Manchester United History
History of Old Trafford
The Sporting Chronicle stated on
Saturday 19th February 1910:
“The most handsomest, 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”
The above words were written on Old Trafford’s opening day in 1910.
Manchester United had just moved from their old stadium of Bank Street,
Clayton, to a new stadium in the Old Trafford area of West Manchester.
THE CHANGING FACE OF OLD TRAFFORD
Still a work in progress
Old Trafford 1926 1964 1984
1990 1994 1996
Aerial View New Old Trafford
Built in 1909, for the then huge sum of £60,000 it was terraced on three sides with a seated main stand undercover. The stadium was designed by famous Scottish architect Archibald Leitch, who also designed stands at Hampden Park, Ibrox Stadium and White Hart Lane.
In 1911 and 1915 it held the FA Cup final
and in 1920 it had its largest ever attendance of 70,504 for a league game
against Aston Villa. The FA Cup Semi-Finals of 1939 of Portsmouth vs. Grimsby
would top that with 76,962. The stadium was heavily damaged in World War 2 and
for a while United played at local rivals, Man City’s Maine Road stadium from
1946-1949. Old Trafford was a venue for the 1966 World Cup and also held the
1970 FA Cup Final replay between Chelsea and Leeds. Old Trafford became the
first stadium to erect perimeter fencing in the 1970’s to combat crowd
disturbances.
Roofed cover was later added to the other three sides of the stadium, however
all these stands suffered from obstructed views because of old fashioned
roof-post design. In the mid 1960s development of modern cantilever stands began
on the north and east of the ground. The new design had terracing at the front
and a large seated section behind. Gradually the entire ground was redeveloped
in the 70s and 80s, culminating with the Stretford End in 1994. In the 1960s,
70s and 80s, over 58,000 could pack into Old Trafford. However in the early
1990s after the Hillsborough disaster, the Taylor Report required England’s top
teams to become all-seated stadiums. The Old Trafford design master plan of the
1960’s was now complete and the stadium was a perfect bowl, but With United more
popular than ever the reduced 44,000 capacity was just too small.
This led to further expansion in 1995-6 with the construction of the giant
three-tiered North Stand, holding 26,000 and bringing capacity to nearly 56,000.
The North Stand, reaching around 200 feet in height has four lift towers and the
largest cantilever roof in Europe. This massive, brooding structure towers over
the pitch, intimidating opposing teams. Costing £19 million to build it also
houses the excellent United Museum (open on non-match days) and glittering
trophy room (hopefully always full) as well as the Red Cafe restaurant and two
layers of executive “Sky” boxes. The South stand is the main stand at Old
Trafford, containing the managers bench area, the directors/ television/ police
control boxes and luxury restaurants and executive suites. Here, the seating
slopes at a different angle to the rest of the stadium, making it slightly lower
than the other stands.
Interestingly, the first 20 or so rows of seats around all four sides of the
ground are below street level. The South stand is rarely seen on television as
it contains the TV gantry, which looks North. The players tunnel used to be at
the centre of this stand but in 1993 it was moved to the South-west corner. The
old tunnel still remains and is opened for special occasions and stadium tours.
The East Stand is home to the diehard K-Stand United fans as well as the away
fans enclosure in the South-East corner and disabled section. It was formerly
known as the Scoreboard End, so called because of the large scoreboard that
resided until the late 60s, when an electronic one was installed. This
scoreboard was recently replaced by two modern electronic scoreboards in each
corner of the North Stand. Further building redevelopment added a second tier at
the east end in January 2000, making a 61,000 capacity. On the outside is a
large tinted glass front, similar to a modern office block. Here stands the Sir
Matt Busby Statue, Munich memorial plaque and the famous clock commemorating the
Munich air crash on 6th February 1958. Its also the location of the huge
Manchester United Mega store where every type of club merchandise is available.
The west side of the ground for many, will always be known as the legendary
Stretford End. In the days before all-seated stadium the Stretford End was a
heaving mass of almost 20,000 standing United fans who were amongst the loudest
in Britain. It was once measured that the roar from the crowd was louder than a
Jumbo Jet taking off. The old terrace was replaced in 1993 and in August 2000 a
second tier of seating was added here, bringing a total capacity of 67,750. The
West Stand holds the Family seating area and beneath the corner is the players
dressing rooms/tunnel and lounge. It also has a statue of 60’s striker Denis Law
in the upper concourse - Law was known as “The King of The Stretford End”.
Old Trafford was a Euro 96 venue and is now an annual host for the FA Cup
Semi-final. Many claim the atmosphere at Old Trafford is not as good as it once
was, ironically it is the legend of the Old Trafford atmosphere that has brought
the tourists yet they are partly responsible for its decline. Sir Alex Ferguson
has often complained about the lack of singing and low noise levels, therefore
the new upper West Stand tier has designated singing areas to try and recreate
the days of old. The long-term plan for the stadium is to rebuild the South
stand in a similar style to the North and fill in the corners to make a whopping
90,000. Possible hindrances to further enlargement are the nearby Bridgewater
Canal and railway track which restrict space around the stadium. There are
currently no plans for any more expansion work in the immediate future.
Old Trafford is undoubtedly one of the greatest and most famous sporting arena’s
in the world. In an era where many clubs are moving from their traditional homes
and although down the years it has changed beyond all recognition, the magic of
Old Trafford will always remain. On a big match day or European night the
atmosphere is as good as any venue in world football. The Theatre of Dreams (as
Bobby Charlton named it) is the biggest club ground in Britain and a fitting
home for the world’s most famous football club.
Seating plan at Old Trafford.
© URA 2007