Came here to see Hans Zimmer Live and had a great time! Getting in to the Arena went much faster…read morethan other venues I've visited, and it was very easy to find our seats once we got inside. The crowd was as energetic as the orchestra, which is to say MASSIVELY GOOD VIBES! As we were only a few rows from the stage, I was very happy I donned foam earplugs. I was literally *feeling* the music more than I was hearing it, heheh! The bio-break during Intermission flowed pretty fast (not me ... the line!). The food here, considering I got a hot dog & soda, was actually very good! The only thing that was a pain was trying to exit the garage after the show. All traffic seemed to bottleneck into a couple lanes that had to cross the foot traffic leaving the Arena after the show. Otherwise, a great venue and I wouldn't mind seeing more shows there.

It seems even many years later after rebranding including with other sponsors, Manchester Arena…read morewill always be known as the MEN Arena to many locals - it opened in 1995 and is the only indoor purpose-built arena of its' kind in Manchester and although stadiums across the city including the Etihad and Emirates Old Trafford do host concerts now, this is the only Arena of its- type to be fully indoors in a city centre location, it is actually right next to Manchester Victoria Station and the main disabled enterance actually involves going through the station's lift (quite confusing!) - this can also be used as a cut-through to parts of the station when the lifts are out of order, which is the situation right now. Back to the Arena - I can't help but think the only reason this place is so well-known, successful and used is because it lacks competition in one of the UK's best and biggest cities - the customer service is a disgrace such as with booking tickets. The disabled seating tickets team force you to have to phone up with no online booking - they are only open at awkward hours during the day with no option to wait on hold, meaning if you require assistance booking it is going to be difficult to get tickets. It involves creating an account/profile, sending proof of a disability, waiting for that to be confirmed and then placing your tickets on hold for a few days until everything is confirmed - and if it is confirmed you're expected to pay various booking fees: security fee, postage fee (You can only pick up on the day of the event where they advise not to, if you don't pay) and of course a booking fee for telephone orders. Tickets are expensive - I attended Impractical Jokers' recent tour here and I even had to pay a security fee - now I get the venue has to be secure especially after the saddening attack in 2017 but why should they charge a "surcharge" just to be safe as every place like this should be safe and not charging for the fact you're safe, right? The security wasn't even good either - I was told to empty my pockets and go through a scanner, however, they didn't even use the airport-style bag checker on what I emptied (they didn' even look at it and I did have a case which was unexpected) - I also was able to take a drink in despite them being banned - the security is flawed. It does have a capacity of just over 21,000 which is even larger than London's famous O2 Arena, however, I do really prefer the O2, the Manchester Arena has virtually nothing upon entering: no shops, restaurants while the O2 does - all the Arena has is stands selling really expensive food, beverages and merchandise - they even have salesmen who go into the crowd during a show trying to wave things in front of you - like come on I bought my ticket to watch an event, not watch you wave programmes about for goodness sake! The view of the stage wasn't too good either, I had to watch the show from the big screen and after paying for some of the more expensive seated tickets, that isn't what you want either. I really hope the rival to Manchester Arena is built soon by my club, Manchester City as it needs something to rival this hell-hole - the extra star is virtually only for being the only indoor concert/tour arena of its' kind in Greater Manchester, they even hosted amateur hockey games here at one point!

Great stadium and tour. Really like our experience with everyone from the merch shop and the tour.read more

Had a great time visiting the stadium and the tour was an incedible experience. The tour guides…read morewere very friendly and knowledgeable. Especially, David Hey helped with photos and made us genuinely feel at home like we are local fans. We came all the way over from New Orleans just to see a game and will never forgot this experience. Small group and the tour is a true VIP experience.

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.

Edgeley Park is a very Edgy Park in that all of the boys and all of the girls in this park tend to…read morewatch football in the nude. At least in my dreams they do. First-Hand Experience: More info about my personal experience at this stadium - I used to live just down the road from here in Chorlton Cum Hardy and my friend Derek used to live right by this ground. When I was a kid, I saw one game here, and then as an adult, one more in 2007. It's a fantastic, huge, intense, passionate crowd and ground, and I look forward to seeing another one. I hope they get back into the league very soon. I've been to most UK & US stadiums, due to lifelong obsessions with travel, sport & especially footy (soccer to Americans). Born & raised in England, I followed Oxford United (hometown team) to stadia all over the country at away games, and later Liverpool (fave team) around. Every stadium review - like all my reviews - are from first-hand personal experience, usually from several visits. In 2011, I was on music tour in the UK, and visited most stadiums for fun in my spare time. As recently as Fall 2014, when I was "stuck" in UK for 3 months, I went to hundreds yet again while travelling. I have pictures of me at most, which I'll post later. Also, when back in UK I'll take more pix, and add more stadia! *** return to regular review *** Easily the best and biggest stadium outside the Conference Premier and Football League, and hopefully it won't be for long. The once-mighty Stockport County play here, and were in League One for awhile. See my review on this team for more info. This stadium holds over 10k people and as lifelong fan Jonny says, has excellent pies. Unless they've ran out of them, in which case you'd have to ask, who ate all the pies? Probably the Geordies. Or Mike Ashley. Or both. This is a real stadium and a real English football experience, unlike the commercial corporate overpriced Manchester giants, so give it a go and see what you think of "the way it used to be." Yer avin a larf.

I have to give the hallowed turf and spiritual home of Stockport County a five star rating…read more I've been coming to Edgeley Park since I was a wee nipper and the only thing that's changed is a slightly more crumbled stadium, a scoreboard that makes its own mind up of when it's going to work and a slow and painful drop for the team through 5 divisions in 10 years. But - this is real football! If you can't afford to attend Utd or City each week and want to enjoy the pints in the pub beforehand, the banter on the terrace and the fact that you can meet and chat to the players before and after the game, then Edgeley Park is the place to be each Saturday. County are now in the Conference North, playing teams that get around 10-20% of the 4000 a week attendance we get, so the 2013-2014 season could be a good place to start for anyone up for a bit of glory hunting At £15 to get in and a little over £3 a pint (with local brewery Robinsons well stocked - just make sure you sit in the Cheadle End) it's a cost effective place to enjoy a few hours each week. The pies aren't half bad as well, as everyone who I meet for the first time tells me once I say I'm a County fan - just ask the Geordies I know who attend about 4 times a year and can't wait for their lunch time treat at half time!

Super supportive fans and very helpful staff…read more The grounds are nice, the stadium area for the local team the Sale Sharks is very clean and it's fantastic are super supportive for all visitors to the stadium grounds. While we were watching Noah, we got to pregame with the Sharks fans in prep for their rugby union match. As the matched approached, more and more fans arriv d, but they were all nice and orderly. I didn't get any flack from wearing my Liverpool gear up here in the Manchester area where the Sharks call home. I did enjoy the pump up songs that the fans here have prepping for their match. There were food trucks all over, and one of the sponsors was Bach 95. The lagers were cold, but warm d up my soul. The kids were thoroughly ashed by this local te, but played it out with their heads held high. British footie is a lifestyle, The stadium support staff wear these jackets that say "I'm here to help." Bathrooms were also small here but clean. I would return to see the Sharks play just on the tailgating alone.

Sal Ford is actually Harrison Ford's brother, and he opened this stadium after the city was named…read moreafter him. First-Hand Experience: More info about my personal experience at this stadium - my family (Mum's side) live about 5 mins from here. Well, maybe 6 or 7 family members do. And while they all like either United or Liverpool, they are even more passionate about - ugh - Rugby. And this team means so much to them (Salford Rugby) because Salford thinks of itself as its own city, and so this Ruggers team (sorry, ew) is the only thing Salford has to be proud about that isn't named after Manchester in a sporting sense. Their stadium is tiny but it feels like home to me because I've been here more than a few times with family. I don't watch Rugby, but if I did, it'd be with my Mancunian family at this stadium. It's a nice facility and the pride of Salford. I've been to most UK & US stadiums, due to lifelong obsessions with travel, sport & especially footy (soccer to Americans). Born & raised in England, I followed Oxford United (hometown team) to stadia all over the country at away games, and later Liverpool (fave team) around. Every stadium review - like all my reviews - are from first-hand personal experience, usually from several visits. In 2011, I was on music tour in the UK, and visited most stadiums for fun in my spare time. As recently as Fall 2014, when I was "stuck" in UK for 3 months, I went to hundreds yet again while travelling. I have pictures of me at most, which I'll post later. Also, when back in UK I'll take more pix, and add more stadia! *** return to regular review *** My mother was born in Salford and half of her family still lives there. She used to live in Eccles, and I lived in Salford for a year. I have close connections to the area and have been there many times. So for this reason, I have to give the very presence of a stadium here 4 stars. I don't like Rugby, and it's not the most impressive stadium, but it's new-ish and very popular with the locals, and for that reason, I give it a 4.

The guys that took over this place have done a fantastic job renovating it!…read more Anyone who's been here before will know it was in a right state, the turf was old and the boards were dangerous. Not anymore! It looks like they've put in a good chunk of money to do it up and the facilities now really are state of the art. Brand new 3G and new boards, netting and floodlights have been added. The pitch can either be used for 8v8 or split into 2 5v5 pitches. These updates really make Burnden Park just as good as anywhere for a kick around with the lads!

These days it's Manchester Divided, with half of MCR pretending to like City and wearing those…read morefaded blue kits that look like Chelsea kits that were washed with bleach too many times. Despite being a huge Liverpool fan, I have nothing against Manchester United and they've been doing quite well recently. They have a great Dutch manager and deserve the Champions League place they seem to have earned. I don't like some of the ugliness from some of the fans towards Liverpool, their own players, and so on, but that is everywhere including at LFC. I like the team a lot better than the new money of the evil empire of Manchester City, and as much as I didn't love Alex Ferguson, he was a socialist and he was one of the best managers of all time - clearly.

First time at the Manchester United game and I loved my experience. To be honest, I think the best…read moreway to understand British culture is by going to the games of different football matches around the country if you can afford it and are lucky enough to buy the tickets. By the way, if you are unaware of football culture in the UK you will know that (A) it is incredibly difficult to buy tickets and (B) football fans are insane and that's honestly half the fun of it. Here's some of my favorite moments. - The stadium is incredibly packed and you can feel the energy of the crowd unlike any other. Apparently there are around 75,000 seats in the stadium and 6,000 staff working around the clock so you can really understand the energy in there. Some people literally stand up the entire time of the game and the energy is really unlike anything you'll ever experience. - I appreciate the songs that the crowd sings, its honestly quite interesting to see a bunch of grown men sing songs about the red army. - Also itself is absolutely glorious. There's honestly no bad seats here and you are really able to see the game with crystal clear views. Overall, no complaints with the ManU game even if you are not super knowledgeable about football or the club. Would highly recommend just to experience the environment and to further understand UK's football culture.

Greyhound racing may be a little bit of a contentious issue for some people. Perhaps because the…read moredogs may be poorly treated or undernourished. It might be a little naive of me but my personal experience of having a friend with a racing greyhound is that they given as much love as your average beagle and the simple fact is they are born, and love, to run. If you're looking for a fun, different and cheap (depending on how much you bet) night out, then think about giving Belle Vue Greyhound Stadium a chance. The floodlight stadium is surrounded by a restaurant, trackside bars and of course the grandstands where you can sit inside or out. The suites are designed for groups and there are special offers for groups including free meals. I didn't really understand how to bet at first, but as soon as you get the hang of it, it's quite exhilarating to watch your favoured pooch curry to the finish line. I didn't win anything, but that hasn't put me off at all. The entry is free on a Thursday, £3 on Fri and £5 on Saturday but even if you don't want to bet at all, it's an entertaining night out with your friends.

Say what you want but I've had two really good nights out at the Dogs…read more It's thought of as quite a chavvy thing to do but do you know what? It's cheap, it's fun and it's a completely different thing to do! It's good fun if you're with a group because that way it's not all about gambling, you can watch other people lose money whilst you take a bit of a back seat! Really good for a works night out actually. Cheap drinks and cheap food too, you can either stand by the track outside and watch or sit inside in one of the booths and watch through the windows. It can be a cheap night but it can be an expensive one too, know your limits people. Check out the website before you go because they usually have some good offers on there.

Sockport is the shipping centre where all of the socks are imported into England. I'm not sure…read morewhich country manufactures them, but hopefully no sweatshops are involved. First-Hand Experience: I used to live by this stadium, and know people from Stockport, so I've seen them play a number of times, and am a huge fan of their legend, their stadium, their fans, and their general existence. They can't have a 5 because they're well out of the league right now, but I hope they return soon. I haven't watched them live since 2007. SCFC (not Stoke, but Stockport) is probably the biggest team lower than the Football Conference Premier (5th tier of football). Their very impressive and gorgeous ground hosts more than 10k people, they once played in the 2nd tier for quite a few seasons, and were formed all the way back in the late 1800s and played in the football league for basically the entire 20th century. Not sure why they've fallen so far but surely they will be coming back soon. They have an intense fan base and are a proper club. A real English footy experience, unlike the two Manchester giants just up the road. I used to live within cycling distance of the stadium (Chorlton Cum Hardy, if you must know, don't snicker), and one of my Mum's 5,000 ex boyfriends had a house on Stockport Railway station, 9 houses after the end of the platform.

If you're after an official Stockport County kit, mug, calendar, hoodie - whatever floats your boat…read more- this is the place to get hold of it! As well as stocking all of the above items, they also have a fair amount of old programs, dvd's and souvenirs from individual matches from the past 40 years. This shop is separate from the stadium and is only open certain times of the day/week meaning you have to check the club website before to see if they're open. You can also buy your tickets to the match on match day but get here early to avoid getting stuck in the queues! They take cards.