Manchester United has confirmed that work has begun on the expansion of rail seating at Old Trafford, with 6,000 additional safe standing seats being installed in Tier 2 of the Stretford End. The project is set to double the current provision of rail seats inside the stadium, with the football club’s aim to boost the matchday atmosphere while also improving safety.
Manchester United FC said this installation of safe standing seats will make “Old Trafford one of the Premier League’s leading venues for safe standing”.
When will the Old Trafford safe-standing seat expansion be complete?
The first phase of seats will be in place for Manchester United’s upcoming fixture against Sunderland on Saturday 4th October. However, the section will remain licensed as seated for that game until the installation is completed and formally approved by the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA).
The club expects the installation work to be finished by the end of October, though formal approval from the SGSA to use the area as safe standing may follow at a later date.
New 100,000-seater stadium
While additional safe standing seats are being installed, Manchester United is planning to build a new £2bn stadium, with as many as 100,000 seats – beating Wembley Stadium’s capacity of 90,000. Conceptual images and scaled models of what the new stadium and surrounding area could look like were unveiled by Foster + Partners, the architecture group appointed to design the stadium district, earlier this year.
Foster + Partners say the new stadium would feature an umbrella design and a new public plaza that is “twice the size of Trafalgar Square“. The design will feature three masts described as “the trident”, which the architects say will be 200 metres high and visible from 25 miles away.
Once construction is complete, the club’s existing Old Trafford home will be demolished – it has been Manchester United’s home since 1910.