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Moor Lane
(Salford City)
Address: Moor Lane,
Salford,
Greater Manchester,
England,
M7 3PZ
Capacity: 5,108 (2,240 Seated)
The design of the new-look Moor Lane is very nice and modern, but its interior does have a temporary feel about it. It would not surprise me if the stadium’s tenants have plans to further expand their long-term home again in the future.
Known for sponsorship reasons as the Peninsula Stadium, Moor Lane has been the historic home of Salford City Football Club since 1978, though the ground had been used for other sports many years prior to this date.
Between 2016 and 2017, in conjunction with Salford City’s rapid rise through the Non-League pyramid, Moor Lane underwent major renovation work which saw its capacity increase to more than triple its previous size and over 2,000 seats installed.
This was all done to comply with Football League Stadium Regulations.
The newly-renovated ground was opened by former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson on 19th October 2017.
Location and Getting There
Moor Lane, which takes it name from the road that runs along its northern side, is based in Broughton, around two miles north of Salford City Centre. Kersal Moor is to the north of the ground with the River Irwell running a while away past the western and southern sides of the stadium. Around two miles east of Moor Lane is the North Manchester General Hospital.
Coming by car is the method I would recommend most for getting to Moor Lane, though there are a number of bus services in place.
You can find parking for free anywhere further down Moor Lane in a easterly or westerly direction, and where you park up should not be too far a walk away from the stadium, though there may be a hill involved, particularly if you head west towards Littleton Road.
The nearest railway station to Moor Lane is Clifton, over two miles to the northwest and it is not somewhere I recommend going.
Manchester’s Metro System does not have any stops that are much better placed.
What Salford City recommend is that you take one of a number of bus routes that lead to Moor Lane street.
The number 92 and 93 service run between Bury and Manchester (though 92 is only an evening service), the number 94 service runs between Pilworth and North Manchester General Hospital, the number 95 service runs between Bury and Salford Shopping Centre, whilst the number 484 service visits Eccles, Swinton, Pendlebury and Prestwich. If you are coming from central Manchester, the best service to use would be the number 92 and 93.
If you can get to Moor Lane by car, I strongly suggest doing so.
Outside the Stadium
Most fans approach the ground along the Moor Lane road, and that will first bring you to the North Stand.
It is based on lower ground than the road alongside it and the exterior is made up mostly of large red panels with THE PENINSULA STADIUM and the Peninsula Logo plastered across it.
A black, panelled building protrudes out the centre of the North Stand and inside here is the entrance to the stand’s Executive Area.
Coming up from the red roof on each corner of Moor Lane are the floodlights, which are shaped to look like the lion head that features on Salford City’s Club Badge.
Home fans get into the North Stand through a detached turnstile out beyond the stadium’s northwest corner, and from here they can get round to both the West and South Stands as well.
Away fans enter Moor Lane from turnstiles on the northern side of the ground, but these are more over towards the northeast corner. From there, they head down a small path and round to the East Stand.
This East Stand is directly connected to the adjacent North Stand.
The outer wall is mostly made of black panels but the red flat red roof continues. The letters PENINSULA are spelt out in white across the top of the East Stand but can only be seen from high up above.
Fans in this stand congregate in the outer concourse where toilets and burger vans are set up, and get into the stand itself through a large opening next to the northeast corner.
The South Stand follows a similar design to the adjacent East Stand.
It consists mostly of black panelling with the flat red roof on top.
There is a large grey building attached to the stand which holds the stadium’s changing rooms for both players and officials. The area over by the southwest corner used to be the location of the changing rooms when Salford City were in Non-League, whilst over by the southeast corner is an exit gate.
In the earlier days of Moor Lane, before Salford’s well-documented take over by the Class of 92, this used to be where one of the ground’s turnstiles was based.
Fans used to only enter the ground off Nevile Road to the south, but now instead enter the ground from Moor Lane to the north.
The West Stand follows a very similar exterior design to the East Stand opposite.
The outer wall is made out of black panels with the flat red roof still up on top and directly connected to both the North Stand and the South Stand. The letters PENINSULA are spelt out across the roof but this can only be seen from high up above.
There is a row of red containers out beyond the West Stand’s exterior that holds food stalls, toilets, and a small Salford Club Shop.
Fans enter the stadium’s interior on this side through an opening in the northwest corner.
Inside the Stadium
The North Stand consists of a single tier of red seating with the letters SCFC spelt out in white across the central blocks. A row of executive boxes is at the back of the stand and the executive seating blocks are in front of here, positioned midway between the four letters.
There are no supporting pillars coming down from the roof, ensuring a clear view from any seat in the stand, but the open gaps in the northeast and northwest corners do offer little protection from the wind for those sat in the seats at either end.
The East Stand is made up of a single tier of standing terrace, which is divided into four equally sized sections by black metal fences. Two rows of black metal bars are in place across the stand for supporters to lean on.
Traditional terracing at English football grounds uses a concrete floor, but at Moor Lane the floor is made of metal, and that does make the stand feel temporary.
There are no supporting pillars coming down from the roof, providing a clear view of the action from anywhere behind the east goal.
The southeast corner has a wall at the back of it but the northeast corner is open so that fans can reach the outer concourse.
The South Stand is similar in design to the North Stand opposite.
It is a single tier of red seating, although there are no executive boxes at the back. The gantry holding the matchday camera is instead in place behind the back row of seating.
Salford’s changing rooms, dugouts and tunnel are all based in the centre of this stand, although when Salford were in Non-League the players used to enter the pitch from the open southwest corner.
Your view is very good from most of the seats within the South Stand, although anyone sat in the front rows may have their view restricted slightly by the dugouts in front of them.
The West Stand is an exact carbon-copy of the East Stand opposite.
It is a single tier of standing terrace that is divided into four equally-sized sections by black metal fences. Two rows of black metal bars run across the stand for fans to lean on, and the floor underneath is made out of metal. Much like the East Stand, the West Stand has a temporary feel to it and I imagine it will be one of the first parts changed should Salford City ever renovate Moor Lane again.
There are no supporting pillars coming down from the roof, so your view is perfectly clear from anywhere inside the stand.
With both the northwest and southwest corners open though, it is not very well protected from the cold for those stood at either end of the terraced area.
Away Fans
Away fans are housed behind the goal in the East Stand.
Most away supporters choose to pack into the four standing terrace sections in this stand, but Salford do offer a couple of seating blocks in the North Stand as an alternative.
Salford’s promotion into the Football League has seen larger away followings visit here every game, and on most matchdays you can now expect the East Stand to be packed full of away fans, especially when clubs are making their first ever trip to Moor Lane.
Fans in the away section are treated to a perfectly clear view of the action regardless of whether they are in the terraced or seating area.
Matchday Pubs
Pubs available to supporters on a matchday include*:
-The facilities at Moore Lane itself
-The Fairways Lodge (George Street, M25 9WS) (Typically Home and Away Supporters) (Located north of Kersal Moor)
-The Friendship Inn (Scholes Lane, M25 0PD) (Typically Home and Away Supporters)
-The Star Inn (2 Back Hope Street, M7 2FR) (Away Supporters Welcome) (Located northeast of The Cliff Training Ground)
*The location of Moor Lane means that there are very few pubs located within close range of it.
Overview
Moor Lane has undergone major renovation in recent years and has changed from your typical Non-League football ground to a stadium that is perfectly suitable for the lower reaches of the Football League.
The view from almost everywhere inside its four stands is perfectly clear and there is a nice combination of seating and standing terrace.
The East and West Stands have a design that feels very temporary though, and given the ambitions that Salford City’s owners have for this club, the stadium will need to undergo another significant renovation if it is to meet the standards required for playing higher up the Football League.
It’s worth going to see a game at Moor Lane now before it inevitably becomes even further developed in the next few years.
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