Manchester United unveil barrier seating at Old Trafford

Manchester United got to unveil a section of Old Trafford where barrier seating was installed. 1,500 of those seats were installed on the J stand as supporters returned to the Theatre of Dreams for the first time this season as United took on Brentford in a pre-season friendly.

The new facility will be used on a trial basis during the upcoming season. Rail seating will allow supporters to stand against a barrier whilst watching games in the hope that this would improve safety in the area where there is persistent standing. In the fans’ forum meeting on April 16, United confirmed that they would have the rail seats installed this summer.

That certainly appears to be the case. United have insisted that the addition of the new seats will improve safety. The section will include seats but they will have a safety rail behind them. They are designed to allow for safe standing during goal celebrations and at other key moments. All-seater stadiums remain compulsory in the Premier League and Old Trafford is no exception.

Glazers have started to rebuild some of the trust with fans

Chief Operating Manager Collette Roche spoke about the installation and how it was an effort to repair some of the damaged relationships with the fans.

“Back in June we made a strong commitment to our fans to reset our relationship. We want to talk to them more about things that are important to them and we want to look at how we engage with the fans’ forum, we have set up a fans’ advisory board. Over the past few months we have made strides along those lines.”

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United are set for some significant changes off the field and the barrier seats were just one of them. The Glazers are trying to be more active in involving themselves and the fans with the club after last season saw a large number of protests. Nonetheless, these are definitely good times and fans will be hoping that these things keep continuing.