The Cliff
Salford (Broughton), Greater Manchester, England
The Cliff, Salford (Broughton), England — opened 1913, 314 rugby league games hosted, home of Broughton Rangers (1913–1933; with a break during the First World War).
Sourcing caveat: This is a distinct ground from Wheater's Field, Broughton Rangers' earlier (1892/95–1913) home, also in Salford/Broughton — the two should not be conflated. No capacity or attendance-record figures specific to The Cliff's rugby league era were found in sources checked, so none are given here.
Ground facts
| Opened | 1913 (1913 marks Broughton Rangers' arrival as a rugby league tenant; the ground itself predates this, having started out as a cricket and tennis ground on Lower Broughton Road.) |
| Home club | Broughton Rangers (1913–1933; with a break during the First World War) |
| Closed | 1933 (as a rugby league venue) |
| Site today | Manchester United used the ground from 1938 (purchasing it in 1951) as their principal training ground until 1999; the site, on Lower Broughton Road overlooking the River Irwell, now lies within Salford's designated "Cliff" conservation area. |
| Games hosted (rugby league, on record) | 314 |
| Top recorded crowd | 26,471 |
| First rugby league match | Broughton Rangers' last game at their previous ground, Wheater's Field, was 9 April 1913, after which they moved to The Cliff (exact opening fixture not identified in sources found) |
| Last rugby league match | Broughton Rangers left The Cliff for Belle Vue Stadium in 1933 (exact final fixture not identified in sources found) |
| Years used | 1913–1933 |
| Location | Salford (Broughton), Greater Manchester |
Name history
- The Cliff — in use throughout — name unchanged as a rugby league ground (1913–1933) and in its later life as Manchester United's training ground (1938/1951–1999)
Rugby league history
Broughton Rangers moved to The Cliff, on Lower Broughton Road in Higher Broughton, Salford, in 1913 after leaving their previous ground, Wheater's Field, and it remained their home — with a gap during the First World War — until the club relocated across the city to Belle Vue Stadium in Manchester in 1933. The ground hosted two decades of top-flight Northern Rugby Football Union/ Northern Rugby League fixtures, including Challenge Cup and Lancashire Cup ties, Lancashire County Championship matches, and a 1921 Australian Kangaroos tour match. After Broughton Rangers departed, the ground went on to a second sporting life: Manchester United began using it in 1938 and bought it outright in 1951, making The Cliff their principal training headquarters for the rest of the twentieth century, including through the Busby Babes and Class of '92 eras, until the club moved to Carrington in 1999.
Sources
Data last verified: 11 August 2026.
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