Old Trafford

Ground Profile

Old Trafford was built in 1910 under the guidance of the renowned football stadium architect, Archibald Leitch. In 1939 Old Trafford played host to it's largest ever crowd - and Manchester Utd weren't even playing! Portsmouth and Grimsby fought out an FA Cup Semi-final attended by over 78,000! The stadium was badly damaged during the war and United were forced to play at City's ground - Maine Road until rebuilding work had been completed. Playing host to the 1966 World Cup, Old Trafford was developed with cantilever stands which eventually covered the whole ground in the late 1980's.

After Hillsborough and the subsequent Taylor Report, the capacity was cut to only 44,000 and it became obvious that further expansion was a necessity.

A three tiered North Stand holding 26,000 was opened in 1996 and this lifted the capacity to 55,000. In January 2000 a further tier was added to the East Stand, raising the capacity to 61,000. This was replicated in West Stand, more commonly known as the Stretford End, and now the present capacity stands at a mighty 68,217. Although there are no present plans for further expansion, it is possible to develop the South Stand which could see the capacity reach an amazing 90,000 - the largest stadium in the country.