- Joined
- Oct 24, 2018
- Messages
- 577
It would be a massive mistake and a real shame to leave Old Trafford to move to new stadium.
As more and more clubs are leaving their spiritual homes to move to soulless glass bowls, Old Trafford should be seen as an amazing opportunity for the club to differentiate themselves against their competitors.
Commercially, Old Trafford adds so much more to the brand value of Manchester United than any new stadium could. To play in a stadium that is over 100 years old is unique and commercially very appealing. Old Trafford has survived two world wars; provided the stage for the Busby Babes and rebirth of the club after Munich; seen Best, Law and Charlton showcase their skills; watched the rise of the Class of 92 and total dominance of English football under the greatest manager of all time, and witnessed so many legendary players and unique moments. You can build a state-of-the-art stadium (that will eventually be surpassed) but you can never build another Old Trafford and all the memories that it holds. No new stadium can provide such pride for its fans. When I go to Old Trafford I can sense the ghosts of history - it's an incredible experience. In many ways, the story of Manchester United is told through Old Trafford. That is special and it should inspire the players.
That being said, Old Trafford definitely needs investment as it's looking tired and dated. The club needs to employ an architect to design an overall masterplan for OT and the surrounding land. A plan that that allows OT and the surrounding land to be rebuilt and developed in phases over time but one that makes the site look architecturally complete.
I personally think the South Stand needs to be demolished and rebuilt with steeper stands; a second tier that overhangs the railway, and a stepped bridge over the railway that provides access to the second tier. We should build the players tunnel centrally on the halfway line and construct a tunnel club to drive matchday revenues.
To create more space inside Old Trafford, we should build a separate building in front of the SAF Stand that can hold a new ticket office, the worlds biggest Megastore on the ground floor, a world class interactive museum on the floors above and a huge RedCafe (open to the public during the week) on the top floor with views across to Trafford Park/Salford Quays. We should build a bridge linking the museum to the SAF stand to improve museum/stadium tour experiences. By doing this, we create more space to make lounges/suites bigger and widen concourses/toilet blocks for the fans etc. The space taken up by the Megastore currently could be turned into something interesting, something like a 'History of Old Trafford' exhibition (£5 entry on matchdays!) or a sports bar etc.
Old Trafford's facade/roof needs big investment. For the facade, I personally think we should go for a timeless design that reflects the history of the industrial area but one that is still modern/contemporary. A mixture of red brick and glass with red lights (for night matches) would look great in my opinion.
There is enormous potential to revamp Old Trafford, and quite frankly, architectural firms all over the world will be queuing up to create a design that reflects Old Trafford's historical importance. It will cost a fortune but it will be worth it!
First and foremast lets improve on the pitch first but it would be nice if the Glazers could show this level of ambition!
As more and more clubs are leaving their spiritual homes to move to soulless glass bowls, Old Trafford should be seen as an amazing opportunity for the club to differentiate themselves against their competitors.
Commercially, Old Trafford adds so much more to the brand value of Manchester United than any new stadium could. To play in a stadium that is over 100 years old is unique and commercially very appealing. Old Trafford has survived two world wars; provided the stage for the Busby Babes and rebirth of the club after Munich; seen Best, Law and Charlton showcase their skills; watched the rise of the Class of 92 and total dominance of English football under the greatest manager of all time, and witnessed so many legendary players and unique moments. You can build a state-of-the-art stadium (that will eventually be surpassed) but you can never build another Old Trafford and all the memories that it holds. No new stadium can provide such pride for its fans. When I go to Old Trafford I can sense the ghosts of history - it's an incredible experience. In many ways, the story of Manchester United is told through Old Trafford. That is special and it should inspire the players.
That being said, Old Trafford definitely needs investment as it's looking tired and dated. The club needs to employ an architect to design an overall masterplan for OT and the surrounding land. A plan that that allows OT and the surrounding land to be rebuilt and developed in phases over time but one that makes the site look architecturally complete.
I personally think the South Stand needs to be demolished and rebuilt with steeper stands; a second tier that overhangs the railway, and a stepped bridge over the railway that provides access to the second tier. We should build the players tunnel centrally on the halfway line and construct a tunnel club to drive matchday revenues.
To create more space inside Old Trafford, we should build a separate building in front of the SAF Stand that can hold a new ticket office, the worlds biggest Megastore on the ground floor, a world class interactive museum on the floors above and a huge RedCafe (open to the public during the week) on the top floor with views across to Trafford Park/Salford Quays. We should build a bridge linking the museum to the SAF stand to improve museum/stadium tour experiences. By doing this, we create more space to make lounges/suites bigger and widen concourses/toilet blocks for the fans etc. The space taken up by the Megastore currently could be turned into something interesting, something like a 'History of Old Trafford' exhibition (£5 entry on matchdays!) or a sports bar etc.
Old Trafford's facade/roof needs big investment. For the facade, I personally think we should go for a timeless design that reflects the history of the industrial area but one that is still modern/contemporary. A mixture of red brick and glass with red lights (for night matches) would look great in my opinion.
There is enormous potential to revamp Old Trafford, and quite frankly, architectural firms all over the world will be queuing up to create a design that reflects Old Trafford's historical importance. It will cost a fortune but it will be worth it!
First and foremast lets improve on the pitch first but it would be nice if the Glazers could show this level of ambition!
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