Krishnan Sreekumar
Manchester United plan to revamp Old Trafford with focus on extending Sir Bobby Charlton Stand capacity
According to the Daily Mail, Manchester United are planning to revamp their home stadium at Old Trafford and increase its capacity, with a focus on extending the number of seats available to spectators in the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand.
The Theatre of Dreams is one of the most iconic stadiums in England, famous for being the home ground of United, which has seen multiple trophies being won at the ground and has played host to some of the world’s best footballers and managers.
However, in comparison to venues of other rivals like the swanky new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium or the Etihad Stadium, the Red Devils’ venue seems outdated and in need of renovations to match up in terms of infrastructure.
The first steps in achieving this seem to have taken place recently, as early as last week, United announced that they would be approaching and consulting the same master planners who designed the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, in order to improve and revamp Old Trafford.
Second only to Wembley
Thus far, the club plans to add around 15,000 seats to the stadium, as well as perform an upgrade of the club’s corporate facilities. The existing Sir Bobby Charlton Stand will also be extended, which would take the number of seats at the Theatre of Dreams to around 88,000 – making it second only to Wembley among UK stadiums in terms of capacity.
These plans that the Red Devils have are likely to cost upwards of £200m. United, however, have around 100,000 supporters on their waiting list for season tickets, so the need for more seats is important. The club also wants to ensure that there is enough demand for the expanded stadium to be full on a regular basis.
Matchdays usually see a capacity crowd flooding the stadium to urge their favourite team on, in the hopes that they bring some entertainment and respite from their ordinary lives. However, the team has been underperforming of late, and a five-year trophy drought hangs over the head of these supporters.
On the pitch, things may look positive for fans given that a new manager is expected to take over from next season onwards and usher in a new era of glory, reminiscent of the Sir Alex Ferguson era when the Red Devils were champions of England.
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Off the pitch too, the club seem to be investing some money to improve the conditions for match-goers and make their experience more memorable. Perhaps this move from the PL giants will improve their relationship with the supporters, who have always harboured ill feelings towards the side’s American owners.
However, given that the club’s existing debt of £495m at the end of 2021 is not going to prevent the Glazers from borrowing more money to revamp the stadium, this may bring more anger from fans later on for the owners.
