Manchester United officials looking at plans to expand Old Trafford capacity to 88,000 | Scrapped?

[RoyH1]

So Real Madrid are have announced they are officially redeveloping and expanding the Santiago Bernabéu. The video presentation looks incredible, it pretty much preserves the original stadium while while also redeveloping it to modernise the structure. However the reason I'm bringing this up here is because our club can't even figure out how to expand a single stand let alone redesign an entire stadium. Here is the video presentation:

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As far as I can read, Madrid has the average grand total of 63 annual days with precipitation, compared with Munchens 129 and Manchester's 143.

Why the heck are they putting a roof on it? Unless its a way to be able to play more day games when it's too hot outside, I'm genuinely baffled. So the tourists don't get wet or what?

 

[VeevaVee]

It's a good time to do it because people won't be arsed about less seats during construction.

 

[TheFlagStaysDown]

As far as I can read, Madrid has the average grand total of 63 annual days with precipitation, compared with Munchens 129 and Manchester's 143.

Why the heck are they putting a roof on it? Unless its a way to be able to play more day games when it's too hot outside, I'm genuinely baffled. So the tourists don't get wet or what?

my other concern about the roof is that it would take away the magical wet turf games, loved to play in those, sliding tackles, shooting, everything is more exciting

 

[Traub]

As far as I can read, Madrid has the average grand total of 63 annual days with precipitation, compared with Munchens 129 and Manchester's 143.

Why the heck are they putting a roof on it? Unless its a way to be able to play more day games when it's too hot outside, I'm genuinely baffled. So the tourists don't get wet or what?

Good point. If they trying to compete with England for the Asia market, they’ll need to be able to play earlier.

 

[VanGaalEra]

Meh, looks like a spaceship.

 

[stubie]

Was just looking at aerial pictures of Old Trafford and looking at the land the Glazers brought back in 2011, is it realistic for us to do a Tottenham and build a new stadium on the same site just further away from the rail line?

 

[Ish]

On a side note, looking at that poll...has the website been updated yet? Because I see a Scouser option I don't really like....

 

[Red_toad]

Was just looking at aerial pictures of Old Trafford and looking at the land the Glazers brought back in 2011, is it realistic for us to do a Tottenham and build a new stadium on the same site just further away from the rail line?

Burn the blasphemous one

 

[cathari]

On a side note, looking at that poll...has the website been updated yet? Because I see a Scouser option I don't really like....

No worries there, mate.

 

[Ish]

No worries there, mate.

Thanks bud. I see I am only "just over a year" behind with the times

 

[tomaldinho1]

As far as I can read, Madrid has the average grand total of 63 annual days with precipitation, compared with Munchens 129 and Manchester's 143.

Why the heck are they putting a roof on it? Unless its a way to be able to play more day games when it's too hot outside, I'm genuinely baffled. So the tourists don't get wet or what?

I assume it's for the heat, Madrid gets seriously hot through the summer months.

 

[DBT85]

Was just looking at aerial pictures of Old Trafford and looking at the land the Glazers brought back in 2011, is it realistic for us to do a Tottenham and build a new stadium on the same site just further away from the rail line?

It's entirely possible, but do YOU think they'd do it to go from say 75k to 90? Not worth spending £800m for that.

Also fan backlash.

If you were going to be willing to spend that much money, you do it without moving the ground for way less.

 

[Havak]

The problem with demolishing OT and building it again in the same place is where do we move to for 1-2 years while it happens? Is there a big enough stadium in a reasonable travelling distance for fans to put us in?

Etihad is 55,000 capacity and we have almost that many season ticket holders, which means it isn't even possible for us to share with City as there'd be no room to allocate the away fans.

 

[Paxi]

I don't really see the need for expansion. Just give OT a huge face lift.

 

[UnrelatedPsuedo]

The problem with demolishing OT and building it again in the same place is where do we move to for 1-2 years while it happens? Is there a big enough stadium in a reasonable travelling distance for fans to put us in?

Etihad is 55,000 capacity and we have almost that many season ticket holders, which means it isn't even possible for us to share with City as there'd be no room to allocate the away fans.

Wembley. We’d still fill it.

 

[Havak]

Wembley. We’d still fill it.

I'm not sure season ticket holders would be happy travelling 200 miles every other weekend and having to do it some week nights too, unless the club is willing to subsidise travel. I really don't think it's feasible.

 

[stevoc]

It's entirely possible, but do YOU think they'd do it to go from say 75k to 90? Not worth spending £800m for that.

Also fan backlash.

If you were going to be willing to spend that much money, you do it without moving the ground for way less.

Yeah expanding the South Stand and a face lift for the rest of the ground would probably cost £200-400m. Building a new stadium is pointless, it wouldn't be Old Trafford.

 

[groovyalbert]

I don't really see the need for expansion. Just give OT a huge face lift.

This. Capacity is not what's holding the stadium back, it's more in need of certain modernising.

 

[Djemba-Djemba]

Wembley. We’d still fill it.

You can't move us to Wembley.

We're a Manc team.

I think rather than increasing capacity they need to just freshen the place up. It's looking pretty old and tired at the moment, there hasn't been any major changes to the stadium in what? 10? 11 years?

 

[D4X73r]

I don't want to sound stupid but why isn't it possible to expand to the south?

In Vienna, a private company builds 2 fecking buildings nearly directly on a railway tunnel and as far as I know, they spend around 800mil euro for that

 

[stevoc]

You can't move us to Wembley.

We're a Manc team.

I think rather than increasing capacity they need to just freshen the place up. It's looking pretty old and tired at the moment, there hasn't been any major changes to the stadium in what? 10? 11 years?

I think the last major redevelopment was in 2005. So it’s definitely due some upgrades.

 

[0le]

Looking at that photo and assuming north is upwards, the western stand could be demolished and a new stadium built to the west of it whilst games continue at the exisiting stadium. The orientation of the new stadium would then change by 90 degrees relative to the old stadium. However I'm not convinced that its worth the hundreds, perhaps nearly a billion pounds, to expand the capacity to 90k plus. I think the earlier suggestion to modernise the existing stadium is the sensible approach.

 

[OnlyTwoDaSilvas]

Looking at that photo and assuming north is upwards, the western stand could be demolished and a new stadium built to the west of it whilst games continue at the exisiting stadium. The orientation of the new stadium would then change by 90 degrees relative to the old stadium. However I'm not convinced that its worth the hundreds, perhaps nearly a billion pounds, to expand the capacity to 90k plus. I think the earlier suggestion to modernise the existing stadium is the sensible approach.

Might not meet CL regulations though. Spurs couldn't play in CL with a semi-demolished stadium. They played in Europe at Wembley, and league games at White Hart Lane. That could be a stumbling block.

I know nothing about architecture, but it seems hard to believe a railway line is what is holding back a refurbished South Stand. Amsterdam Arena has a dual carriageway gong underneath the middle of it. Incorporating a rail tunnel under the stand doesn't sound impossible.

I guess the houses adjacent to the south stand are an obstacle too? That's a lot of compulsory orders to dish out, and that certainly doesn't get the local community on your side if you're turfing people out, as Spurs are seeing now. My sister lives in Tottenham, they've been pretty heavy handed with local residents, and they're generally not giving a shit about them or the community, resulting in a lot of pissed off people. You'd hope that United doesn't act in a similar way.

 

[reddaz71]

When/if the Saudis buy the club this might have some legs,not before.

 

[Gary_Walsh_Nou_Camp_Hell]

The easiest way is to have the train track going under the new stand.

There's no way United are leaving Old Trafford.

 

[UnrelatedPsuedo]

I'm not sure season ticket holders would be happy travelling 200 miles every other weekend and having to do it some week nights too, unless the club is willing to subsidise travel. I really don't think it's feasible.

You can't move us to Wembley.

We're a Manc team.

I think rather than increasing capacity they need to just freshen the place up. It's looking pretty old and tired at the moment, there hasn't been any major changes to the stadium in what? 10? 11 years?

Easy fellas. It was a joke suggestion. Though one with roots in fact. We would obviously fill it.

 

[matherto]

The easiest way is to have the train track going under the new stand.

There's no way United are leaving Old Trafford.

There's ample space in the immediate vicinity to do what Spurs did and barely move whilst building a brand new stadium.

We've been where we are for 109 years, we moved before, we'll move again at some point in the future.

Old Trafford as it is right now won't be there forever, much as we love the place. Unless we tear the entire thing down and rebuild it on the spot we'll be left behind in every conceivable way related to our home.

To say there's 'no way we're leaving' is a bit naive isn't it?

 

[GiddyUp]

We can take the Etihad for a season or two, set up big screens around the ground and make a big party of it. City can play in their 7,000 seater training stadium so they can then boast about packing out their home games to their fictitious sponsors.

 

[Green_Red]

Modern building techniques would surely mean that the railway isn't a problem anymore. Any civil engineers able to comment?

Id just like to see the food court areas renovated. It's like stepping back into 1980 when you're at the stadium.

 

[matherto]

I don't want to sound stupid but why isn't it possible to expand to the south?

In Vienna, a private company builds 2 fecking buildings nearly directly on a railway tunnel and as far as I know, they spend around 800mil euro for that

I think you answered your own question.

No way the Glazers spend ~800m to build one stand.

 

[D4X73r]

I think you answered your own question.

No way the Glazers spend ~800m to build one stand.

But there is a difference between 2 buildings for production and a stadium stand

 

[horsechoker]

We can take the Etihad for a season or two, set up big screens around the ground and make a big party of it. City can play in their 7,000 seater training stadium so they can then boast about packing out their home games to their fictitious sponsors.

Would love to play there just to mess up their records. We could play a pub team and smash them 40-0 to have the record for biggest win.

 

[matherto]

But there is a difference between 2 buildings for production and a stadium stand

Not in terms of cost.

Even factoring in additional revenue from boxes, it wouldn't be worth it to a bunch of people not known for using their own pockets to pay for anything.

 

[Fener1907]

Surprised the History Channel hasn't dedicated a special to the enigma that is the south stand.

 

[JMack1234]

Old Trafford does need an upgrade but I'm afraid it'll be in the too hard box for a while yet.

 

[stevoc]

Might not meet CL regulations though. Spurs couldn't play in CL with a semi-demolished stadium. They played in Europe at Wembley, and league games at White Hart Lane. That could be a stumbling block.

I know nothing about architecture, but it seems hard to believe a railway line is what is holding back a refurbished South Stand. Amsterdam Arena has a dual carriageway gong underneath the middle of it. Incorporating a rail tunnel under the stand doesn't sound impossible.

I guess the houses adjacent to the south stand are an obstacle too? That's a lot of compulsory orders to dish out, and that certainly doesn't get the local community on your side if you're turfing people out, as Spurs are seeing now. My sister lives in Tottenham, they've been pretty heavy handed with local residents, and they're generally not giving a shit about them or the community, resulting in a lot of pissed off people. You'd hope that United doesn't act in a similar way.

The biggest obstacle is money and the will of the owners to improve and/or expand. Old Trafford was redeveloped/expanded in 1992, 1995, 1999-2000 and 2005. The Glazers bought the club in 2005 and no work has been carried out on the stadium since. Make of that what you will.

As i understand it the train track and the houses wouldn't be an impossible obstacle to the expansion the South stand with modern technology. If the club actually wanted to do it.

 

[Red00012]

Surprised the History Channel hasn't dedicated a special to the enigma that is the south stand.

Post of the day Sir.

 

[Red00012]

The biggest obstacle is money and the will of the owners to improve and/or expand. Old Trafford was redeveloped/expanded in 1992, 1995, 1999-2000 and 2005. The Glazers bought the club in 2005 and no work has been carried out on the stadium since. Make of that what you will.

Asi understand it the train track and the houses wouldn't be an impossible obstacle to the expansion the South stand with modern technology. If the club actually wanted to do it.

The club probably want to do it , the Glaziers don’t.

 

[stevoc]

The club probably want to do it , the Glaziers don’t.

Indeed.

 

[Chipper]

Wacky suggestion time.

Buy the section of the Bridgewater canal that runs behind the SAF stand, fill it in, pay for the railway track to be routed along it from just after Trafford Park station, rejoining the current line near Pomona.

Create sets of locks near the Barton swing bridge to drop barges down into the ship canal and again by Pomona so barges can have a route from the city centre onto the Bridgewater, sailing through Salford Quays along the way.

Take ownership of where the railway track is now and build on it.