If your mother really upsets you, you might yell FCUM! But that would be really rude. Anyway, I'm…read moremore familiar with A-grade than F-grade, so you won't get any FCUM from me. First-Hand Experience: They're a very important team... the real Manchester United, if you will. With normal prices for normal fans. So I love the idea, and made it a point to go and see them play in 07, when they were much lower down than they are now. They've risen up a few times since then so I'm looking forward to seeing them at a higher level. If they make it into the football league I will be so happy. I'll probably stop in and watch them again in 2016 since it's been nearly 10 years. Full marks for FCUM who decided that Manchester United were too corporate and too expenive and formed their own club which was more tied to the community and the roots of the team. It's basically an identical club, except that they play in the colours that United did back at the beginning when they were known as Newton Heath. Or at least they used to when I knew them, it looks like they've settled on United red now. They were formed in 2005 and have already been promoted 4 times. Their brand new stadium which is opening now, can hold around 5k people.They're 3 tiers below the Football League and 7 tiers below the coveted Premier League.

An amazing day out full of drama. I'm not a fan of football but I enjoyed watching these.read more

An entire city named after male chest hair? Yes. ManChestHair City. What are you going to do about…read moreit? First-Hand Experience: I've seen Manchester City play live, in person, many times. Both when they were a smaller club, a humble club, with average wealth, in the shadow of their neighbours... and as recently as Autumn 2014 at the Etihad vs LFC. I liked watching them better in the old days when they weren't a team of mercenaries. What a fantastic experience it was at Etihad. What a great set of fans this team has. They've always been a nice team to watch though, with their faded light blue shirts. I've always enjoyed them, and enjoyed them beating United. Watching them this past Autumn, I noticed how different things are now. They've become an uber-wealthy monstrosity. I'll explain. So there was a time when City would have easily scored 4 or 5 out of 5. That was the time when they played at Maine Road and had lovely fans. But then something changed. They were taken over by the richest people imaginable, built the fanciest new stadium imaginable, and started buying up every expensive overpriced player imaginable. Paying them obscene unimaginable wages. Although if the other three things were imaginable then why not that... I don't know. Anyway. Manchester City. I've seen them play both home and away and they just aren't the same team. The only reason they don't score a 1/5 is because their fans have maintained some semblance of kindness and respect for other fans, unlike Chelsea fans. Also, when I went to the stadium to see the sold out City V Liverpool game, the stadium staff were very lovely and sold me tickets randomly. So I have to bump them up to a 3, but I do it begrudgingly considering the fact that they are no longer a "people's club" and now an "oil baron's club". Capitalism is the world we live in and unfortunately Manchester City are the symbol of that. I'd still rather see them win titles than United, though, considering I'm a Liverpool fan. They were formed in 1880, they play in Sky Blue, they sing "Blue Moon" a lot, they dropped to the 3rd tier only once, and they've now won the Prem 4 times... 1937, 1968, 2012 and 2014. They've won the FA Cup 5 times in 1904, 34, 56, 69 and just recently in 2011. They won the League Cup in 1970, 76 and 2014. They also had one great European success which was the 1970 Cup Winners' Cup. My apologies to the fans for the low rating for your team. It's only because of your owners. By the way, when in Manchester, try a Chicken Madras from Akbars, try Fish & Chips from Neil's Fryery on Langworthy Rd Salford, and most importantly try a Kobedeh Kebab from Rusholme Chippy.

I had one of the most energetic two hours of my life last night. Nope, not an extract from the…read morelikes of Fifty Shades of Grey, but a statement of fact. A group of 16 of us from work had booked a taster session months ago (the waiting list for this is pretty long as it's so popular). We had to give our heights on booking so that they could match us with the right bikes in advance. When the evening arrived, we all headed to Sportcity and into the cavernous reception of The National Cycling Centre. We picked up our shoes with cleats on them to clip on to the pedals (these are at extra cost btw) and cycling helmets (which were included in the initial price). There are men's and women's changing/shower rooms and lockers (bring a pound coin) so you can keep your clothes and valuables safely locked away. Heading through the doors and into the Velodrome you're struck with just how steeply banked the oval track is - and that you're going to be whizzing around it in a matter of minutes. After collecting our bikes that were all waiting and labelled with our names on; and walking up the central slope to get to the track, we were greeted by our instructor who was a straight-talking Lancashire man and total legend. We were first taught the important lessons of how to get on our bikes, how to start pedalling and how to stop without crashing (sounds obvious I know but just wait until you try it for the first time!). After an initial few laps to get used to things, some of us were allowed to 'advance' on to the côte d'azur (a blue band which is between the infield and the actual track) - and pick up our speed. Later on we had timed laps which meant pedalling like a bat out of hell on the track, getting as high up the banking as we felt comfortable. This was my favourite part. The session ended after we were allowed to do as many laps as we wanted/were physically still capable of doing. This was a terrific (read 'knackering') activity for us, even as a big group of mixed ability. You can also book for smaller groups or individually - I'll definitely come back here again, it's decent exercise that's different and fun!

I came here to watch the final of the Revolution Cycling Series and it was my first ever velodrome…read moreexperience. As soon as I stepped into the arena, I made one of those automatic, from the gut, "Whoa! Cool!" noises which proves this place is awesome. The venue is fantastic for watching (and I suspect participating) in track cycling and I became an instant fan of the sport. I really want to give it a go and you can come and take lessons at the centre too. The food situation isn't great - but the good news is that you can BYO picnic!

If you really have your heart set on implants, then I recommend Bolton…read more Are Magicians, by definition, Wanderers? First-Hand Experience: Bolton have never been a team I loved, because they're really just a suburban Manchester team and a smaller version of United and City. That all changed for me when they built the Reebok. It really launched them back into their glory years of the old days, and now having Lennon as manager too, they're just such a relevant and vibrant team. I've seen them play in person on many occasions, including an amazing match at the Reebok vs Arsenal. I have to give them a 4 just because they don't always fill the Reebok which for me is very problematic. It should be full and if I lived in Bolton I'd make sure I contributed to the weekly attendance. Prices may be too high? I don't know. Bolton is a really great old classic team. Since they're from a little town just NW of Manchester, they should really be irrelevant, shouldn't they? Any other town-near-a-city team is basically irrelevant. But Bolton never really has been. They've managed to punch above their weight for so long now, and it culminated in the building of what is one of the best stadiums in the UK. Formerly called The Reebok. Every single review here (see below) are for the stadium, not the club, so Yelp really needs to move them to the stadium review page, because they are totally out of place. Anyway. Bolton formed way back in 1874. They play in the second tier. They were one of the 12 clubs that originally founded the league. They currently have perhaps the best manager outside the Prem - Neil Lennon. So next season you can expect them to be promoted to the Prem, not even kidding. Sadly out of 73 seasons in the top division, they have never won it. Hopefully they will get back to it one of these days, the stadium certainly deserves it. They have won the FA Cup 4 times, including 1958. They were League Cup runners up in 95 and 04. Classic team with great support and best of luck to Neil Lennon.

I am Boltons #1 fan so I'd say its great but it seriously is the food the game and the atmosphere…read moreand a train station at it for traveling fans so go there I'd recommend it Thank You 100000000000000000000 stars for me

What a dream to be able to see a Manchester United game here! We travelled across the world to…read morecelebrate our son's 30th Bday with friends at a Man U game. The nose bleed seats views were not actually bad. Seats were a little narrow and small, but can't complain. FYI alcohol is not allowed inside the stadium for good reason. Lots of yellow jacket security, safety was not an issue. Note most of the stadium was covered, so if rain, you will not be soaked. But do bundle up like we did in the winter time : D After the game, we stuck around a bit for photo opps, but once the game is over , it is literally over, no lingering .. they kinda kick you out. Went to the loo and employees shouted to hurry it up to all of us! Thankfully the merchandise store was open after the game, located outside of the stadium. Easy access to and from stadium with the trams, but expect it to be sardine jam packed.

Iconic! I'm not even a big football gal, but my husband is a die-hard for Manchester United, so…read moreI've always understood the significance of this stadium and the club that occupies it. We were back in the UK visiting his family and decided to go for an official tour. Unfortunately the team was playing in Newcastle during our visit, but the tour alone was genuinely really cool. Plus, they're building a new stadium so it was great to come here before this one gets retired. For it being an older stadium, I thought it was in fantastic shape. Very well-kept. A little smaller than I expected (maybe because I'm used to NFL stadiums?), but it holds 74k+ people, making it the largest club football stadium in the UK! Finding the parking was a tad confusion, but that's always the case at big statiums isn't it. Once we did, we made our way around to the 'tour" entrance and were immediately greeted by the sweetest of staff! They set us up with ourlayard passes and took us straight to where the tour kicked off, which was up in the stands overlooking the field. Along the way our wonderful guide talked through tons of fascinating and fun history, we got a chance to go down along the pitch, sit in the team's seats, come out through the famous tunnel, and even explore their changing room. There's also a full museum on the second floor to explore as part of your ticket, adjacent to the on-site restaurant. It was packed with memorabilia and more history to take in. Even if you're like me, and not necessarily a huge football fan, taking the tour is worth it.

If there's a specific field where you'd like to huddle with me (and stuff), then that field is a…read moreHuddlefield. This has nothing to do with that. If you'd like to hug (and stuff) in the same field, then it's Huggersfield. If you bring your baby and it needs changing, then it's Huggiesfield. First-Hand Experience: I've only seen Huddersfield play once, and it was a fantastic experience. They were at home, at the Galpharm, and it was magical and packed full of people in 2011. Usually they don't get such big crowds, but it really made me warm to a team that I've never appreciated before, and for that reason I'll give them 4. Huddersfield is a cute-named team in a cute-named Yorkshire industrial city just near Leeds and Bradford. My brother used to play for them (in his imagination) as it was one of the teams he was traded to when we used to play make believe as kids. Brr. Formed in 1908, they play in a soccer-rich area in a 24k stadium that is lovely and was built recently and is distinctive for its arch. They play in cute blue and white kits. They won the FA Cup in 1922, and legends Denis Law and Bill Shankly were both here. They were champs of England in 1924, 25 and 26 (three years in a row) and runners up three times shortly after that... so a true legendary team of the 1920s. They were 3rd as recently as 1954. For all these reasons they are a truly classic team and so they get a nice pat on the back from me in the form of a 4 star rating.

I've been along to roller derby before but it was along time ago in a land far far away. I enjoyed…read moreit then and I enjoyed it now. Manchester Roller Derby has the added interest of being a part of an active co-ed league. We went along to this their 5th anniversary bout. They were in a local leisure centre on this occasion (Carnall George H in Urmston) not the most convenient spot in Manchester but accessible by a combination of tram and bus. I don't believe this is their home track but I get the feeling the bouts tend to move around with the availability of track space. There was a pleasantly large crowd but there were still plenty of seats and loads if visibility onto the track. They had supporters stalls for all the teams playing on the day with surprisingly desirable merch (especially the supporter t-shirts with your fave competitors name and number on the back) and a cake stall for celebratory birthday cake. A double header between Manchester / Wirral and Manchester / Birmingham was on the cards for the day and we set up shop in the stands. The supporters are an enthusiastic bunch and I found myself clapping and cheering for all the teams (though I should have been supporting MRD primarily). One of the fun trademarks of roller derby are the fun antics and the payer names which were not lacking. With pseudonyms like Fish 'n' Whips, Jim Jams (who was a Jammer and was wearing pyjama bottoms), Veggie Kray, Smack Bauer, Knit One Hit One and Steph Leopard. They had a pass the parcel game in the stands, a raffle for merch and a 'Throw a Duck' comp in the half times. If you've never been along to roller derby it's a full contact, fun and active sport to watch and the basic rules are simple enough to pick up in a couple of minutes explanation. I do recommend heading along to a bout and throw some support behind a local sport team in an fresh and interesting non mainstream sport. No paid endorsements or hefty salaries here they do it because they love it and it's really good fun.

Yes, Mossley has its own football team. Ok, so its not Manchester United but still, they are a big…read morehit in their town and have a large following. They have a large clubhouse/function too, for presentations and its also available for hire with a fully stocked bar and catering if needed. The club is in Top Mossley which means at the top of the hill to you outsiders and the floodlights from the ground can be seen from the rest of the town so there is no chance you can miss it. Many local children play for the junior teams which are very popular and have their own website which is www.mossleyjuniors.co.uk. So take a look if you are interested!