“Welcome to the Theatre of Dreams, the HOME of the world’s greatest football club and the HOME of Manchester United.”
Those tend to be the words spoken by Old Trafford’s stadium announcer, Alan Keegan, before every home game.
But before we know it, United will have a new stadium, a new home, which will feel like moving out of your old, cramped, family house, where you’ve grown up with so many memories; into this new mansion, which looks a bit funny, and is filled with uncomfortable furniture you’ve never seen before.
It was announced at the end of February that Manchester United were planning to build a brand-new stadium within the next five to six years.
From the initial images, I thought ‘oh no, not another soulless bowl’, it looked like a spaceship which didn’t suit the aesthetics and culture of Manchester. But what was I to expect? The ‘best stadiums in the world’ are all shiny, new and look nothing like their previous structures.
Two weeks ago, United released more details on the design, highlighting the intricacies of their new stadium plans. The 23-minute video answered a lot more of the initial questions that I had.
Details such as: Where the Stretford End will be and what it will look like? What will happen with the Munich tunnel, clock and also the Trinity Statue? Will it only be built to accommodate those in hospitality seats?
But here are the key things I took away after watching. They are planning to:
Take hospitality completely out of the Stretford End
Integrate the concourses so friends and family who sit at different ends of the stadium can meet up beforehand
Keep the Old Trafford flags/ ‘Stretty Flags’
Still decide on whether to keep the red corner tunnel, or to go back to original, walking out from the halfway line.
Put in screens, without ruining the atmosphere. It’s not decided whether it will happen or not yet.
Use traditional materials (such as brick and steel) in some areas. So, it doesn’t look like a new shopping centre
Using the Bridgewater canal a lot more and making it more accessible
Put the main procession route/ walkway where the current Old Trafford pitch is. Marking where the penalty spot, centre circle etc would have been.
Put the trinity statue in a similar place to where it stands now but this would be on the new procession route
Many fans don’t want to see the history and tradition taken away by this new regeneration of the club. With redundancies left, right and centre, people who have been integral to the club seem to have been swept aside.
Manchester United is built on community, history and tradition and it will be difficult for a new stadium to capture that.
However, it is time for a change as the roof is leaking, the seats are too cramped and the concourses are rammed. With strong communication with fans, the people in charge of this project seem keen to get it right.
It may look futuristic, a bit like Qatar’s Lusail stadium (which is incredible and hosted a magical world cup final in 2022) but change isn’t a bad thing, as long as the past isn’t forgotten.
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