It’s the neverending debate amongst sports fans: keep the historic stadium, or replace it with something new? Usually the answer is pretty clear – the new stadium often wins out. For every historic Wrigley, or Fenway, or Dodger, or Lambeau, there’s five Oakland Coliseums that just need to be replaced. Nostalgia falls by the wayside, and the shiny and new takes center stage.
But when news broke this week that the owners of Manchester United, which plays at historic Old Trafford, are thinking about building a new stadium, it certainly got our attention. Old Trafford? Home of what is arguably the most famous sporting club in the world? Being torn down and replaced? Wow… that came as a shock. Take a look at the article published over at ESPN.
The news report suggested that the ownership group wants to build a 100,000 seat stadium that would immediately become the UK’s biggest venue, eclipsing Wembley Stadium, which is essentially the football stadium capital of the world. But Wembley is in London, and Old Trafford (or its replacement) is in Manchester, so it’s hard to imagine this new venue supplanting Wembley for some of the biggest events that are held there.
Nevertheless, a new Old Trafford (New Trafford?) would be a force in the world of stadiums. With Camp Nou in Barcelona undergoing a complete renovation, Wembley having already undergone one, and new stadiums like Sofi in Los Angeles coming on line, the arms race for “World’s Greatest Venue” continues to evolve.
If you haven’t been to Old Trafford, we can tell you: it’s old (114 years old, to be exact). And its evolution is fascinating. And seeing a match there is pretty magical, much in the same way that it is at places like Wrigley and Fenway (not to mention how much we love Manchester as a destination). If you’re interested in reading about it, check out Manchester United’s website, which offers a timeline of its development.
As of now, this is all speculative – there isn’t one penny (or quid) of financing allocated to a new stadium. Which means if you haven’t been to Old Trafford, but want to see the “Theatre of Dreams,” you should still have plenty of time. But European sports adventures don’t just come together overnight, and can take some people years to plan. Although we aren’t scared of anything happening in the short or medium term, we think this news is reason enough to get Old Trafford on your schedule for a visit, ideally in the next 3-4 years. And while you’re there, you’ll of course want to check out Etihad Stadium (Manchester City), Anfield (Liverpool), and the new Everton stadium (assuming it ever gets completed). We absolutely love heading to the northern hinterland of England for football, and if stadiums and football are your things, you undoubtedly would too.
