As Steve Borthwick’s England team go through the motions at the 2026 Six Nations, fans are flocking to the iconic arenas of Twickenham and Murrayfield. Yet, tucked away in a Manchester suburb lies the ghost of a forgotten stadium that was once the epicentre of English sport.
Fallowfield Stadium first opened its doors in 1892 as a multi-sport venue. Boasting a capacity of 15,000, the athletics stadium and velodrome was used for cycling competitions and a range of athletics events. In March 1893, the ground came to national attention after being picked to host the FA Cup final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton. However, that day descended into what reports at the time described as “absolute chaos.”
The appeal of the cup was too great for the Victorian public as hordes of fans made their way to the stadium. The official number of people who passed through its gates stood at 45,067, though the real figure has been estimated at closer to 60,000, given the number of people that scaled its walls and jumped over fences.
Unprecedented scenes unfolded as spectators spilled onto the pitch and stood inches away from the players during the action. Everton, after losing the final, were so enraged by the crowd’s interference that they lodged an official complaint with the FA, which was ultimately dismissed.
In the years that followed, Fallowfield remained a hub for Manchester’s sporting life, hosting cycling legends and the Rugby League Challenge Cup finals in 1899 and 1900. It also held the 1899 FA Cup semi-final replay between Sheffield United and Liverpool, which had to be abandoned due to a crush in the crowd, ending its tenure as a host for major football matches.
Rugby union matches were also held there, including England’s clash with Scotland in 1897, which ended 12-3 in England’s favour. That was before it was the Six Nations, with the original Home Nations including only Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales.
Yet, as the 20th century progressed, Fallowfield’s importance began to fade. Manchester United and Manchester City built their own modern day marvels at Old Trafford and Maine Road, while Fallowfield became something of a relic.
The University of Manchester bought the site in the early 1960s and it was eventually demolished in 1994 to make way for the Richmond Park development. Today, it is home to thousands of University of Manchester students living in the Richmond Park halls of residence, with little trace of its rich sporting history remaining.