Old Trafford

Old Trafford stadium in greater Manchester, England is the home to Manchester United. Old Trafford stadium has a capacity of 75,811; it is the second largest football stadium in England after Wembley, the third largest in the UK and the eleventh largest in whole of Europe. The ground is approximately half mile from Old Trafford Cricket Ground and the adjacent tram station. The stadium has undergone several expansions in the late nineties and in early twenties including the addition of more tiers to the North, West and East stands, which helped to return the ground almost to its original capacity of 80,000. The stadium has witnessed over 76,962 spectators during FA Cup semi-final. The stadium has frequently hosted FA cup semi-final matches as a neutral venue and various England international fixtures while the very new Wembley stadium was under construction. Other than football, Old Trafford has also hosted rugby league's super league Grand Final.

Fast Facts

Sports Events Football
Location Old Trafford is located within a few miles of Manchester city center, in the north-west of England.
New or Existing Existing
Permanent or Temporary Permanent
Number of Events 2 Events

Old Trafford London Olympics 2012
The stadium originally was designed to hold 100,000 spectators and featured seating in the south stand under cover, while the other remaining three stands were left as terraces and uncovered, but later its capacity was reduced to 80,000. Due to its proximity to Trafford Park industrial property, the ground was heavily damaged by German air raids during World War II. It took almost eight years to rebuild the whole stadium again. In the following decades, additional improvement and expansions were made to the stadium, culminating in the complete renovation of the United Road Stand. The Old Trafford pitch is surrounded by four covered all-seater stands, officially known as the North, East, South and West Stands. Each stand has minimum two tiers, with the exception of the South Stand, which only has one tier due to construction restriction. The lower tier of each stand is split into lower and upper sections having been converted from terracing in the late nineties. Old Trafford hosted twelve of England's twenty-three home matches. The most recent international to be held at Old Trafford was England and Spain, the match was played in front of a crowd of 58,207 spectators.

During The Game
Old Trafford will host nine football matches during the 2012 Olympic Games, including a semi-final in both the men's and women's competitions. It was announced in November 2011 that the men's Great Britain team will play a group match at the stadium.

After The Game
The stadium will continue to host Manchester United matches.

How To Reach The Venue
Old Trafford stadium is situated just over two miles south-west from Manchester's city center, and less than three miles from Manchester Piccadilly stadium. By public transport, the stadium could be best reached by Metro-link over ground metro. By car, from M60, take junction 7 and 8 and turn onto Chester Road northbound. Follow Chester Road for two miles and turn left onto Sir Matt Busby Way. During match-day, a special train service is provided from Manchester city center stations to Old Trafford Stadium rail station.

Old Trafford is undoubtedly one of the biggest, greatest and most famous sporting arenas in the world. And it is a fitting home for the world's most famous football club. Old Trafford has changed beyond all recognition; the magic of the stadium will always remain.