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Old Trafford Football Stadium Wiki Information

Old Trafford , given the nickname the Theatre of Dreams by Bobby Charlton, is an all-seater stadium in the Trafford borough of Greater Manchester, England. Behind Wembley Stadium, Old Trafford has the largest capacity of any English football stadium at just over 76,000, and is the only UEFA 5-star rated facility in England. ^[1] The stadium is located approximately from Old Trafford Cricket Ground and the adjacent Manchester Metrolink tram station.

Old Trafford is the home of Manchester United F.C. The ground has been the club's permanent residence since 1910, with the exception of an eight-year absence from 1941 to 1949, following the bombing of the stadium in the Second World War. During this period, the club shared Maine Road with local rivals, Manchester City. The ground has frequently hosted FA Cup semi-final matches as a neutral venue, as well as hosting several England international fixtures whilst the new Wembley Stadium was under construction. It also hosted matches at the 1966 FIFA World Cup and Euro 96, as well as the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final.

Outside of football, Old Trafford has hosted Super League's Grand Final since the rugby league's adoption of playoffs in 1998, as well as the final of the 2000 Rugby League World Cup.

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History

thumb Prior to 1902, Manchester United were known as Newton Heath F.C., during which time they played their football matches at North Road, and then Bank Street in Clayton. However, both grounds were blighted by wretched conditions, the pitches ranging from gravel to marsh, while Bank Street suffered from clouds of fumes from its neighbouring factories. ^[2] Therefore, following the club's rescue from near-bankruptcy and renaming, the new chairman decided in 1909 that the Bank Street ground was not fit for a team that had recently won the First Division and FA Cup, so he donated funds for the construction of a new stadium. ^[3] A plot of land at Old Trafford was purchased for £60,000 and plans for a 100,000-capacity stadium were submitted. However, further investment to the tune of about £30,000 would have been required, and the plans were scaled back to a 60,000-capacity ground with an absolute maximum of 80,000. ^[4] Designed by Scottish architect Archibald Leitch, who also designed a number of other stadia, the ground featured seating in the south stand under cover, while the remaining three stands were left as terraces and uncovered. Construction was carried out by Messrs Brameld and Smith of Manchester, ^[5] and development was completed in late 1909. The stadium held its inaugural game on 19 February 1910, with United playing host to Liverpool F.C. However, the home side were unable to provide their fans with a win to mark the occasion, as Liverpool won 4–3. A journalist at the game reported the stadium as "the most handsomest [sic], the most spacious and the most remarkable arena I have ever seen. As a football ground it is unrivalled in the world, it is an honour to Manchester and the home of a team who can do wonders when they are so disposed".

Prior to the construction of Wembley Stadium in 1923, the FA Cup Final was hosted by a number of different grounds around England, including Old Trafford. The first of these was the 1911 FA Cup Final Replay between Bradford City and Newcastle United, after the original tie at Crystal Palace finished as a no-score draw after extra time. Bradford won 1–0, the goal scored by Jimmy Speirs, watched by 58,000 people. The ground's second FA Cup Final was the 1915 final between Sheffield United and Chelsea. Sheffield United won the match 3–0 in front of nearly 50,000 spectators. On 27 December 1920, Old Trafford played host to its largest pre-Second World War attendance for a United league match, as 70,504 spectators watched the Red Devils lose 3–1 Aston Villa. ^[6] Unusually, the record attendance at Old Trafford is not for a United home game. Instead, on 25 March 1939, 76,962 people watched an FA Cup semi-final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town. At the ground's present capacity of 76,212, this looks unlikely to be surpassed in the near future, but if planned developments to take the capacity to over 90,000 continue, this would leave the path open for the record to be broken by United themselves.

In 1934, a roof was added to the United Road stand for the first time, while roofs were added to the south corners in 1938. ^[7] However, German bombing during the Second World War on 11 March 1941 destroyed much of the stadium, notably the main stand. The War Commission granted Manchester United £4,800 to remove the debris and £17,474 to rebuild the stands. During the reconstruction of the stadium, Manchester United played their "home" games at Maine Road, the home of their cross-town rivals, Manchester City. Though the stadium was reopened, albeit without cover, in 1949, it meant that a league game had not been played at Old Trafford for nearly 10 years. United's first game back at Old Trafford was played on 24 August 1949, as 41,748 spectators witnessed a 3–0 victory over Bolton Wanderers.

A roof was restored to the Main Stand in 1954 and, soon after, the three remaining stands were covered, the operation culminating with the addition of a roof to the Stretford End in 1959. The club also invested in the installation of proper floodlighting. However, although the spectators would now be able to see the players at night, they still suffered from the problem of obstructed views caused by the pillars supporting the roofs. With the 1966 FIFA World Cup fast approaching, this prompted the United directors to completely redesign the ground's north and east stands. The old roof pillars were replaced in 1965 with modern-style cantilevering on top of the roof, allowing every spectator a completely unobstructed view. The architects of the new stand, Atherden Fuller, rearranged the organisation of the stands to have terracing at the front, and a larger seated area towards the back, as well as the first private boxes at a British football ground. With the first two stands converted to cantilevers, the club's owners devised a long-term plan to do the same to the other two stands and convert the stadium into a bowl-like arena. Such an undertaking would serve to increase the atmosphere within the ground by containing the crowd's noise within the ground and focus it onto the pitch, where the players would feel the full effects of a capacity crowd. ^[8] Meanwhile, the stadium hosted its third and, to date, final FA Cup Final, hosting 62,078 spectators for the replay of the 1970 final between Chelsea and Leeds United. Chelsea won the match 2–1.

The 1970s saw the dramatic rise of football hooliganism in Britain, and when Manchester United were relegated to the Second Division in 1974, the club's hooligan firm – the Red Army – gained notoriety, their activities forcing the club to erect the country's first perimeter fence, restricting fans from the Old Trafford pitch.

With every subsequent improvement made to the ground since the Second World War, the capacity steadily declined. By the 1980s, the capacity had dropped from the original 80,000 to approximately 60,000. The capacity dropped still further in 1990, when the Taylor Report recommended, and the government demanded that all stadia be converted to all-seaters. This meant that plans to replace the Stretford End with a brand new all-standing terrace with a cantilever roof to link with the rest of the ground had to be scrapped. This forced redevelopment, including the removal of the terraces at the front of the other three stands, reduced the capacity of Old Trafford to an all-time low of about 44,000. However, the club's resurgence in success and increase in popularity ensured that further development would have to occur. In 1995, construction began on a brand-new North Stand, to be ready in time for Old Trafford to host three group games, a quarter-final and a semi-final at Euro 96. The new stand would have three tiers and a capacity of about 26,000, raising the capacity of the entire ground to approximately 55,000. The cantilever roof would also be the largest in Europe. Further success over the next few years guaranteed yet more development. First, a second tier was added to the East Stand. Opened in January 2000, the stadium's capacity was temporarily increased to about 61,000 until the opening of the West Stand's second tier, which added yet another 7,000 seats, bringing the capacity to 68,217. Old Trafford hosted its first major European final three years later, playing host to the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final between Milan and Juventus.

From 2001 to 2007, following the destruction of the old Wembley Stadium, the England national football team was forced to play its games elsewhere. For the first few years, the team toured the country, playing their matches at various grounds from Villa Park in Birmingham to St James' Park in Newcastle. However, from 2003 to 2007, when Wembley Stadium was completed and England began to play their home games there again, Old Trafford hosted 12 of England's 23 home matches, more than any other stadium. The last international to be held at Old Trafford was England's 1–0 loss to Spain on 7 February 2007. The match was played in front of a crowd of 58,207. ^[9]

Old Trafford's most recent expansion, which took place between July 2005 and May 2006, saw an increase of around 8,000 seats with the addition of second tiers to both the north-west and north-east quadrants of the ground. Part of the new seating was used for the first time on 26 March 2006, when an attendance of 69,070 became a new Premier League record. ^[10] The record continued to be pushed upwards before reaching its current peak on 31 March 2007, when 76,098 spectators saw United beat Blackburn Rovers 4–1. ^[11]

Structure and facilities

The Old Trafford pitch is surrounded by four covered all-seater stands, officially known as the North, East, South and West Stands. Each stand has at least two tiers, with the exception of the South Stand, which only has one tier due to construction restrictions. The lower tier of each stand is split into Lower and Upper sections, the Lower sections having been converted from terracing in the early 1990s.

Formerly known as the United Road stand, the North Stand runs over the top of United Road. The stand is three tiers tall, and can hold about 26,000 spectators, the most of the four stands. As well as seated fans, the North Stand can also play host to a number of fans in executive boxes. The North Stand opened in its current state in 1996, having previously been a single-tiered stand. As the ground's main stand, the North Stand houses many of the ground's more popular facilities, including the Red Café (a Manchester United theme restaurant/bar) and the Manchester United museum and trophy room. Originally opened in 1986, the Manchester United museum was located in the South-East corner of the ground until it moved to the redeveloped North Stand in 1998. The Museum was opened on 11 April 1998 by Pelé and, according to the club's website, it attracts over 200,000 visitors every year. ^[12]

Opposite the North Stand is the South Stand, formerly Old Trafford's main stand. Although only a single-tiered stand, the South Stand contains most of the ground's executive suites, ^[13] and also plays host to any VIPs who may come to watch the match. Members of the media are seated in the middle of the Upper South Stand to give them the best view of the match. The television gantry is also located in the South Stand, meaning that the South Stand is the one that gets shown on television least often. Television studios are located at either end of the South Stand, with the club's in-house television station, MUTV, in the East studio and other television stations, such as the BBC and Sky, in the West studio. ^[14]

The dugout is located in the centre of the South Stand, and is raised above pitch level to give the manager and his coaches an elevated view of the game. Each team's dugout flanks the old players' tunnel, which was used until 1993. The old tunnel is the only remaining part of the original 1910 stadium, having survived the bombing that destroyed much of the stadium during the Second World War. ^[15] On 6 February 2008, the tunnel was renamed the Munich Tunnel, as a memorial for the 50th anniversary of the 1958 Munich air disaster. ^[16] The current tunnel is located in the South-West corner of the ground, and doubles as an entrance for the emergency services. In the event that large vehicles require access, the seating above the tunnel can be raised by up to 25 feet. ^[17] The tunnel leads up to the players' dressing room, via the television interview area, and the players' lounge.

Perhaps the most famous stand at Old Trafford is the West Stand, also known as the Stretford End. Traditionally, the stand is where the hard-core United fans are located, and also the ones who make the most noise. Originally designed to hold 20,000 fans, the Stretford End was the last stand to be covered and also the last remaining all-terraced stand at the ground before the forced upgrade to seating in the early 1990s. When the second tier was added to the Stretford End, many fans from the old "K" Stand moved there, and decided to hang banners and flags from the barrier at the front of the tier. So ingrained in Manchester United culture is the Stretford End, that Denis Law was given the nickname "King of the Stretford End", and there is even a statue of Law located on the concourse of the stand's upper tier.

The Manchester United club shop has had six different locations since it was first opened. Originally, the shop was a small hut located near to the railway line that runs alongside the ground. The shop then gradually moved along the length of the South Stand, stopping first opposite where away fans enter the ground, and then taking up residence in the building that would later become the club's merchandising office. A surge in the club's popularity in the early 1990s led to another move, this time to the forecourt of the West Stand. With this move came a great expansion and the conversion from a small shop to a "megastore". The most recent moves came in the late 1990s, as the West Stand required room to expand to a second tier, and that meant the demolition of the Megastore. The store moved to temporary accommodation opposite the East Stand, before taking up a permanent residence in the ground floor of the expanded East Stand in 2000. ^[18] The floor space of the current Megastore is actually owned by United's kit sponsors, Nike, who operate the store. thumb

The East Stand at Old Trafford was the second to be converted to a cantilever roof, following the North Stand. It is also commonly referred to as "K Stand" or the Scoreboard End, as it was the location of the scoreboard. The East Stand can currently hold nearly 12,000 fans, and is the location of both the disabled fans section and the away section. The disabled section provides for up to 170 fans, with free seats for carers. The K Stand fans are renowned for their vocal support for the club, and a large array of chants and songs, though many of them have relocated to the second tier of the West Stand. ^[19] The East Stand has a tinted glass façade, behind which the club's administrative centre is located. These offices are the home to the staff of Inside United, the official Manchester United magazine, and the club's official website, as well as the club's other administrative departments. Images and advertisements are often emblazoned on the front of the East Stand, most often advertising Nike products, though a tribute to the Busby Babes was displayed in February 2008 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster. Above the Megastore is a statue of Sir Matt Busby, Manchester United's longest-serving manager to date. There is also a plaque dedicated to the victims of the Munich air disaster on the south end of the East Stand, while the Munich Clock is located at the junction of the East and South Stands. On 29 May 2008, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Manchester United's first European Cup title, a statue of the club's "holy trinity" of George Best, Denis Law and Bobby Charlton was unveiled across Sir Matt Busby Way from the East Stand, directly opposite the statue of Busby. ^[20]

The pitch at the ground measures approximately long by wide, with a few metres run-off space on each side. The centre of the pitch is actually about nine inches higher than the edges, allowing surface water to run off more easily. As at many modern grounds, under the pitch is an undersoil heating system, comprised of of plastic piping. ^[21] Alex Ferguson often requests that the pitch be relaid, ^[22] ^[23] most notably half way through the 1998–99 season, at a cost of about £250,000 each time. The grass at Old Trafford is watered regularly, though less on wet days, and mowed three times a week from April to November and once a week from November to March.

In the mid-1980s, when Manchester United Football Club owned Manchester's basketball franchise, there were plans to build a 9,000-seater indoor arena on the site of what is now Car Park E1. However, the chairman at the time, Martin Edwards, did not have the funds to take on such a project, and the basketball franchise was eventually sold. ^[24]

Future

It has been estimated that for any further development to be attempted on the stadium, specifically the South Stand, which is still only one tier high, development costs would come to £90-100 million, almost as much as has already spent on the stadium in the last fourteen years. This is due to the fact that up to fifty houses would have to be bought out by the club, which would cause a lot of disruption to local residents, and any extension would have to be built over the top of the railway line that runs adjacent to the stadium. Ideally, the expansion would include bringing the South Stand up to at least two tiers and filling in the South-West and South-East quadrants to restore the "bowl" effect of the stadium. Present estimates put the projected capacity of the completed stadium at approximately 96,000, more than the new Wembley Stadium.

Other uses

Old Trafford has been used for various purposes other than football since its construction. Before the construction of the Old Trafford football stadium, the site was used for games of shinty, the traditional game of the Scottish Highlands. ^[25] During the First World War, the stadium was used by American soldiers for games of baseball and, in 1981, matches of cricket's Lambert & Butler Cup were held there. ^[26]

The grand final of rugby league's Super League has been played at Old Trafford every year since the introduction of the play-off system in 1998; ^[27] however, the first rugby league match to be played at Old Trafford was held in November 1958, with Salford playing against Leeds under floodlights in front of 8,000 spectators. In 1993, the World Super-middleweight Professional Boxing Championship was held at the ground, with over 40,000 people paying to watch Chris Eubank fight Nigel Benn. ^[28]

Outside of football, several concerts have been played at Old Trafford, with such big names as Bon Jovi, Genesis, Bruce Springsteen, Status Quo, Rod Stewart and Simply Red playing. Even an edition of Songs of Praise was recorded there in September 1994. Old Trafford is also regularly used for private functions, particularly weddings, Christmas parties and business conferences. ^[29]

Records

The record attendance recorded at Old Trafford was 76,962 for an FA Cup semi-final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town on 25 March 1939. However, this was before the ground was converted to an all-seater stadium, allowing many more people to fit into the stadium. Old Trafford's record attendance as an all-seater stadium currently stands at 76,098, set at a Premier League game between Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers on 31 March 2007. This is also the Premier League's record attendance. ^[30] Old Trafford's record attendance for a non-competitive game is 73,738, set on 1 August 2007 for a pre-season friendly between Manchester United and Internazionale. ^[31] The lowest recorded attendance at a competitive game at Old Trafford in the post-War era was 15,679, as United lost to Wolverhampton Wanderers 4–2 on 23 February 1955. ^[32]

The highest average attendance at Old Trafford over a league season was 75,826, set in the 2006–07 season. That season also saw the greatest total attendance at Old Trafford, as 2,132,154 people watched Manchester United win the Premier League, reach the final of the FA Cup and the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League. ^[33] The lowest average attendance at Old Trafford came in the 1930–31 season, when an average of 11,685 spectators watched each game. Unsurprisingly, that season also saw the lowest total attendance as a total of 245,402 people watched United play at Old Trafford.

Transport

Adjacent to the South Stand of the stadium is Manchester United FC Halt railway station. The station is located between the Deansgate and Trafford Park stations on the Southern Route of Northern Rail's Liverpool to Manchester line, and is only open on matchdays. ^[34] The ground is also serviced by the Altrincham line of the Manchester Metrolink network, sharing a stop with the Old Trafford Cricket Ground. The stop is a five-minute walk from the football ground. ^[35] Visitors to the ground travelling by car can park in any of the ground's car parks, all of which are within of the stadium itself.