The famous Old Trafford is looking at a possible end. What is planned for Manchester United’s stadium?

Old Trafford is a big name in the football world, without which few can imagine European football and Manchester United in particular. However, the stadium is somewhat dilapidated, while many other big clubs already play their home games in stadiums from, let’s say, the 21st century. That is about to change.

Old Trafford

Old Trafford is the 9th largest football stadium in Europe, having opened on 19 February 1910. Since then, of course, it has undergone several renovations, such as a major redevelopment between 1945 and 1949, or further extensions in 1990 and 2000.

The Theatre of Dreams, as the stadium is nicknamed, was designed by the architect Archibald Leitch, and very well. It survived the bombing of World War II. Since the FA Cup Final (1915) it has been the venue for other major sporting events. For example, several matches of the 1966 World Cup and the 1996 European Football Championship were played at Old Trafford. UEFA also chose the stadium for the 2003 Champions League final.

A name change and a new stadium?

Journalist Adam Crafton has come forward with the news that Manchester United’s management is tackling one big question. What about Old Trafford? Today, this famous stand no longer meets modern requirements. So many are calling for a modernisation or even the building of a completely new stadium.

But the club is not in an ideal financial condition, having literally emptied its coffers by bringing in expensive players for years, whose value then plummeted. The results on the pitch were not forthcoming and the pressure on the club owners was so great that they decided to act. Hence the emergence of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who now co-owns Manchester United.

He wants to put the club back firmly on its feet and is apparently starting right from the ground up. The sale of the rights to the stadium’s name is reportedly in the cards. This should provide sufficient financial capital to be invested in either the modernisation of Old Trafford or the building of a new stand is also in the cards.

In 1910, the stadium cost £90,000. This time it will be about something completely different and it is the sale of the rights that could help everything considerably. More likely, though, is that the stadium will be upgraded. After all, there has long been a project to increase the stadium’s capacity to 95,000 spectators. This would be achieved by adding a second deck to the South Stand.

Old Trafford is one of the biggest football stadiums in Europe even without this increase and if modernisation, especially of the interiors, were still possible, the fans would be most happy without any doubt.

Source: The Athletic, X