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The school’s eleventh annual sports day was held in July 1936 at the M.A.C. (Manchester Athletic Club) Sports Ground, Fallowfield, Manchester. The proceedings commenced at 6.00pm. A surviving 16-page programme from that day is included here in its entirety since it contains some very interesting information, not only about the school’s sports but also about other aspects of the school. It provides a brief insight into life at the school at that time.
Front cover of programme
The initials A.M.D.G. stood for the Latin phrase Ad majorem Dei gloriam, meaning “For the greater glory of God”.
Back cover of programme
The list of past House Champions shows the winners as far back as 1926, together with the names of victorious house captains. Note how the total number of points included points for ‘Studies’, ‘Football’ and ‘Chess’, as well as for the athletics events held on the Sports Day. Also note that the names of the 1926 champion house and house captain are different from those shown on the earlier sports day programme of 1929.
Fallowfield Stadium
This photograph from the 1960s shows the sports ground in Fallowfield where the school’s annual sports day was held in 1936, when it was then known as the Manchester Athletic Club sports ground. By this time – the 1960s – it was actually known as the Harris Stadium, named after Reg Harris, the famous sprint cyclist and owner of the stadium, and was used for cycling races. Different sports events have been hosted at Fallowfield. Opened for athletics in 1892, it has also seen football and rugby. In 1893, the stadium staged the FA Cup final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton before a huge crowd of 45,067. With a capacity of just 15,000, it meant that the majority of spectators had little or no view of the match, which Wolves won 1-0. In addition, there have been Northern Union (later known as Rugby League) Challenge Cup finals.
It is not known for how many years the school used the MAC sports ground for its annual sports day. It was acquired by Manchester University and subsequently demolished for halls of residence.
The view is looking towards Manchester city centre and shows the oval-shaped stadium, centre left, with it pavilion on the far side. Moseley Road runs from left to right along the bottom and Birchfields Road is to the right. Beyond the stadium is Old Hall Lane, running from left to right, to the north of which is Manchester Grammar School and its playing fields.
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