MANCHESTER United’s famous 'Big Lily' giant flag will be centre stage at the Old Trafford stadium on the 21st anniversary of its creation.
The club has given over its football grounds for a day of celebration to commemorate the iconic flag, which was born out of the conflict in Northern Ireland.
Revered amongst United’s 670 million worldwide supporters, Big Lily has become an iconic symbol representing all things positive relating to Manchester United, friendship and passion through football.
It was created in 1999 by best friends Keith Norris and the late Martin 'Faceman' Cleary - men from either side of the religious divide - and has been taken across the world.
The name 'Lily' derives from the Easter lily and Orange lily which are symbolic of the Catholic and Protestant traditions in Ireland.
In spite of coming from different religious backgrounds, the two creaters of 'Big Lily' were best friends and devoted Manchester United supporters.
Known as ‘The Global Flag of Friendship’, the flag has many famous friends - from footballers including Gary Neville, Raul Gonzalez and Cristiano Ronaldo - to dignitaries such as Dieter Reiter, Lord Mayor of Munich, Mark Magowan, President of Western Australia and former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.
Now for the first time ever, the famous supporters’ flag, which measures 60ft by 40ft, is being flown at Old Trafford alongside 50 'Wee Lily’ tribute flags dedicated to the memory and illustrious history of heroes, legends and fans of the club.
They will proudly fly together as part of a documentary about the flag, which sees a number of famous figures contribute to the film.
Big Lily achieved worldwide media coverage when a mural dedicated to her was unveiled on Belfast’s world-famous International Peace Wall in 2019.
