|
Newton Heath’s
first ground was at North Road, Monsall, and was set in typical Victorian
northern industrial surroundings. When the Heathens joined the Football
League in 1892, their playing surface was one of the worst in the
competition, and could be a mud-bath at one end and rock-hard at the
other.
The changing-rooms were half a mile away at the Three Crowns public house.
In 1893, the club moved to Bank Street, Clayton. The pitch was little
better than the one at North Road, and the smoke-billowing chimneys
provided a similar backdrop. The only real improvement on the first ground
was the subsequent erection of a 1,000-seater stand, the result of
J.H.Davies, Newton Heath’s first major benefactor, investing £500. On 4
April 1904, the Football League beat the Scottish League 2-1 at Clayton.
It was Davies who,
in 1909, donated the huge sum of £60,000 for the purchase and development
of a site at Trafford Park. The new ground, to be called Old Trafford, was
ready for use in 1910 and on 22 January that year, United played their
final match at Clayton, Beating Spurs 5-0. Their first game at the new
stadium nearly a month later, saw 45,000 cram in to witness a seven-goal
thriller, won by Liverpool.
The Clayton ground
had been sold to Manchester Corporation for £5,000 in January 1909, one
week before plans for the new Old Trafford were approved by the Stretford
Council.
Old Trafford with a
capacity of 80,000, than had only one stand, situated where the Main Stand
is today, but it offered untold luxuries……tea rooms, tip-up seats, and
attendants to politely point the way. There were also games rooms, a
gymnasium and a plunge-bath for the players. The nearest the ground came
to being filled to capacity was on 27 December 1920, when Aston Villa were
the visitors and 70,504 packed the ground to register what is still
United’s record home attendance, not withstanding the 80,000-plus crowds
who saw them play at Maine Road after World War Two, whilst Old Trafford
was being rebuilt after war damage. And the actual attendance record
for Old Trafford stands at 76,962, for the 1939 FA Cup semi-final between
Wolves and Grimsby.
When Old Trafford
was built it was one of Britain’s great stadiums, but by the outbreak of
World War Two, because so little improvement had been made, it no longer
stood out as one of the League’s outstanding venues. By 1945 it could not
be used at all. During a raid on nearby Trafford Park industrial estate,
on the night of 11 March 1941, German bombs landed on the ground,
virtually destroying the Main Stand, part of the terracing and badly
scorching the pitch.
Makeshift offices
were erected and United, as determined as ever, set about the long
rebuilding job whilst sharing Manchester City’s ground for home matches.
The worst hit of all League clubs during the war, United was awarded
£22,278 by the War Damage Commission to clear the debris and rebuild the
ground.
A massive 120,000
capacity ground was planned, but financial restrictions prevented it and
instead only the Main Stand was replaced. On 24 August 1949, United played
their first Football League game at Old Trafford for ten years, when
41,748 saw them beat Bolton.
United’s venture
into Europe in 1956 saw them erect floodlights to cater for midweek
matches. The first European Cup match under the Old Trafford lights was
the semi-final against Real Madrid on 25 April 1957. For their previous
European games that season, United had to return to City’s Moss Side
ground.
The first League
game under lights at Old Trafford was on 25 March 1957, when Bolton were
the opposition and United’s biggest League crowd of the season, 60,826
endured a 2-0 defeat.
One of Old Trafford’s most emotional occasions saw nearly 60,000 urge
United to FA Cup victory over Sheffield Wednesday, in the first
post-Munich match. The following Saturday, 66,124 saw the visit of
Nottingham Forest.
As United moved
into the golden era of the 1960’s, Old Trafford saw its greatest phase of
improvement. The Stretford end was covered in 1959, sheltering 22,000
standing fans from the worst of the Manchester weather.
In readiness for
the 1966 World Cup Finals, work started on the magnificent Cantilever
Stand in 1964. Upon its completion, at a cost of £350,000, there remained
only one part of the ground still uncovered, the Scoreboard end. In 1973,
that was rectified and the next major improvement was the replacement of
the Main Stand roof with a cantilever.
Three World Cup
matches, in group Three, were played at Old Trafford in 1966, 40 years
after the first full International was staged there….the 1926
England-Scotland match which the Scots won 1-0.
Bradford City won
their one and only FA Cup Final when they beat Newcastle 1-0 in their
replayed Final of 1911 at Old Trafford. In 1970, Chelsea beat Leeds to win
the Cup at Old Trafford , the first time a Wembley Final had to be
replayed.
United’s ground had
been chosen for only one Cup Final, replays excepted, and that was the
1915 game between Sheffield United and Chelsea. It was called the ‘Khaki
Final’ because many of the 49,557 crowd were soldiers either on leave, or
about to embark for the trenches. The choice of Old Trafford for that game
ended the 19-year dominance of the Crystal Palace as the Cup Final venue.
Recent rebuilding
work at the Stretford end, and the erection of the mammoth North Stand,
has now increased the capacity to over 67,500. Even so, all home games are
sold-out well in advance.
MANCHESTER UNITED AT OLD TRAFFORD
United moved to Old
Trafford from Bank Street, Clayton, in February 1910. The first match was
played against Liverpool on 19th February in front of a crowd
of 45,000.
Today the ground
holds over 67,000. As well as being United's home, the ground has played
host to rugby, pop concerts, Songs of Praise and a World Title boxing
match.
MUNICH CLOCK
First erected in
the 1960's to commemorate the Munich air disaster, the clock has been
moved to various locations around the ground. It's still keeping time
today, but on the 30th anniversary of the disaster, the clock
stopped at exactly 4 minutes past 3, the time the disaster occurred.
SIR MATT BUSBY STATUE
A fond tribute to
the manager who laid the foundations of the Club we know today. His
innovative style and dedication created the genius of the Busby Babes. His
sheer determination overcame the tragedy of the Munich disaster and set
United back on the road to glory. This bronze statue is hollow, and
contains two bales of scarves left as a tribute by fans on his death in
1994. The Club's Player of the Year is presented with a small replica of
the statue.
THE BUSBY BABES
The Babes were the
first of three great teams built by Sir Matt Busby over 25 years as a
manager. The side featured some of the best players of their generation,
including Duncan Edwards, Roger Byrne and Bobby Charlton. The Babes made
history by being the first English team to venture into the European Cup.
Sadly, their success was to lead to their destruction- the team was
devastated in the Munich air disaster on their way home from Belgrade in
February 1958. Busby and Charlton survived, and Sir Matt returned to
rebuild the team that went on to win the European Cup in 1968.
THE OLD PLAYERS' TUNNEL
Originally built in
1910, the tunnel slopes very steeply, so players used to run out onto the
pitch. Sir Alex Ferguson, his staff and substitutes sit above it during
matches for a better view of the match.
PLAYERS' DRESSING ROOM
With room for 22
players, the dressing room is equipped with a spa pool, baths, showers and
toilets. There is also an adjoining warm-up room. A video system is on
hand for the team to discuss any last-minute tactics. The kit manager lays
out the strip before the match, and takes it away to be washed in the
Club's on-site laundry afterwards. The visitors' dressing-room is more
basic, as the teams arrive shortly before kick-off and leave soon after
the match. Nearby is the players' lounge, where the team can relax before
and after the game with their families.
PITCH CARE
No one is allowed
on the pitch except for players and ground staff. It is sown with four
different varieties of seed and the goal-mouths are regularly re-turfed
with specially-grown turf. There are three underground springs, so the
pitch is always well-watered, even in a drought. All the water is recycled
and contained in a 55,000 gallon tank under the East Stand. In case of
frost, there are miles of heating pipes that defrost the pitch. The system
can be cranked up high enough to melt snow if necessary.
STADIUM CONTROL ROOM
With 67,000
capacity, safety and security are paramount. The control room houses 27
screens linked to sophisticated cameras around the ground. The cameras can
zoom in and pick out an individual face in the crowd. On one occasion, an
escaped convict was spotted in the new North Stand by an eagle-eyed
policeman. The turnstiles and perimeter security gates are monitored from
here too, controlling the flow of people in and out of the ground. There
is a full medical team on hand for emergencies, and three detention cells
if required. Not surprisingly, Old Trafford is one of the safest grounds
in the country.
TRIVIA
The Stadium has its
own micro-climate. Temperatures can vary by as much as 5°
from the North to the South Stand.
There are 4,000
tons of steel and 4,500 tonnes of concrete in the North Stand.
The plastic sheets
in the roof of the South Stand were installed to give the pitch more
sunlight.
The record
attendance is 76,962 at an FA Cup Semi-Final in 1939. United weren't
involved, it was Wolves v Grimsby.
Russian team Rotor
Volgograd liked the pitch so much, they took home eight sacks of grass
seed.
The scoreboard is
sited in the East Stand. It once showed the highest-ever score in a
Premiership match, when United beat Ipswich 9-0.
The North Stand has
the largest cantilevered roof in Europe.
At an average home
match, 10,000 Manchester United pies are eaten, washed down with 2,500
gallons of Cola, tea, and coffee.
|
