{{Short description|Sports ground in Salford, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}} {{Use British English|date=August 2015}} {{Infobox Stadium | name = The Cliff | nickname = | image = [[File:The Cliff.jpg|200px|The administrative building at The Cliff]] | fullname = | former_names = Cliff Point | location = [[Broughton, Salford|Broughton]], [[City of Salford|Salford]], [[Greater Manchester]], [[England]] | coordinates = {{coord|53|30|13|N|02|16|07|W|display=it}} | broke_ground = | built = | opened = | renovated = | expanded = | closed = | demolished = | owner = [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] | operator = [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] | surface = Grass | scoreboard = | construction_cost = | architect = | project_manager = | structural_engineer = | services_engineer = | general_contractor = | main_contractors = | seating_capacity = 1,500<ref>{{cite web |url=https://au.women.soccerway.com/venues/england/the-cliff-training-ground/v26988/ |title=The Cliff Training Ground - Women Soccerway |df=dmy-all |access-date=29 August 2019 |archive-date=29 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190829100750/https://au.women.soccerway.com/venues/england/the-cliff-training-ground/v26988/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | record_attendance = | dimensions = | tenants = '''Cricket'''<br>Manchester Jewish Cricket Club (c.1900)<br>'''Rugby league'''<br>[[Broughton F.C.|Broughton]] (1869–1898)<br>[[Broughton Rangers]] (1913–1933)<br>'''Football'''<br>[[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] (1938–present) }} '''The Cliff''' is a sports ground in [[Broughton, Salford|Broughton]], [[City of Salford|Salford]], England, on the banks of the [[River Irwell]], that was [[rugby league]] club [[Broughton Rangers]]' home ground until 1933. It was purchased by [[association football]] club [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] for use as their [[Training ground (association football)|training ground]]. It was used as the club's primary training facility until 1999,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manutdzone.com/atoz/c.html |title=Man Utd Zone: "The Cliff" under "C" |access-date=2007-08-05 |archive-date=28 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128173415/http://ww35.manutdzone.com/atoz/c.html |url-status=live }}</ref> when it was replaced by the [[Trafford Training Centre]] in [[Carrington, Greater Manchester|Carrington]], though it continues to host some [[Manchester United F.C. Reserves & Academy squad|Manchester United academy]] matches. It is also sometimes used by [[Salford Red Devils|Salford]] rugby league side as a training venue.
==Rugby league== The Cliff, on Lower Broughton Road in Broughton, Salford, started out as a cricket and tennis ground. The now-defunct [[Broughton Rangers]] rugby league club moved to The Cliff in 1913 and played there until 1933, when they moved to [[Belle Vue Stadium]] in [[Gorton]], [[Manchester]].
The ground was host to the [[1920–21 Challenge Cup]] final seeing [[Leigh Centurions|Leigh]] defeat [[Halifax R.L.F.C.|Halifax]] to lift the trophy.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://leighrl.co.uk/wp/v2/club-records/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200214023359/https://leighrl.co.uk/wp/v2/club-records/ |archive-date=14 February 2020 |title=Club Records |work=LeighRL.co.uk |publisher=Leigh Centurions Rugby League Club |access-date=27 April 2020}}</ref>
==Association football== [[File:The Cliff (oppvarming).JPG|thumb|Manchester United players warm up at The Cliff, [[1992 in association football|1992]]]] In May 1938, the site was earmarked by Manchester United chairman [[James W. Gibson]] as a potential site for practice matches and as a regular venue for the Manchester United Junior Athletic Club (MUJAC) A team's matches. By the end of June 1938, a tenancy had been agreed.<ref>{{cite book |last=Harrington |first=Peter |title=The Gibson Guarantee - The Saving of Manchester United: 1931-1951 |year=1994 |publisher=Questions Answered |isbn=0-9515972-4-8 |page=94 }}</ref> Manchester United purchased the ground in 1951. Until the late 1950s, Manchester United's first team trained on the pitch at their [[Old Trafford]] stadium, but the club's management had decided that using The Cliff training ground was necessary to avoid doing needless damage to the Old Trafford pitch.
Floodlights were soon erected at The Cliff – an improvement that Old Trafford did not receive until March 1957 – and a rugby league amateur international match was held there in 1952.<ref>{{cite book |last=Inglis |first=Simon |title=Football Grounds of Britain |orig-year=1985 |edition=3rd |year=1996 |publisher=CollinsWillow |location=London |isbn=0-00-218426-5 |page=235 }}</ref> That same year, Manchester United entered their youth team in the [[FA Youth Cup]] for the first time. Matches were played at night, meaning that the team had to play under the floodlights at The Cliff. In the second round of the competition, the Manchester United youth team recorded the biggest win in the history of the FA Youth Cup; [[David Pegg]], [[John Doherty (English footballer)|John Doherty]] and [[Duncan Edwards]] scored five goals each and [[Eddie Lewis (footballer, born 1935)|Eddie Lewis]] scored four in a 23–0 victory over [[Nantwich Town F.C.|Nantwich Town]]'s youth team.<ref>White (2008), p. 95</ref>
At the end of the 20th century, Manchester United manager [[Alex Ferguson]] came to feel that The Cliff had become too open to the press and the public for him to successfully run the training of the club's first team players, with journalists and opposition spies able to get a look at his tactics all too easily and supporters holding the players up for hours after training with requests for autographs. The club, therefore, decided to construct a new training facility in [[Carrington, Greater Manchester|Carrington]], away from prying eyes.<ref>White (2008), p. 360</ref> First team, reserve and academy training is now carried out at the [[Trafford Training Centre]], but The Cliff is still retained for the training of the club's youngest players.<ref>White (2008), p. 361</ref> The [[England national football team|England national team]] has also used the Cliff as a training base ahead of international matches at Old Trafford.<ref>{{cite book |last=White |first=John |title=The United Miscellany |publisher=Carlton Books |date=2007 |location=London |isbn=978-1-84442-745-1 |page=54 }}</ref>
In 2003, plans were put forward by Manchester United for a set of {{convert|16|m|yd|adj=mid|-tall}} floodlights at The Cliff, but this was met with opposition from local residents. The club had originally planned to install {{convert|19|m|yd|adj=mid|-tall}} lights, but this was later reduced.<ref>{{cite news |first=Christopher |last=Osuh |title=Cliff hit by 'own goal' |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/73/73404_cliff_hit_by_own_goal_.html |work=Manchester Evening News |publisher=MEN Media |date=19 November 2003 |access-date=17 July 2011 |archive-date=12 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112194132/http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/73/73404_cliff_hit_by_own_goal_.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
The ground was earmarked as the home ground and training base for [[Manchester United W.F.C.|Manchester United women's team]] ahead of 2018–19 season once redevelopments had been completed.<ref>{{cite news |title=Manchester United to join FA Women's Championship |url=https://www.manutd.com/en/news/detail/manchester-united-to-join-fa-womens-championship-after-successful-application |website=ManUtd.com |publisher=Manchester United |date=28 May 2018 |access-date=28 May 2018 |archive-date=12 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142857/https://www.manutd.com/en/news/detail/manchester-united-to-join-fa-womens-championship-after-successful-application |url-status=live }}</ref> However, this never happened and the team has used [[Leigh Sports Village]] as their home stadium since inception.
==References== '''Bibliography''' *{{cite book |last=White |first=Jim |title=Manchester United: The Biography |year=2008 |publisher=Sphere |location=London |isbn=978-1-84744-088-4 }}
'''Specific''' {{reflist}}
{{Manchester United F.C.}} {{Salford B&S}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cliff, The}} [[Category:Football training grounds in England|Cliff]] [[Category:Manchester United F.C.]] [[Category:Defunct rugby league venues in England]] [[Category:Sports venues in Salford]] [[Category:Broughton Rangers]]