Sale Sharks
Sale Sharks are another Premiership club with a ground that, for me, is much harder to get to than it really ought to be. The Salford Community Stadium is perfectly respectable once you're there, but getting there can feel like an unnecessary expedition.
The stadium is actually in the wrong place to be convenient for either of its obvious namesakes. It isn't in Sale and it isn't particularly close to central Manchester. It sits out towards the Trafford Centre, which is where my advice would be to head first.Whether you're travelling by car or public transport, the Trafford Centre is your friend. Rather than trying to navigate your way directly to the stadium, make for the shopping centre and use the shuttle bus service to get you to the ground. It makes life considerably easier and saves a lot of faffing around trying to work out which bus, tram or combination of the two is going to get you there.
The stadium itself holds around 12,000 and is a fairly modern, functional affair. It doesn't have the history or character of some of the traditional rugby grounds, but it does the job and can produce a decent atmosphere when Sale have a big game.
And Sale certainly have a passionate following. The Sharks have been one of the established names of the English game for many years and, when they're playing well, there is plenty to shout about. The club's northern identity also gives the place a slightly different feel from many of the more traditionally southern Premiership clubs.
The real challenge comes after the match.
If you've taken the shuttle bus from the Trafford Centre, there can be a substantial queue afterwards, with a large number of supporters all wanting to leave at roughly the same time. So here's my little tip: if it's not raining, walk back to the Trafford Centre.
It isn't an especially difficult walk and can be considerably less frustrating than standing in a queue waiting for a bus. By the time you've got back to the Trafford Centre, you can be sitting down with a drink or something to eat while the people who decided to wait for the shuttle are still wondering whether it is ever going to arrive.Of course, if the Manchester weather is doing what Manchester weather tends to do, the bus suddenly becomes a much more attractive proposition!
The Trafford Centre also means that there is plenty to do before or after the game. You can combine the rugby with shopping, food or simply find somewhere warm and dry to wait for the traffic to ease.
So, while the Salford Community Stadium isn't going to win many prizes for accessibility, there is a reasonably simple solution. Go to the Trafford Centre first, take the shuttle to the match and, weather permitting, walk back afterwards.
The Sharks may be fierce on the pitch, but getting to their home shouldn't have to be quite so painful.
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