 1994-95 season of the ‘new’ Kippax Stand during construction.
At times during the stand’s construction the capacity of Maine Road had been less than 20,000 – the lowest at any City venues since the 1800s!
The 1994 demolition of the old Kippax saw the original 1923 terracing at that end demolished, meaning that the only part of the 1923 stand construction still standing was the base of the Main Stand.
This 1940s image of the Maine Road shows the original 1923 terracing (left):
This 1971 aerial image shows the 1957 roof over the Kippax (7 & 8) which was demolished in 1994:
Maine Road aerial 1971 from Farewell To Maine Road
If you’d like to read more on the history of Maine Road, take a look at Farewell To Maine Road, which can be downloaded from this page:
If you enjoy all the free material on my website and would like to support my research and keep this website going (but don’t want to subscribe) then why not make a one-time donation (or buy me a coffee). All support for my research is valued and welcome. It allows me to keep some free material available for all. Thanks.
Gary James' Football Archive 