Old Trafford - the official home ground of Manchester United completes 100 years this month. The centenary time for this glorious ground has also seen it become the home to the England team between 2000 and 2007 while Wembley was redeveloped.
Manchester United legend Sir Bobby Charlton called their Old Trafford home ‘The Theatre of Dreams’ and the name has stuck. The Red Devils played their first game at OT on February 19, 1910 - when visitors Liverpool won 4-3.
The old Bank Street used to be the home ground for Manchester United then. But after winning the championship in 1908 and the FA Cup the following year, chairman John Henry Davies thought of developing a bigger and a better stadium. John Henry Davies and Archibald Leitch constructed the Old Trafford stadium for a total cost of £90,000, a huge sum 100 years ago. Following this massive investment in the club, United were dubbed ‘Moneybags United.’
The Theatre of Dreams has been United's permanent residence since 1910, with the exception of an eight-year absence from 1941 to 1949, following the bombing of the stadium in the Second World War. During this period, the club shared Maine Road with local rivals, Manchester City.
Currently, Old Trafford houses more than 75,000 spectators. OT has the second-largest capacity of any English football stadium after Wembley Stadium, the third-largest of any stadium in the United Kingdom, and the eleventh-largest in Europe. It is one of two stadiums in the country to have been given a five-star rating by UEFA.
Ken Ramsden - secretary of Manchester United, has been at Old Trafford for 50 of its 100 illustrious years and says, "There has always been a view that it should be the best."
Old Trafford is undoubtedly one of the finest football stadiums in the world. The stadium's current record attendance was recorded in 1939, when 76,962 spectators watched the FA Cup semi-final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town.
United's kit has undergone several changes as the sponsors kept on changing. My favorite United kit amongst all their football shirts is the one when Sharp Electronics became the club's first shirt sponsor during 1982-83 season.
The club museum tells of the disaster and celebrates the club’s rebirth. A statue of legendary manager Sir Matt Busby, who survived Munich to build a European Cup-winning team, dominates the stadium approach. Opposite stands a monument to the three greats of the 1960s, Charlton, Law and George Best. One day, perhaps, a statue of Sir Alex Ferguson will join them too.
The club museum tells of the disaster and celebrates the club’s rebirth. A statue of legendary manager Sir Matt Busby, who survived Munich to build a European Cup-winning team, dominates the stadium approach. Opposite stands a monument to the three greats of the 1960s, Charlton, Law and George Best. One day, perhaps, a statue of Sir Alex Ferguson will join them too.
Ultimately though, the first name anyone thinks of when Old Trafford is mentioned is Manchester United.
