Manchester, United Kingdom

 Have you ever heard about “Men Sana Incopore Sano”, yes, a sound mind in a healthy body. If our body health, the activity is just like an piece of cake to be done. No need to worry about anything because your heatlh supporting you to conduct anything. Its different if you get sick or your body is not fit. Thats why our travelling is not all about nature site, waterfall, rock mountain, lake or whatever. Today we are going to visit sport site to continue our journey to travel around the lovely world we have.

So what place we are going to visit right now, let me introduce you the beautifull town with the skycrapper in British land. Not only the beautifullness, this city also base for Manchester United and Manchester City supporter. Both of the English Premier League contestant are the world famous and biggest football player team in the world. The richest football team in the world, the most Trophy Collector in the world. For your information, i am not a big fans both those clubs, but the chance to visit and travel to this elegant city and their stadium would be very unorgottable experience.

 Manchester is situated in the south-central part of North West England, fringed by the Cheshire Plain to the south and the Pennines to the north and east. The recorded history of Manchester began with the civilian settlement associated with the Roman fort of Mamucium, which was established in C 79 AD on a sandstone bluff near the confluence of the rivers Medlock and Irwell. Historically, most of the city was a part of Lancashire, although areas south of the River Mersey were in Cheshire. Throughout the Middle Ages Manchester remained a manorial township, but it began to expand "at an astonishing rate" around the turn of the 19th century. Manchester's unplanned urbanisation was brought on by a boom in textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution, and resulted in it becoming the world's first industrialised city. An early 19th-century factory building boom transformed Manchester from a township into a major mill town and borough that was granted city status in 1853. In 1894 the Manchester Ship Canal was built, creating the Port of Manchester.

 First Step : Old Trafford

 Old Trafford is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 75,811, Old Trafford is the second-largest football stadium in England after Wembley, the third-largest in the United Kingdom and the eleventh-largest in Europe. The stadium is approximately 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from Old Trafford Cricket Ground and the adjacent tram station.

The ground, nicknamed the Theatre of Dreams by Bobby Charlton, has been United's permanent residence since 1910, with the exception of an eight-year absence from 1941 to 1949, following the bombing of the stadium during the Second World War. During this period, the club shared Maine Road with local rivals Manchester City. The ground underwent several expansions in the 1990s and 2000s, including the addition of extra tiers to the North, West and East Stands, which served to return the ground almost to its original capacity of 80,000. Future expansion is likely to involve the addition of a second tier to the South Stand, which would raise the capacity to over 90,000. The stadium's record attendance was recorded in 1939, when 76,962 spectators watched the FA Cup semi-final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town.

 The ground has frequently hosted FA Cup semi-final matches as a neutral venue and several England international fixtures while the new Wembley Stadium was under construction. It also hosted matches at the 1966 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 1996, as well as the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final. Aside from football-related uses, Old Trafford has hosted rugby league's Super League Grand Final since the league's adoption of playoffs in 1998 and the final of the 2000 Rugby League World Cup.

The Old Trafford pitch is surrounded by four covered all-seater stands, officially known as the Sir Alex Ferguson (North), East, South and West Stands. Each stand has at least two tiers with the exception of the South Stand, which only has one tier due to construction restrictions. The lower tier of each stand is split into Lower and Upper sections, the Lower sections having been converted from terracing in the early 1990s.

 United continue to harbour plans to increase the capacity of the stadium further, with the next stage pointing to a redevelopment of the South Stand, which, unlike the rest of the stadium, remains single tier. A replication of the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand development and North-East and -West Quadrants would see the stadium's capacity rise to an estimated 95,000, which would give it a greater capacity than Wembley Stadium (90,000). Any such development is likely to cost around £100m, due to the proximity of the railway line that runs adjacent to the stadium, and the corresponding need to build over it and thus purchase up to 50 houses on the other side of the railway. Nevertheless, the Manchester United group property manager confirmed that expansion plans are in the pipeline – linked to profits made from the club's property holdings around Manchester – saying "There is a strategic plan for the stadium ... It is not our intention to stand still". One criticism of the plans, however, is that increasing the height of the South Stand would further reduce the amount of light coming onto the pitch, which has caused problems in similarly large stadia – such as Wembley Stadium, the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium and the San Siro; according to Alex Ferguson, the developments on the other stands have already caused problems. 

It has been suggested that, should such an expansion take place, Old Trafford could be used instead of Wembley for big matches such as England internationals – in order to increase the ability of fans in the north of the country to watch England play; and FA Cup semi-finals – to maintain the prestige of the national stadium for the final.

Last step : City of Manchester Stadium/ Etihad Stadium

The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England – also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship purposes – is the home ground of Manchester City Football Club, the fifth-largest stadium in the Premier League and the twelfth-largest in the United Kingdom, with a seating capacity of 47,805.

The SportCity location but with a larger stadium, was proposed for the main athletics arena in Manchester's failed bid for the 2000 Summer Olympics.In the successful bid for the 2002 Commonwealth Games the capacity of the post-games converted stadium was reduced from 80,000 to about 50,000. This stadium was built by Laing Construction at a cost of £112 million from a design by architectural consultants Arup Associates. 

 To ensure the long-term financial viability of the project after the Commonwealth Games, Manchester City F.C. leased the stadium from Manchester City Council as a replacement for Maine Road, but only after the northern segment of the stadium bowl was completed and the athletics track excavated to make way for an additional lower circumferential tier of seats. The conversion from a field and track arena to a football stadium cost the city council £22 million. Manchester City F.C. spent an additional £20 million installing bars, restaurants and corporate entertainment areas. The club moved into its new home during the summer of 2003.

In addition to athletics, the stadium has hosted the 2008 UEFA Cup Final, England football internationals, rugby league internationals, boxing world title fights and music concerts. 

 Entry is gained by contactless smart card rather than traditional manned turnstiles. The system can admit up to 1,200 people per minute through all entrances. A service tunnel under the stadium provides access for emergency vehicles and the visiting team's coach to enter the stadium directly. Once inside the stadium patrons have access to six themed restaurants, two of which have views of the pitch, and there are 70 executive boxes above the second tier of seating in the North, West and East Stands.

The stadium's interior is a continuous oval bowl, with three tiers of seating at the sides, and two tiers at each end. While the seating is continuous, each side of the stadium is named in the manner of a traditional football ground. Initially, all sides were named by compass direction (North Stand and South Stand for the ends, East Stand and West Stand for the sides). In February 2004, after a vote by fans, the West Stand was renamed the Colin Bell Stand in honour of the former player. The South Stand was named the Key 103 Stand for sponsorship reasons from 2003 to 2006, though this was largely ignored by supporters. A portion of the North Stand was designated the Family Stand for supporters with children, but from season 2010–11 the entire North Stand was allocated to families. The East Stand is unofficially known by fans as the Kippax after the corresponding stand at Maine Road. Supporters of visiting teams are allocated portions of the South Stand.

 The stadium has a UEFA standard dimension pitch of 105 by 68 metres (115 × 74 yd) covered with natural grass reinforced by artificial fibres made by Desso. The pitch is lit by 218 2000-watt floodlights, consuming a total of 436,000 watts. The areas without seating in each corner of the ground have moveable louvres to allow for ventilation of the pitch. The pitch is recognised as being one of the best in English football, and has been nominated five times in the last nine seasons for best Premier League pitch, an accolade it won in 2010–11 among other awards.

              The stadium is owned by Manchester City Council and leased by the football club. The 2008 takeover made the football club the wealthiest in the world, prompting suggestions that it could consider buying the stadium outright. Manchester City signed an agreement with Manchester City Council in March 2010 to allow a £1 billion redevelopment led by architect Rafael Viñoly.

            During the 2010 closed season the football pitch and hospitality areas were renovated, with a £1 million investment being made in the playing surface so that it is better able to tolerate concerts and other events without damage. In October 2010, Manchester City renegotiated the stadium lease, agreeing to now pay the city council an annual fixed sum of £3 million where previously it had only paid half of the ticket sales revenue from match attendances exceeding 35,000. This new agreement occurred as part of a standard 5-year review of the original lease and it amounts to an approximate £1 million annual increase in council revenues from the stadium.

           For the current and previous seasons, the club has sold all 36,000 of its allocated season tickets and is now looking at increasing the stadium's capacity. The club's agreement with Manchester City Council in March 2010 allows redevelopment around the stadium and possible stadium expansion to 60,000. This increase in capacity could be achieved by adding a third tier of seats to the north and south stands so that they match the east and west stands. The stadium expansion is linked to the club's stated commitment to "potential development as part of a contribution to the regeneration of east Manchester".

             In July 2011, the stadium was renamed the Etihad Stadium sponsored by Etihad Airways. Development plans for the Etihad Campus adjoining the stadium were revealed in mid-September 2011. The club released images of a cutting-edge youth academy and training facility, including a 7,000-capacity mini stadium on derelict land adjacent to the stadium's SportCity location. It is believed Etihad Airways fought off competition from Ferrostaal and Aabar to gain stadium naming rights.

             Beside football events, this stadium also used for concerts for many international artist, Rugby sports and also boxing.

How To get To Those Stadium.

            When you live outside England. The first step is you must arive at london to continue your journey to the Manchester. You can get there by Train, Bus and Car.

            If you use Train. UK Travel Tip The cheapest train fares are those designated "Advance" - how far in advance depends upon the journey as most rail companies offer advance fares on a first come first served basis. Advance tickets are usually sold as one-way or "single" tickets. Whether or not you buy advance tickets, always compare the "single" ticket price to the round trip or "return" price as it is often cheaper to buy two single tickets rather than one round trip ticket.

Trains leave for Manchester Piccadilly Station from London Euston Station every 15 to 20 minues throughout the day. The journey takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes with round trip advance fares starting at under £45. 

             By bus also will be great, UK Travel Tip National Express offers a limited number of "funfare" promotional tickets that are very cheap (£6.50 for a £39.00 fare, for example). These can only be purchased on line and they are usually posted on the website a month to a few weeks before the trip. It is worth checking the website to see if "funfare" tickets are available for your chosen journey.

There are frequent coach trips between London Victoria Coach Station and Manchester Central Coach Station throughout the day. The journey takes 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 hours and costs about £25. Bus services can be booked online. There is usually a 50pence booking fee.

How about Car?. Manchester is 202 miles northwest of London via the M1, M6, and M56 motorways. It takes about 4 hours to drive. Keep in mind that gasoline, called petrol in the UK, is sold by the liter (a little more than a quart) and the price is usually more than $1 a quart.

Soon you arrive at Manchester, your travel start will begin as soon as possible, so lets enjoy your travel. May your visitation to Manchester will give you more spirit to do sport. A good sport for your health.

Posted in: United Kingdom