Salford City Stadium/Moor Lane/Peninsula Stadium (Salford)

Moor Lane, known as the Peninsula Stadium for sponsorship purposes, is a football ground in the Kersal area of Salford, Greater Manchester, England, which has a capacity of 5,108 and is the home of Salford City Football Club.

General information

Official website: https://salfordcityfc.co.uk/the-club/the-peninsula-stadium/

Arena capacity: 5,108 spectators

Address: Moor Ln, Salford M7 3BS, UK

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 53°30′49.07″N 2°16′36.39″W

Year of construction: 1978

Field: grass lawn with dimensions of 105 x 68 m

Seating plan of Salford City Stadium

Moor Lane is very much designed in the classic style of British stadiums, with four stands surrounding each side of the pitch. There’s enough room for 5,108 people, of which 2,246 can be seated.

The West Stand, at one end of the pitch, and the Neville Road South Stand, which runs along the side, are terraced areas. The remaining two stands are seated areas, with away fans housed in the East Stand.

Away fans are mostly housed to one side of the East Terrace behind one of the goals. This terrace is covered and the acoustics are very good, meaning that even a small number of fans can make themselves heard. In addition, 200 seats can be made available to visiting supporters in the South Stand, at no extra cost to the entrance fee. With the stadium being erected so quickly then the facilities for fans have yet to fully catch up, with portaloos in place and a burger van to supply food and beverages to visiting supporters.

Where to buy tickets?

Salford City specifically advise supporters that the best way to buy tickets is on the gate, but cash at the turnstiles is only possible for the West Stand. Given that the stadium is rarely sold out for any match, you’d be extremely unfortunate to turn up and not be able to get in. If you buy online it will cost you an extra booking fee.

How to get there?

Moor Lane is located just over two miles away from Junction 17 of the M60. The ground is not located in Salford itself, but in the nearby area of Kersal.

From the M60 at Junction 17 take the A56 towards Manchester City Centre. Keep straight along the A56 and after passing a Lidl stare on the left with a Carphone Warehouse on the opposite side of the road, then take the third turning on the right (at the traffic lights and signposted Oaklands Hall/St Pauls Church) into Moor Lane. For the main entrance take the next left into Nevile Road and you will reach the ground down on the right, after the school.

There is no parking available at the ground for visiting supporters, plus the streets around most of the ground have a residents-only scheme in operation. So check signage on lamp posts for details of parking restrictions, as wardens out on patrol in force on match days. However, there is street parking to be had on Moor Lane itself (the same road as the away entrance) and other streets located a little further away from the ground, such as Kersal Moor Road. Parking here also has the added benefit that you can get away pretty easily after the match, as at the top of Kersal Moor Road, you can turn right towards Prestwich (for M60 North) or left towards Swinton (for M61 and M60 South).

Park & Ride

For most matches, the Club operates a Park & Ride service from the IT Lab premises, on the Agecroft Industrial Estate (M27 8SJ).

By Metrolink Tram

The nearest Metrolink Tram Stop is Crumpsall Tram Station, which is on the line to Bury. However, it is around 1.5 miles away from the Peninsula Stadium and is a good 30-35 minute walk. At the top of the stairs at Crumpsall, take a left onto Station Road and then turn right onto Seymour Road. Follow this road to the end and then turn right onto Bury Old Road. Follow this road until you see a white sign on your left saying “City of Salford.” Turn left here onto Singleton Road. Follow this road for about a mile (slight right at Upper Park Road) until you come to a set of traffic lights. Continue straight over onto Moor Lane. The ground will be on your left-hand side, right outside the away end. The tram can be caught from Piccadilly or Victoria Stations in Manchester City Centre.

By Train

Although there are some smaller railway stations that are slightly nearer to Moor Lane, it is not worth travelling out to them as you’ll still be almost three miles away from the ground.

Manchester Victoria is the closest mainline station, which is just over three miles away and probably too far to walk. Either take a taxi up to the ground or from the Victoria Station approach you can catch First Bus No: 97 or 98 along Bury New Road towards Bury. This bus stops just after the end of Moor Lane (the road not the ground), just past the Hazeldean Hotel. The journey time is around 18 minutes.

There is the X43 Witchway Bus that also goes along Bury New Road towards Skipton. It runs every 15 minutes on Saturday afternoons. It can be caught from Manchester City Centre at Chorlton Street (Stop EZ) or at Princess Street/Arora Hotel (Stop SG). In addition from Chorlton Street (Stop EZ) you can get the Red Express X41 (destination Accrington) that drops off at the end of Moor lane on Bury New Road. More information can be found on the Transport For Greater Manchester website.

The nearest Metro Tram stop to the Peninsula Stadium is at Crumpsall, which is approximately one and three-quarter miles away to the east and would take about 35 minutes to walk.

Where to eat and sleep?

This is Manchester, they do things differently here. That’s the saying anyway. As for the hotels, they are plentiful and fit all budgets.

1. Holiday Inn Express Manchester – Salford Quays. Located around four miles from Moor Lane at Salford Quays is this Holiday Inn Express that’s perfect for those looking to get out of the city centre and not spend too much money. You get a continental breakfast included in the cost of your stay and the hotel offers free Wi-Fi. There’s a bar and lounge area that serves the guests from the 120 rooms, whilst the Imperial War Museum is just over ten minutes away on foot.
2. The Ainscow Hotel. With just over 60 rooms, a restaurant and two bars on-site, the Ainscow is a delightful hotel located in the heart of Salford. There’s a rooftop terrace that you can use as well as self-parking and free Wi-Fi. Breakfast is available at the hotel and you’re just a short walk from some genuinely fascinating sites, should you wish to fill your time before the football. From the Museum of Science and Industry to the Manchester Opera House, you’re well-position at The Ainscow Hotel to get your fill of culture as well as sport.
3. The Lowry Hotel. Famed for being the hotel that José Mourinho lived in like some sort of footballing Alan Partridge when he was the manager of Manchester United, The Lowry has a terrace area that overlooks the nearby canal. With a restaurant and a bar to serve the guests of the 165 rooms, you won’t need to leave if you don’t want to. The free Wi-Fi is limited to the reception area and the business centre, but there’s also a fitness centre with a full-service spa if you find yourself wanting to relax rather than work. The Lowry offers valet parking and an area shuttle, so you won’t feel trapped.

Central Manchester is obviously backed with bars and some wonderful pubs, but here are a few good options close to the ground.

1. Fairways Lodge. The closest place to drink at the crow flies is Fairways Lodge, which used to be called The Village and is still known as such by the locals. It’s actually a hotel and leisure centre, but there’s a public bar on site that welcomes guests and serves decent food. If you’re looking for somewhere a little bit quieter than the average pub on a match day then the fact that this place is a little further afield will undoubtedly help you enjoy a bit more peace and quiet before the excitement of the match begins.
2. The Friendship Inn. There’s a heated beer garden where dogs are welcome, so it’s an excellent place to go if you’re heading to the match with your extended family or you just like dogs. As well as tasty food, there’s also a menu for gin and rum, which goes some way to telling you what sort of place it is. An excellent, friendly atmosphere awaits those that enjoy freshly cooked food and a decent cask beer selection.
3. The Woodthorpe Hotel. Also on the roster of Joseph Holt pubs is the Woodthorpe, which is located next door to Heaton Park. Built as Sir Edward Holt’s family home, it was converted to become a pub in the 1950s but boasts an intriguing history. Refurbished towards the end of 2018, the Woodthorpe has two bars and a decent function suite. Boasting an art deco style ceiling and luxurious furniture, it’s a family friendly pub that has two verandas you can use. The food is well worth trying, whilst many of the beers on tap are from the Joseph Holt brewery’s own menu.

Facilities

The club bar is for home supporters only, but you can get pies, burgers, chips etc. around the stadium. You might end up having to use a portaloo rather than a proper toilet though.

The facilities at Moor Lane are best described as basic, so any hospitality sections are unlikely to be up to the standards of the Etihad or Old Trafford. That being said, there are private boxes and other hospitality areas within the stadium that quickly sell out so it can’t be that bad, and the club have been known to team up with local restaurants to add offsite options to their hospitality package.

Should you wish to hire out one of the private boxes at Moor Lane then your best bet is to get in touch with the club and discuss the options.

History

Salford City moved to Moor Lane in 1978, but it had been a venue for other sports for many years before; Manchester Rugby Club played there from 1908 until 1969.

In 2016, renovation work began, which saw its capacity rise from 1,600 to 5,108, including 2,246 seats. In 2017, the renovated stadium was reopened by Sir Alex Ferguson, with Peninsula Business Services as sponsors. In 2019, the stadium hosted a semi-professional international fixture between England C and Wales C.