Old Trafford

With tradition being a large part of the Manchester United way to play football, their grounds in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England are among the most influential and traditional symbols of the club. Nicknamed the Theatre of Dreams, Old Trafford has been open since 1910, serving the club loyally for over 100 years. With many additions in the 1990's and 2000's, Old Trafford's attendance is quickly rising and they hope to be able to squeeze as many Manchester United fans in as possible.

Old Trafford has played a vital role in English history, both involving sports and not. In 1936, upon the outbreak of World War II, the stadium was used as a depot for the military and was actually damaged from a German air strike. The stadium has also held major European sports events over the years, solidifying its place as one of the most important venues in the United Kingdom. Old Stafford was home to the 1966 World Cup, 1996 Euro Cup, 2003 UEFA Champions League Final, as well as the Rugby World Cup in 2000. The stadium will also hold several football matches for the upcoming London Olympic Games.

While visiting RCD Espanyol's stadium, they told us that since the stadium was not used daily, that other uses were vital for the financial stability of the facilities. The stadium is a big concert venue, holding many concerts yearly and drawing tens of thousands of fans. The stadium is also used for many private functions, including Christmas parties, business conferences, and even weddings are very popular. This shows how important the stadium, its tradition and the team are to the people of Manchester that they are willing to pay to celebrate their events on the pitch.

In the future, Manchester United will most likely look to continue expanding both the stadium itself and the grounds surrounding it, in order to further boosten the number of fans and to separate themselves from their other competition with superior grounds. Another incentive for them to increase the capacity of the stadium could be for more use in the London Olympic games, or possibly in order to be a regular venue for the English National Team, when they play in either competitive play or friendlies, or the host of the Premier League championships. One criticism of this expansion however is the height of the stadium. Due to the large height already, adding more on to the top of the stadium would further reduce the lighting hitting the pitch. Manchester United must be aware of this as they hit the planning stages of their additions. The stadium has served Manchester and the people of Manchester for over 100 years, and will continue to remain an icon for Manchester United fans.