The History of Old Trafford - Home Of Manchester United

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Published by Chris Jenkins
27th Feb 2022
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Manchester United is one of the biggest football clubs in the world and is currently the joint-most successful English club alongside arch-rivals Liverpool. Having won numerous trophies throughout their long and storied history, it is only fitting that they have a stadium to match. And that they do.

Old Trafford is a glorious football ground that thousands flock to for every United home game. It has hosted some of the most memorable games in English football and has an atmosphere that is renowned worldwide.

But where did it all start? How does a club in the North West of England end up cruising to such heights? How did the stadium play its part in this? In this article, we’re going to take an in-depth look at the history of Old Trafford: The home of Manchester United.

 

The Beginnings

Before playing at Old Trafford, Manchester United (then known as Newton Heath Football Club) used to play at Bank Street when. John Henry Davies, a wealthy brewery owner, had taken over the club in 1902 when they were struggling financially.

Davies was a philanthropist who would donate to various charitable causes. What initially started as a donation to the club after a chance encounter with their then-captain Harry Stafford, became a love story that continued until Davies' death in 1927.

It was his opinion that a more magnificent stadium was needed for a club of Manchester United’s stature, and so he set about building Old Trafford. Architect Archibald Leitch was appointed to design the stadium.

Old Trafford officially opened its doors on 19th February 1910. The first match to take place at the ground was Manchester United vs Liverpool FC, a fixture that is now synonymous with the high-stakes rivalries of the Premier League.

Unfortunately for United, they lost this game with the visitors winning by 4-3. Despite this defeat, it was a glorious day. Old Trafford’s 80,000 capacity was open to the public and the story of Old Trafford started on this day.

With one seating stand and three standing areas, little changed about the stadium until 1934, when a roof was installed over the United Road terrace.

United grew in popularity as a team, and the stadium grew in popularity also. Old Trafford even managed to record an attendance of 76,962 during an FA Cup game between Wolves and Grimsby Town. This was the stadium's highest attendance at this time.

 

Post World War 2

World War 2 had a huge effect on football around the world and the English league was no different. With things running very differently, it was an odd time in which football took a backseat. The country was in a state of fear and bombings took place on a regular basis. This meant that locations such as stadiums were very susceptible to potential damage.

Much like the COVID pandemic, this dreadful time highlighted how lucky we are to have football in our lives on a regular basis.

With Old Trafford being very close to Trafford Park Industrial Estate, it was severely damaged during Germain air raids whilst World War 2 was still raging. The devastating effects of these bombing raids meant that Manchester United could not play at Old Trafford for years after the war.

During this time, Manchester United had to play their games at Maine Road, the home ground of local rivals Manchester City. Although the teams have always competed against each other, this showed that the city of Manchester has a sense of unity that cannot be tarnished when things get tough.

It took a while to rebuild Old Trafford due to the limited resources available after the war.

This was in 1949, and although it was smaller, Old Trafford was ready for footballing glory once again. At this point, there was a desire for further improvements to the ground. Over time, small changes were made that transformed it into a larger, more impressive space. This project culminated in a complete renovation of the North Stand in the 1960s.

The renovation of the North Stand also saw the introduction of something that has become a footballing tradition: The private box. Private boxes allow high-paying people to have a luxury area to watch United.

Old Trafford also hosted several World Cup matches in 1966, the year that England won the competition.

 

Evolution Of Football

The 1970s and 1980s were a time of great transition in English football, and wider football the world over. Old Trafford was improved in a myriad of ways throughout this period, with better cover from rough conditions provided for the fans who made the pilgrimage to the ground for every home game.

More seating areas and better executive areas were also introduced as part of the ever-evolving landscape. Unfortunately, football hooliganism was on the rise during this period, so security fences were installed to separate fans from accessing the pitch.

With football changing each year, plans were drawn up in the 1990s to make Old Trafford an all-seater stadium. Though the standing fan was an intimidating sight to behold, it was time to move forward with the times.

This involved the demolition of the famous Stretford End, which was rebuilt in a modern fashion. Many of these changes coincided with Euro 1996, in which Old Trafford was a key stadium, hosting 3 group stage games as well as a quarter and semi-final.

With increasing success on the pitch throughout the 1990s and 2000s, demand for tickets grew. This resulted in new tiers being added to the stands throughout the stadium, boosting capacity to 68,000 in this time period.

This continued, and Old Trafford’s current capacity is a whopping 74,140, making it the largest club football stadium in the country.

In 2011, the historic North Stand was renamed the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand in tribute to the man who brought the club to such meteoric stature. The stadium is now one of the most imposing grounds in world football, and all teams fear playing Manchester United at Old Trafford.

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