Old Trafford
Old Trafford is an
all-seater football stadium in the
Trafford borough of
Greater Manchester,
England, and the home of
Premier League club
Manchester United.
With space for 75,957 spectators,
[1] Old Trafford has the second-largest capacity of any English football stadium after
Wembley Stadium, the third-largest of any stadium in the
United Kingdom, and the eleventh-largest in Europe. The stadium is approximately 0.5 miles (0.8 km) from
Old Trafford Cricket Ground and the adjacent
Manchester Metrolink tram station.
The ground, given the nickname the Theatre of Dreams by Bobby Charlton, has been United'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 underwent several expansions in the 1990s and 2000s, most notably the addition of extra tiers to the North, West and East stands which served to return the ground almost to its original capacity of 80,000. Future expansion is likely to involve the addition of a second tier to the South Stand, which would raise the capacity to over 90,000.[3] The stadium's current record attendance was recorded in 1939, when 76,962 spectators watched the FA Cup semi-final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town.
The ground has frequently hosted FA Cup semi-final matches as a neutral venue and several England international fixtures while the new Wembley Stadium was under construction. It also hosted matches at the 1966 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 1996, as well as the 2003 UEFA Champions League Final. Aside from football-related uses, Old Trafford has hosted rugby league's Super League Grand Final since the league's adoption of playoffs in 1998 and the final of the 2000 Rugby League World Cup.
Click on this link for the entire history of Old Trafford
