Sixty-eight years on, the meaning of Munich was felt as strongly as ever in Manchesterplatz, Trudering, Munich.More than 1,500 Manchester United supporters gathered for the memorial service, the largest turnout outside the landmark anniversaries, and what you brought was not just noise, not just an amazing spectacle, but real dignity.

Fans came from every corner of the world. Long-standing regulars stood next to many new faces, including hundreds of young people who never saw the Busby Babes play, yet their parents had clearly helped them understand what they represent. The two-minute silence was flawless, the silence ‘deafening’. The respect in the crowd spoke louder than any words spoken on the day. Honestly, it brought tears to many of us. Sometimes, it was difficult to keep the service going.

Alex Stepney represented Manchester United superbly, he spoke with warmth, and his insight matched the tone of the day. His presence was soothing and delighted the attendees. For us, the MMMF, it was both an honour and a responsibility to organise and host the service. Pride sits alongside sadness, as it always must on this day. That balance is what keeps the memory honest.

The turnout showed the world something important: Manchester United supporters remember properly, mourn properly, and stand together properly. That’s what sets us apart from others. Thank you to everyone who attended, travelled, reflected, and stood with us. It was an absolute honour for us to lead the service.

Recording of The Service
A recording of the full service is available on the Manchester United website and Man United app: https://www.manutd.com/en/videos/detail/munich-air-disaster-68th-anniversary-memorial-event-at-manchesterplatz

Thank You’s
Big thanks to Heidi and Shane from MUTV for recording the whole service. Thank you to Rick McGagh from United for all his help, and of course the legend Alex Stepney. Many of the photos (see below) were provided by David Featherstone, thank you Dave

Donate to the MMMF
If anybody wishes to donate to our JustGiving page, please use this link: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/mmmf-2026. We aim to give our charities a huge amount this year ( children’s hospices and young homeless people)

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Here’s just a few comments from Facebook…

“Thank you so much for the organisation that went into last Friday. A Brilliant weekend in Munich was had”

“Many congratulations to all involved, you did us proud and the memory of the Babes.”

“Another great service, led by Ifty. Well done to the whole team, both in the UK and in Munich. You did the Babes proud as always”

“First time in Munich for the memorial, emotional to say the least.. Well done to all that organisers and a great service to The Busby Babes.”

“It was wonderful, thank you for all you do, it was a fabulous service. xx”

“It was a pleasure to meet you on the bus, the whole service was brilliant and you did a cracking job. The respect shown by all who attended shows the love that we all share for the Babes and all who died in that tragedy”

“Back home in my own bed. Was a lovely trip from start to finish and I’d like to specially thank Nifty Pete and Alex Stepney and all the members of the Foundation who put on a lovely service over there and the residents around Manchester Platz also truly shown there respect to the service”

“What a weekend visiting Munich for the 68th anniversary of the horrendous crash that took the lives of so many people including our beloved Busby Babes. What an honour to be asked to lay the wreath for the Malta Manchester United supporters club, the oldest supporters club in the world. Thank you to our great friends for that, it’s a day I will never forget. . We went through a whole range of emotions, the fans pledge in Marienplatz was fabulous, we visited the hospital to see the beautiful memorial there, it was great to meet up again with Jimmy Murphy’s family, we visited the old terminal building and the runway, it was quite overwhelming. The service at Manchesterplatz was perfect, so many fans from all over the world and so much respect from them all, the residents of Munich take such good care of the area, it truly is humbling. Thank you to MMMF for all your work to ensure that the memories will live on. GGMU”

“In memory of all those who died in Munich, 68 years ago, the memorial ceremony at Manchesterplatz was just perfect…Thank You Manchester Munich Memorial Foundation, Nifty Pete, Red Docs Munich, Richard McGagh, Emil Manolov …it’s always great to meet so many fellow Reds from all over the world in this small square which unites us so much…also great to see so many young fans in attendance, it’s very important that our young fans know more about this dark episode in the history of our beloved football Club…we will be back for the 69th anniversary! GGMU! “