184-534: The Emirates Stadium (known as Arsenal Stadium for UEFA competitions) is a football stadium in Holloway, London , England. It has been the home stadium of Arsenal Football Club since its completion in 2006. Arsenal 's women's team made the stadium their home in 2024. It has a current seated capacity of 60,704, making it one of the largest football stadiums in England by capacity . In 1997, Arsenal explored
368-520: A music venue which increases the maximum capacity to 72,000. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band became the first band to play a concert at the stadium on 30 May 2008. They played a second gig the following night. British band Coldplay played three concerts at the Emirates in the June 2012, having sold out the first two dates within 30 minutes of going on sale. They were the first band to sell out
552-933: A "Wembley of the North " on the same site, potentially being funded by the government's Levelling Up program. Old Trafford has played host to both codes of rugby football , although league is played there with greater regularity than union . Old Trafford has hosted every Rugby League Premiership Final since the 1986–87 season , in addition to the competition's successor, the Super League Grand Final from 1998. The first league match to be held at Old Trafford came in November 1958, with Salford playing against Leeds under floodlights in front of 8,000 spectators. The first rugby league Test match played at Old Trafford came in 1986, when Australia beat Great Britain 38–16 in front of 50,583 spectators in
736-552: A 5% stake in Arsenal for £47 million. As part of the acquisition, Granada became the premier media agent for Arsenal, handling advertising, sponsorship, merchandising, publishing and licensing agreements. The club's managing director Keith Edelman confirmed in a statement that the investment would be used directly to fund for the new stadium. The collapse of ITV Digital (part-owned by Granada) in April 2002 coincided with news that
920-565: A United league match, as 70,504 spectators watched the Red Devils lose 3–1 to Aston Villa . The ground hosted its first international football match later that decade, when England lost 1–0 to Scotland in front of 49,429 spectators on 17 April 1926. Unusually, the record attendance at Old Trafford is not for a Manchester United home game. Instead, on 25 March 1939, 76,962 people watched an FA Cup semi-final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town . In 1936, as part of
1104-545: A biennial charity match initially organised by singer Robbie Williams and actor Jonathan Wilkes ; however, in 2008, the match was played at Wembley Stadium. On 27 March 2021, Old Trafford hosted its first game of the Manchester United women's team , with West Ham United as the opposition in the Women's Super League . Exactly one year on, Manchester United's women's team face Everton at Old Trafford in front of
1288-541: A clock above the newly renamed Clock End which was unveiled in a league match against Blackpool . In April 2011, Arsenal renamed two bridges near the stadium in honour of club directors Ken Friar and Danny Fiszman . As part of the club's 125 anniversary celebrations in December 2011, Arsenal unveiled three statues of former captain Tony Adams , record goalscorer Thierry Henry and manager Herbert Chapman outside of
1472-412: A competitive game at Old Trafford in the post-War era was 11,968, as United beat Fulham 3–0 on 29 April 1950. However, on 7 May 1921, the ground hosted a Second Division match between Stockport County and Leicester City for which the official attendance was just 13. This figure is slightly misleading as the ground also contained many of the 10,000 spectators who had stayed behind after watching
1656-475: A compulsory purchase order in support of the scheme. The stadium later became issue in the local elections in May 2006. The Metropolitan Police restricted supporters' coaches to being parked in the nearby Sobel Sports Centre rather than in the underground stadium car park , and restricted access to 14 streets on match days. These police restrictions were conditions of the stadiums' health and safety certificate which
1840-457: A cost of £20 million. The rework significantly reduced the stadium's capacity, from 57,000 at the beginning of the decade to under 40,000. High ticket prices to serve the club's existing debts and low attendance figures forced Arsenal to explore the possibility of building a larger stadium in 1997. The club wanted to attract an evergrowing fanbase and financially compete with the biggest clubs in England. By comparison, Manchester United enjoyed
2024-415: A cost of £350,000. The architects of the new stand, Mather and Nutter (now Atherden Fuller), rearranged the organisation of the stand to have terracing at the front, a larger seated area towards the back, and the first private boxes at a British football ground. The east stand – the only remaining uncovered stand – was developed in the same style in 1973. With the first two stands converted to cantilevers,
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#17327719024992208-459: A crowd for the first time (the 2021 game was behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic ). A crowd of 20,241 attended the match, marking the highest home attendance of the women's team, and saw Manchester United come out with a 3–1 victory. On 6 July 2022, Old Trafford hosted the opening match of UEFA Women's Euro 2022 between England and Austria , in front of a record attendance for
2392-412: A deal with Sony , the stadium was the first in the world to incorporate HDTV streaming. In the north-west and south-east corners of the stadium are two giant screens suspended from the roof. The pitch is 105 by 68 metres (115 by 74 yd) in size and the total grass area at Emirates is 113 by 76 metres (124 by 83 yd). Like Highbury, it runs north–south, with the players' tunnel and the dugouts on
2576-611: A feat that is no longer possible for any team that did not win the Cup Winners' Cup. There are currently eight teams throughout Europe that have won two of the three trophies; all but one have won the Cup Winners' Cup, four require a win in the Champions League and four require a UEFA Europa League win. Until the first staging of the UEFA Europa Conference League in 2022, Juventus of Italy was
2760-464: A huddle embracing the stadium: Around the lower concourse of the stadium are additional murals depicting 12 "greatest moments" in Arsenal history, voted for by a poll on the club's website. Prior to the start of the 2010–11 season, Arsenal renamed the coloured seating quadrants of the ground as the East Stand, West Stand, North Bank, and Clock End. Akin to Highbury, this involved the installation of
2944-511: A long and well-established tradition in the European futsal community, dating back to 1984, was never recognised as official by UEFA. There was an attempt to create a Europa League-style second tier women's club competition, which began in discussion in 2021. In December 2023, the attempt came into a fruition, with the first edition of the competition to be played in 2025–26. Old Trafford Old Trafford ( / ˈ t r æ f ər d / )
3128-498: A minimum of £1 million each year as a royalty payment , contingent on sales. Funding for the stadium was secured in February 2004. Later in the year Emirates bought naming rights for the stadium, in a 15-year deal estimated at £100 million that also included a 7-year shirt sponsorship, starting in the 2006–07 season. Emirates and Arsenal agreed to a new deal worth £150 million in November 2012, and shirt-sponsorship
3312-405: A new Premier League record. The record continued to be pushed upwards before reaching its current peak on 31 March 2007, when 76,098 spectators saw United beat Blackburn Rovers 4–1, meaning that just 114 seats (0.15% of the total capacity of 76,212) were left unoccupied. In 2009, a reorganisation of the seating in the stadium resulted in a reduction of the capacity by 255 to 75,957, meaning that
3496-617: A new stadium. Not one to spend money frivolously, Davies scouted around Manchester for an appropriate site, before settling on a patch of land adjacent to the Bridgewater Canal , just off the north end of the Warwick Road in Old Trafford . Designed by Scottish architect Archibald Leitch , who designed several other stadia, the ground was originally designed with a capacity of 100,000 spectators and featured seating in
3680-558: A no-score draw after extra time . Bradford won 1–0, the goal scored by Jimmy Speirs , in a match watched by 58,000 people. The ground's second FA Cup Final was the 1915 final between Sheffield United and Chelsea . Sheffield United won the match 3–0 in front of nearly 50,000 spectators, most of whom were in the military, leading to the final being nicknamed "the Khaki Cup Final". On 27 December 1920, Old Trafford played host to its largest pre-Second World War attendance for
3864-462: A panel including club statistician Cliff Butler, journalist David Meek , and former players Pat Crerand and Wilf McGuinness . At Old Trafford itself, an art competition was run for pupils from three local schools to create their own depictions of the stadium in the past, present and future. Winning paintings were put on permanent display on the concourse of the Old Trafford family stand, and
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#17327719024994048-555: A passenger lift as well as service access. Façades are either glazed or woven between the cores which allows visitors on the podium to see inside the stadium. The glass and steel construction was devised by Populous to give an impression that the stadium sparkles in sunlight and glows in the night. The upper and lower parts of the stadium feature standard seating. The stadium has two levels below ground that house its support facilities such as commercial kitchens, changing rooms and press and education centres. The main middle tier, known as
4232-544: A price of between £ 1,000 to £1,500, the 150-year bond was criticised by supporters, who argued it potentially blocked the participation of those less well-off from supporting Arsenal. A campaign directed by the Independent Arsenal Supporters' Association brought relative success as only a third of all bonds were sold. The North Bank was the final stand to be refurbished. It opened in August 1993 at
4416-474: A programme of "Arsenalisation" of the Emirates Stadium after listening to feedback from supporters in a forum. The intention was to turn the stadium into a "visible stronghold of all things Arsenal through a variety of artistic and creative means", led by Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis . Among the first changes were white seats installed in the pattern of the club's trademark cannon, located in
4600-595: A quarter-final and a semi-final at Euro 96 . The club purchased the Trafford Park trading estate, a 20-acre (81,000 m ) site on the other site of United Road, for £9.2 million in March 1995. Construction began in June 1995 and was completed by May 1996, with the first two of the three phases of the stand opening during the season. Designed by Atherden Fuller, with Hilstone Laurie as project and construction managers and Campbell Reith Hill as structural engineers,
4784-477: A rise in gate receipts; the club went from £43.9 million in 1994 to £87.9 million in 1997 because of Old Trafford 's expansion. Arsenal's initial proposal to rebuild Highbury was met with disapproval from local residents, as it required the demolition of 25 neighbouring houses. It later became problematic once the East Stand of the stadium was granted Grade II listing in July 1997. After much consultation,
4968-404: A second tier, and that meant the demolition of the megastore. The store was moved to a temporary site opposite the East Stand, before taking up a 17,000 square feet (1,600 m ) permanent residence in the ground floor of the expanded East Stand in 2000. The floor space of the megastore was owned by United's kit sponsors, Nike , who operated the store until the expiry of their sponsorship deal at
5152-410: A spread of 22 basis points over LIBOR . It was the first publicly marketed, asset-backed bond issue by a European football club. The effective interest rate on these bonds is 5.14% and 5.97%, respectively, and are due to be paid back over a 25-year period; the move to bonds has reduced the club's annual debt service cost to approximately £20 million a year. In September 2010, Arsenal announced that
5336-476: A ten-minute walk away. The Emirates Stadium is the only football stadium that stands beside the East Coast Main Line between London and Edinburgh and is just over 2 miles from London King's Cross. Driving to the Emirates Stadium is strongly discouraged as there are strict matchday parking restrictions in operation around the stadium. An hour before kick-off to one hour after the final whistle there
5520-480: A third level and increasing capacity to around 80,000. Replication of the corner stands on the other side of the stadium would further increase its capacity to 88,000 and increase the number of executive facilities. Housing on Railway Road and the railway line itself have previously impeded improvements to the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand, but the demolition of housing and engineering advances mean that
5704-540: A week from November to March. In the mid-1980s, when Manchester United Football Club owned the Manchester Giants , Manchester's basketball franchise, there were plans to build a 9,000-seater indoor arena on the site of what is now Car Park E1. However, the chairman at the time, Martin Edwards , did not have the funds to take on such a project, and the basketball franchise was eventually sold. In August 2009,
Emirates Stadium - Misplaced Pages Continue
5888-626: A £35,000 refurbishment, an 80-yard-long roof was added to the United Road stand (now the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand) for the first time, while roofs were added to the south corners in 1938. Upon the outbreak of the Second World War , Old Trafford was requisitioned by the military to be used as a depot. Football continued to be played at the stadium, but a German bombing raid on Trafford Park on 22 December 1940 damaged
6072-669: Is a football stadium in Old Trafford , Greater Manchester , England, and is the home of Manchester United . With a capacity of 74,310, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wembley Stadium ) in the United Kingdom, and the twelfth-largest in Europe . It is about 0.5 miles (800 m) from Old Trafford Cricket Ground and the adjacent tram stop . Nicknamed "The Theatre of Dreams" by Bobby Charlton , Old Trafford has been United's home ground since 1910, although from 1941 to 1949
6256-518: Is a complete ban on vehicle movement on a number of the surrounding roads, except for Islington residents and businesses with a road closure access permit. The parking restrictions mean that the stadium is highly dependent on the Underground service, particularly when there is no overground service in operation. The stadium opens to ticket holders two hours before kick-off. The main club shop, named 'The Armoury', and ticket offices are located near
6440-434: Is a strategic plan for the stadium ... It is not our intention to stand still". In March 2016 (ten years after the previous redevelopment), talk of the redevelopment of the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand re-emerged. In order to meet accessibility standards at the stadium, an £11 million investment was made into upgrading its facilities, creating 118 new wheelchair positions and 158 new amenity seats in various areas around
6624-531: Is also regularly used for private functions, particularly weddings, Christmas parties and business conferences. The first wedding at the ground was held in the Premier Suite in February 1996. The highest attendance recorded at Old Trafford was 76,962 for an FA Cup semi-final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town on 25 March 1939. However, this was before the ground was converted to an all-seater stadium, allowing many more people to fit into
6808-478: Is an underground heating system, composed of 23 miles (37 km) of plastic pipes. Former club manager Alex Ferguson often requested that the pitch be relaid, most notably half-way through the 1998–99 season, when the team won the Treble , at a cost of about £250,000 each time. The grass at Old Trafford is watered regularly, though less on wet days, and mowed three times a week between April and November, and once
6992-561: Is composed of; President Vice-presidents Members General secretary Deputy general secretary Treasurer Head of club competitions and calendar Head of national competitions National teams: Clubs: Amateur: Defunct National teams: Clubs: Amateur: UEFA runs official international competitions in Europe and some countries of Northern , Southwestern and Central Asia for national teams and professional clubs, known as UEFA competitions , some of which are regarded as
7176-503: Is likely to cost around £100 million, due to the proximity of the railway line that runs adjacent to the stadium, and the corresponding need to build over it and thus purchase up to 50 houses on the other side of the railway. Nevertheless, the Manchester United group property manager confirmed that expansion plans are in the pipeline – linked to profits made from the club's property holdings around Manchester – saying "There
7360-410: Is located on the east side of Sir Matt Busby Way and on the opposite side of the Bridgewater Canal from the stadium, and can accommodate up to 1,500 supporters. It opened in the summer of 2015. The venture is conducted separately from the club and was funded in part by proceeds from Neville's testimonial match. In 2009, it was reported that United continued to harbour plans to increase the capacity of
7544-417: Is nearly as high as the revenue from the entire stadium at Highbury. The upper tier is contoured to leave open space in the corners of the ground, and the roof is significantly canted inwards. Both of these features are meant to provide as much airflow and sunlight to the pitch as possible. Supporters in the upper tier on one side of the ground are unable to see supporters in the upper tier opposite. As part of
Emirates Stadium - Misplaced Pages Continue
7728-491: Is served by a number of London Underground stations and bus routes. Arsenal station is the closest for the northern portion of the stadium accessed via the Ken Friar bridge, with Highbury & Islington station servicing the southern end. While Holloway Road station is the closest to the southern portion, it is entry-only before matches and exit-only afterwards to prevent overcrowding. Drayton Park station , adjacent to
7912-674: Is the UEFA Europa League . This competition, for national knockout cup winners and high-placed league teams, was launched by UEFA in 1971 as a successor of both the former UEFA Cup and the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (also began in 1955). A third competition, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup , which started in 1960, was absorbed into the UEFA Cup (now UEFA Europa League) in 1999. In December 2018, UEFA announced
8096-482: Is the UEFA Futsal Championship and UEFA Under-19 Futsal Championship . Despite the existence of UEFA's Futsal and Beach soccer committee, UEFA does not organise any beach soccer competitions. International and club beach soccer competitions for UEFA members are organised externally by Beach Soccer Worldwide . The Italian , German , Spanish , French and Russian men's national teams are
8280-488: Is the most commonly referred to today. The K Stand fans were renowned for their vocal support for the club, and a large array of chants and songs, though many of them have relocated to the second tier of the Stretford End. The East Stand has a tinted glass façade, behind which the club's administrative centre is located. These offices are the home to the staff of Inside United, the official Manchester United magazine,
8464-631: Is the only remaining part of the original 1910 stadium, having survived the bombing that destroyed much of the stadium during the Second World War. On 6 February 2008, the tunnel was renamed the Munich Tunnel, as a memorial for the 50th anniversary of the 1958 Munich air disaster . The current tunnel is in the South-West corner of the ground, and doubles as an entrance for the emergency services. If large vehicles require access, then
8648-802: Is the second tournament of UEFA and was introduced in 2018. The tournament largely replaced the international friendly matches previously played on the FIFA International Match Calendar. It will be played every two years. UEFA also runs national competitions at Under-21 , Under-19 and Under-17 levels. For women's national teams, UEFA operates the UEFA Women's Championship for senior national sides as well as Women's Under-19 and Women's Under-17 Championships. Intercontinental national teams: Defunct Intercontinental clubs: Defunct Beside continental European competitions for national and their junior teams,
8832-504: Is unrivalled in the world, it is an honour to Manchester and the home of a team who can do wonders when they are so disposed". Before the construction of Wembley Stadium in 1923, the FA Cup Final was hosted by a number of different grounds around England including Old Trafford. The first of these was the 1911 FA Cup Final replay between Bradford City and Newcastle United , after the original tie at Crystal Palace finished as
9016-492: The 1966 FIFA World Cup fast approaching, at which the stadium would host three group matches, this prompted the United directors to completely redesign the United Road (north) stand. The old roof pillars were replaced in 1965 with modern-style cantilevering on top of the roof, allowing every spectator a completely unobstructed view, while it was also expanded to hold 20,000 spectators (10,000 seated and 10,000 standing in front) at
9200-490: The 1994–95 season. Arsenal , like many other clubs, experienced difficulty raising income for converted terraced areas. At the end of the 1990–91 season, the club introduced a bond scheme which offered supporters the right to purchase a season ticket at its renovated North Bank stand of Highbury . The board felt this was the only viable option after considering other proposals; they did not want to compromise on traditions nor curb manager George Graham 's transfer dealings. At
9384-707: The 2003 UEFA Champions League Final between Milan and Juventus . From 2001 to 2007, following the demolition of the old Wembley Stadium, the England national football team was forced to play its games elsewhere. During that time, the team toured the country, playing their matches at various grounds from Villa Park in Birmingham to St James' Park in Newcastle . In that period, Old Trafford hosted 14 of England's 34 home matches, more than any other stadium. The latest international to be held at Old Trafford
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#17327719024999568-904: The 2012 Summer Olympics and UEFA Women's Euro 2022 . The stadium also hosted the 2003 Champions League Final . Outside football, the stadium is used occasionally for rugby league . It has been the venue for the Rugby Football League 's annual Super League Grand Final , and previously Premiership Final , since 1987. In addition, it has been a host venue for five editions of the Rugby League World Cup - 1995 , 2000 , 2013 , and 2021 (men's and women's) . Before 1902, Manchester United were known as Newton Heath, during which time they first played their football matches at North Road and then Bank Street in Clayton . However, both grounds were blighted by wretched conditions,
9752-626: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) were also admitted to the European football association, such as Israel (because it had been banned from the AFC group in 1974) and Kazakhstan. Involving clubs, some UEFA member associations allow teams from outside their association's main territory to take part in their "domestic" competition, for example, AS Monaco in the French League, Welsh clubs Cardiff City or Swansea City in
9936-577: The Court of Arbitration for Sport , which upheld the ban. On 26 September 2023 the ban was lifted for the Russia U-17 team enabling them to complete in the 2024 Euro U-17 with UEFA saying "by banning children from our competitions, we not only fail to recognise and uphold a fundamental right for their holistic development but we directly discriminate against them". The lifting of the ban also applied to all teams, men and women, of underage players. This
10120-547: The Highbury Square development – one of the main sources of income to reduce the stadium debt – was now debt free and making revenue. When Arsenal moved to the Emirates Stadium, the club prioritised repaying the loans over strengthening the playing squad. Arsenal's self-sustaining model relied heavily on qualifying for the UEFA Champions League ; as Wenger recalled in 2016: "We had to be three years in
10304-646: The Islington Council . The stadium additionally has facilities for fans with disabilities including a Guide Dog Toilet facility, a Disabled Supporters Match Day Lounge, Changing Places Toilet facilities which includes a hoist and changing table. In September 2017, Arsenal opened a sensory room at the stadium for the fans. There are 241 wheelchair accessible seats within the Emirates Stadium. The Emirates Stadium pays tribute to Arsenal's former home, Highbury. The club's offices are officially called Highbury House, located north-east of Emirates Stadium, and house
10488-502: The Northern City railway line connecting the stadium to Drayton Park were also built; these were completed in August 2004. The stadium topped out in August 2005 and external glazing, power and water tank installation was completed by December 2005. The first seat in the new stadium was ceremonially installed on 13 March 2006 by Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby . DD GrassMaster was selected as the pitch installer and Hewitt Sportsturf
10672-531: The UEFA European Championship , UEFA Nations League , UEFA Champions League , UEFA Europa League , UEFA Conference League , and UEFA Super Cup , and also controls the prize money, regulations, as well as media rights to those competitions. Henri Delaunay acted as the first general secretary and Ebbe Schwartz as the first president . The current president is Aleksander Čeferin , a former Football Association of Slovenia president, who
10856-580: The UEFA Women's Champions League for club teams. The competition was first held in 2001, and was known as the UEFA Women's Cup until 2009. The UEFA Super Cup pits the winners of the Champions League against the winners of the Europa League (previously the winners of the Cup Winners' Cup), and came into being in 1973. The UEFA Intertoto Cup was a summer competition, previously operated by several Central European football associations, which
11040-494: The War Damage Commission granted Manchester United £4,800 to remove the debris and £17,478 to rebuild the stands. During the reconstruction of the stadium, Manchester United played their "home" games at Maine Road , the home of their cross-town rivals, Manchester City , at a cost of £5,000 a year plus a percentage of the gate receipts. The club was now £15,000 in debt, not helped by the rental of Maine Road, and
11224-547: The match , which Manchester United were unable to accommodate. The first rugby union match to be played at Old Trafford was held during the 1924–25 New Zealand rugby union tour of Britain, Ireland and France , when a Lancashire representative side hosted the New Zealand national team , with Manchester United receiving 20 per cent of the gate receipts. Old Trafford hosted its first rugby union international in 1997, when New Zealand defeated England 25–8. A second match
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#173277190249911408-598: The transcontinental countries of Turkey , Azerbaijan , Georgia and Kazakhstan , as well as the West Asian countries of Cyprus , Armenia and Israel . UEFA consists of 55 national association members . Since 2022, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine , FIFA and UEFA suspended all Russian national teams and clubs from any FIFA and UEFA competitions. UEFA consists of the national football associations of Europe, and runs national and club competitions including
11592-470: The " Club Level ", is premium priced and also includes the director's box. There are 7,139 seats at this level, which are sold on licences lasting from one to four years. Immediately above the club tier there is a small circle consisting of 150 boxes of 10, 12 and 15 seats. The total number of spectators at this level is 2,222. The high demand for tickets, as well as the relative wealth of their London fans, means revenue from premium seating and corporate boxes
11776-631: The "biggest decision in Arsenal's history" since the board appointed Herbert Chapman in the 1920s. Relocation plans began in 2002, but financial difficulties delayed work until 2004. Emirates was later announced as the main sponsor for the stadium. The entire stadium project was completed in 2006 at a cost of £390 million. The club's former stadium was redeveloped as Highbury Square , an apartment complex. The quality of Arsenal's pitch and groundsmanship have been recognised internationally and lead to it being nicknamed "the Carpet" by matchgoing fans and
11960-804: The 1980s, following incidents of hooliganism , and disasters such as the Bradford City stadium fire and the Heysel Stadium disaster in 1985, and the Hillsborough disaster in 1989. The Taylor Report into the Hillsborough tragedy was finalised in January 1990 and recommended the removal of terraces (standing areas) in favour of seating. Under the amended Football Spectators Act 1989 , it became compulsory for first and second tier English clubs to have their stadia all-seated in time for
12144-519: The 1990s saw Great Britain record their only win over Australia at the ground in 1997 in the second test of the Super League Test series in front of 40,324 fans. When the Rugby League World Cup was hosted by Great Britain, Ireland and France in 2000 , Old Trafford was chosen as the venue for the final; the match was contested by Australia and New Zealand, and resulted in a 40–12 win for Australia, watched by 44,329 spectators. Old Trafford
12328-495: The Ashburton Grove development. The council also consented to the transfer of the existing waste recycling plant in Ashburton Grove to Lough Road. Livingstone approved the plans a month later, and it was then motioned to then-Transport Secretary Stephen Byers , who initially delayed making a final decision. He had considered whether to refer the scheme to a public inquiry, but eventually decided not to. Planning permission
12512-406: The Champions League out of five and have an average of 54,000 people, and we didn't know we would be capable of that." The club sold several experienced players throughout the late 2000s and early 2010s and raised ticket prices, upsetting supporters who have called for change. Wenger took umbrage over criticism and revealed the bank loans were contingent on his commitment to the club: "The banks wanted
12696-523: The Cheshire Lines Committee turned the proposal down. The CLC had planned to build a new station adjacent to the new stadium, with the promise of an anticipated £2,750 per annum in fares offsetting the £9,800 cost of building the station. The station – Trafford Park – was eventually built, but further down the line than originally planned. The CLC later constructed a modest station with one timber-built platform immediately adjacent to
12880-551: The Danny fiszman Bridge is shut on matchdays as the rail services to this station do not operate at weekends nor after 10 pm. £7.6 million was set aside in the planning permission for upgrading Drayton Park and Holloway Road; however Transport for London decided not to upgrade either station, in favour of improvement works at the interchanges at Highbury & Islington and Finsbury Park stations, both of which are served by Underground and National Rail services and are approximately
13064-478: The East Stand. Opened in January 2000, the stadium's capacity was temporarily increased to about 61,000 until the opening of the West Stand's second tier, which added yet another 7,000 seats, bringing the capacity to 68,217. It was now not only the biggest club stadium in England but the biggest in all of the United Kingdom. Old Trafford hosted its first major European final three years later, playing host to
13248-416: The Emirates Stadium as of December 2022 is 60,383, for a Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 2 November 2019. The lowest attendance at the ground is believed to be 25,909 for a match against FC BATE Borisov in the UEFA Europa League on 7 December 2017, however the official attendance for the game is recorded as 54,648. The first player to score at the Emirates in a competitive fixture
13432-526: The Emirates Stadium is a four-tiered bowl with translucent polycarbonate roofing over the stands, but not over the pitch. The underside is clad with metallic panels and the roof is supported by four triangular trusses, made of welded tubular steel. Two trusses span 200 metres (660 ft) in a north–south direction while a further two span an east–west direction. The trusses are supported by the stadium's vertical concrete cores, eight of which connected to them by steel tripods. They in turn each house four stairways,
13616-432: The Emirates Stadium was by seven goals, achieved with a 7–0 win over Slavia Prague in the group stages of the UEFA Champions League on 23 October 2007. Their biggest margin of defeat at the ground was by four goals, when they were beaten 5–1 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League round of 16, second leg on 7 March 2017. Robin van Persie has scored the most goals at the Emirates Stadium with 64. The Emirates Stadium
13800-728: The English League, or Derry City , situated in Northern Ireland, plays in the Republic of Ireland-based League of Ireland . On 28 February 2022, due to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and in accordance with a recommendation by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the UEFA suspended the participation of Russia. The Russian Football Union unsuccessfully appealed the UEFA ban to
13984-553: The Labour MP for Stoke, Ellis Smith , petitioned the Government to increase the club's compensation package, but it was in vain. Though Old Trafford was reopened, albeit without cover, in 1949, it meant that a league game had not been played at the stadium for nearly 10 years. United's first game back at Old Trafford was played on 24 August 1949, as 41,748 spectators witnessed a 3–0 victory over Bolton Wanderers . A roof
14168-489: The North Section of cricket 's Lambert & Butler Floodlit Competition was played there; in the semi-finals, Nottinghamshire defeated Derbyshire and Lancashire beat Yorkshire , before Lancashire beat Nottinghamshire by 8 runs in the final to reach the national final, played between the other regional winners at Stamford Bridge the next day. In October 1993, a WBC – WBO Super-Middleweight unification fight
14352-524: The Old Trafford pitch. With every subsequent improvement made to the ground since the Second World War, the capacity steadily declined. By the 1980s, the capacity had dropped from the original 80,000 to approximately 60,000. The capacity dropped still further in 1990, when the Taylor Report recommended, and the government demanded that all First and Second Division stadia be converted to all-seaters . This meant that £3–5 million plans to replace
14536-578: The Sir Bobby Charlton Stand, with the club's in-house television station, MUTV , in the East studio and other television stations, such as the BBC and Sky , in the West studio. The dugout is in the centre of the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand, raised above pitch level to give the manager and his coaches an elevated view of the game. Each team's dugout flanks the old players' tunnel, which was used until 1993. The old tunnel
14720-401: The Stretford End in 2000, many fans from the old "K Stand" moved there, and decided to hang banners and flags from the barrier at the front of the tier. So ingrained in Manchester United culture is the Stretford End, that Denis Law was given the nickname "King of the Stretford End", and there is now a statue of Law on the concourse of the stand's upper tier. The East Stand at Old Trafford was
14904-430: The Stretford End with a brand new stand with an all-standing terrace at the front and a cantilever roof to link with the rest of the ground had to be drastically altered. This forced redevelopment, including the removal of the terraces at the front of the other three stands, not only increased the cost to around £10 million, but also reduced the capacity of Old Trafford to an all-time low of around 44,000. In addition,
15088-548: The UEFA organizes various qualification male and female tournaments among European national and their junior teams for World Cups (organized by FIFA) and Olympics (organized by IOC). UEFA also organised the UEFA–CAF Meridian Cup with CAF for youth teams in an effort to boost youth football. UEFA launched the UEFA Regions' Cup , for semi-professional teams representing their local region, in 1999. In futsal there
15272-539: The West Stand, with other an additional store at the base of the North Bank Bridge, named 'All Arsenal' and the 'Arsenal Store' next to Finsbury Park station. Arsenal operates an electronic ticketing system where members of 'The Arsenal' (the club's fan membership scheme) use their membership cards to enter the stadium, thus removing the need for turnstile operators. Non-members are issued with one-off paper tickets embedded with an RFID tag allowing them to enter
15456-695: The Women's European Championships of 68,871 – the second highest women's football attendance in the United Kingdom. Old Trafford was included in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland 's shortlist of stadiums to host UEFA Euro 2028 however was not included on the final list of 10. The Old Trafford pitch is surrounded by four covered all-seater stands, officially known as the Sir Alex Ferguson (North), East, Sir Bobby Charlton (South) and West Stands. Each stand has at least two tiers, with
15640-414: The additional tier could now be built at reduced cost. In 2018, it was reported that plans are currently on hold due to logistical issues. The extent of the work required means that any redevelopment is likely to be a multi-season project, due to the need to locate heavy machinery in areas of the stadium currently inaccessible or occupied by fans during match days and the fact that the stand currently holds
15824-511: The architects for Stadium Australia (home of the 2000 Olympics and the South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL club) and the redevelopment of Ascot Racecourse . Construction consultants Arcadis and engineering firm Buro Happold were also involved in the process. The first phase of demolition was completed by March 2004, and two months later, stand pilings on the West, East and North stands had been concluded. Two bridges over
16008-432: The building that would later become the club's merchandising office. A surge in the club's popularity in the early 1990s led to another move, this time to the forecourt of the West Stand. With this move came a great expansion and the conversion from a small shop to a "megastore". Alex Ferguson opened the new megastore on 3 December 1994. The most recent moves came in the late 1990s, as the West Stand required room to expand to
16192-482: The bust of Herbert Chapman that used to reside at Highbury. Three other busts that used to reside at Highbury of Claude Ferrier (architect of Highbury's East stand), Denis Hill-Wood (former Arsenal chairman) and manager Arsène Wenger have also been moved to Emirates Stadium and are in display in the entrance of the Diamond Club. Additionally, the clock that gave its name to the old Clock End has been resited on
16376-486: The capacity to around 88,000. The stadium's record attendance was recorded in 1939, when 76,962 spectators watched the FA Cup semi-final between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Grimsby Town . Old Trafford has hosted an FA Cup Final , two final replays and was regularly used as a neutral venue for the competition's semi-finals . It has also hosted England fixtures, and matches at the 1966 FIFA World Cup , UEFA Euro 1996 ,
16560-592: The car park became home to the Hublot clock tower, a 10-metre-tall (32 ft 10 in) tower in the shape of the Hublot logo, which houses four 2-metre-diameter (6 ft 7 in) clock faces, the largest ever made by the company. The east side of the stadium is also the site of Hotel Football , a football-themed hotel and fan clubhouse conceived by former Manchester United captain Gary Neville . The building
16744-407: The changing rooms, press boxes and TV studios. Club managing director Richard Arnold has said that "it isn't certain that there's a way of doing it which doesn't render us homeless." This would mean that Manchester United would have to leave Old Trafford for the duration of the works – and while Tottenham Hotspur were able to use the neutral Wembley Stadium for two seasons while their own new stadium
16928-545: The club abandoned its plan, deciding a capacity of 48,000 was not large enough. Arsenal then investigated the possibility of relocating to Wembley Stadium and in March 1998 made an official bid to purchase the ground. The Football Association (FA) and the English National Stadium Trust opposed Arsenal's offer, claiming it harmed England's bid for the 2006 FIFA World Cup , which FIFA itself denied. In April 1998, Arsenal withdrew its bid and Wembley
17112-482: The club shared Maine Road with local rivals Manchester City as a result of Second World War bomb damage. Old Trafford underwent several expansions in the 1990s and 2000s, including the addition of extra tiers to the North, West and East Stands, almost returning the stadium to its original capacity of 80,000. Future expansion is likely to involve the addition of a second tier to the South Stand, which would raise
17296-598: The club was told in 1992 that they would only receive £1.4 million of a possible £2 million from the Football Trust to be put towards work related to the Taylor Report. The club's resurgence in success and increase in popularity in the early 1990s ensured that further development would have to occur. In 1995, the 30-year-old North Stand was demolished and work quickly began on a new stand, to be ready in time for Old Trafford to host three group games,
17480-411: The club's home attendance record would stand at least until the next expansion. Old Trafford celebrated its 100th anniversary on 19 February 2010. In recognition of the occasion, Manchester United's official website ran a feature in which a memorable moment from the stadium's history was highlighted on each of the 100 days leading up to the anniversary. From these 100 moments, the top 10 were chosen by
17664-529: The club's official website, and its other administrative departments. Images and advertisements are often emblazoned on the front of the East Stand, most often advertising products and services provided by the club's sponsors, though a tribute to the Busby Babes was displayed in February 2008 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Munich air disaster. Above the megastore is a statue of Sir Matt Busby , who
17848-423: The club's owners devised a long-term plan to do the same to the other two stands and convert the stadium into a bowl-like arena. Such an undertaking would serve to increase the atmosphere within the ground by containing the crowd's noise and focusing it onto the pitch, where the players would feel the full effects of a capacity crowd. Meanwhile, the stadium hosted its third FA Cup Final, hosting 62,078 spectators for
18032-517: The club. A 9-foot (2.7 m) statue of Ferguson, sculpted by Philip Jackson , was erected outside the stand on 23 November 2012 in recognition of his status as Manchester United's longest-serving manager. Opposite the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand is the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand, formerly Old Trafford's main stand and previously known as the South Stand. Although only a single-tiered stand, the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand contains most of
18216-414: The company was tied in to pay £30 million once arrangements for the new stadium were finalised. In September 2002, Arsenal formulated plans to reduce its players' wage bill after making a pre-tax loss of £22.3 million for the 2001–02 financial year. The club appointed N M Rothschild & Sons to examine its financial situation and advise whether it was feasible for construction to press ahead at
18400-424: The concept of corporate sponsorship of stadium names. Due to UEFA regulations on stadium sponsors, the ground is referred to as Arsenal Stadium for European matches, which was also the official name of Highbury. Actual construction of the stadium began once Arsenal secured funding. The club appointed Sir Robert McAlpine in January 2002 to carry out building work and the stadium was designed by Populous , who were
18584-486: The context of these countries, government functions concerning sport tend to be carried at the territorial level coterminous with the UEFA member entity. UEFA have previously declined membership to those deemed as non-sovereign countries like Jersey . Some UEFA members are transcontinental states (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Turkey) and others are considered part of Europe both culturally and politically (Turkey, Cyprus and Armenia). Countries which had been members of
18768-480: The council; the football club just wants to expand to make more money." Tom Lamb, an ISCA member, was concerned about as air pollution and growing traffic, adding "that is a consequence which most Arsenal fans would never see, because they are in Islington only for about thirty days a year." Seven months after the planning application was submitted, a poll showed that 75% of respondents (2,133 residents) were against
18952-526: The creation of a third club competition, later named the UEFA Europa Conference League . The competition features 32 teams in 8 groups of 4, with a knockout round between the second placed teams in Europa Conference League and the third placed teams in the Europa League, leading to a final 16 knockout stage featuring the eight group winners. The first edition of the competition was played in 2021–2022. In women's football UEFA also conducts
19136-401: The end of July 2015, when ownership reverted to the club. The pitch at the ground measures approximately 105 metres (115 yd) long by 68 metres (74 yd) wide, with a few metres of run-off space on each side. The centre of the pitch is about nine inches higher than the edges, allowing surface water to run off more easily. As at many modern grounds, 10 inches (25 cm) under the pitch
19320-472: The end of March 2003. Although Arsenal secured a £260 million loan from a group of banks led by the Royal Bank of Scotland , the club suspended work on Ashburton Grove in April 2003, saying, "We have experienced a number of delays in arrangements for our new stadium project in recent months across a range of issues. The impact of these delays is that we will now be unable to deliver a stadium opening for
19504-557: The exception of the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand, which only has one tier due to construction restrictions. The bottom tier of each stand is split into Lower and Upper sections, the Lower sections having been converted from terracing in the early 1990s. The Sir Alex Ferguson Stand, formerly known as the United Road stand and the North Stand, runs over the top of United Road. The stand is three tiers tall, and can hold about 26,000 spectators,
19688-473: The exterior of Emirates Stadium: Victoria Concordia Crescit , Remember Who You Are , Invincible , Come To See The Arsenal , Eighteen Eighty-Six , We All Follow The Arsenal , Future Brilliance , and Found a Place Where We Belong . Aside from sporting uses, the Emirates Stadium operates as a conference centre . On 27 March 2008, it played host to a summit between British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and French President Nicolas Sarkozy , in part because
19872-464: The feasibility of building a new stadium in Ashburton Grove. Anthony Spencer, estate agent and club property adviser, recommended the area to director Danny Fiszman and vice-chairman David Dein having scoured over North London for potential areas. The land, 450 metres (490 yd) from Highbury was composed of a rubbish processing plant and industrial estate, 80% owned to varying levels by Islington Council , Railtrack and Sainsbury's . After passing
20056-458: The first of its kind in the world, the Manchester United museum was in the south-east corner of the ground until it moved to the redeveloped North Stand in 1998. The museum was opened by Pelé on 11 April 1998, since when numbers of visitors have jumped from 192,000 in 1998 to more than 300,000 visitors in 2009. The North Stand was renamed as the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand on 5 November 2011, in honour of Alex Ferguson 's 25 years as manager of
20240-606: The first significant milestone at Islington Council's planning committee, Arsenal submitted a planning application for a new-build 60,000 seater stadium in November 2000. This included a redevelopment project at Drayton Park, converting the existing ground Highbury to flats and building a new waste station in Lough Road. As part of the scheme, Arsenal intended to create 1,800 new jobs for the community and 2,300 new homes. Improvements to three railway stations, Holloway Road , Drayton Park and Finsbury Park , were included to cope with
20424-604: The first test of the 1986 Kangaroo tour . The 1989 World Club Challenge was played at Old Trafford on 4 October 1989, with 30,768 spectators watching Widnes beat the Canberra Raiders 30–18. Old Trafford also hosted the second Great Britain vs Australia Ashes tests on both the 1990 and 1994 Kangaroo Tours . The stadium also hosted the semi-final between England and Wales at the 1995 Rugby League World Cup ; England won 25–10 in front of 30,042 fans. The final rugby league international played at Old Trafford in
20608-488: The first time a football club had been invited to the palace for such an event. Interest on the £260 million debt was set at a commercial fixed rate over a 14-year period. To refinance the cost, Arsenal planned to convert the money into a 30-year bond financed by banks. The proposed bond issue went ahead in July 2006. Arsenal issued £210 million worth of 13.5-year bonds with a spread of 52 basis points over government bonds and £50 million of 7.1-year bonds with
20792-468: The football ground – in an attempt to persuade them to subsidise construction of the grandstand alongside the railway line. The subsidy would have come to the sum of £10,000, to be paid back at the rate of £2,000 per annum for five years or half of the gate receipts for the grandstand each year until the loan was repaid. However, despite guarantees for the loan coming from the club itself and two local breweries, both chaired by club chairman John Henry Davies,
20976-505: The game received a replica copy of the programme from the first Old Trafford match, and half-time saw relatives of the players who took part in the first game – as well as those of the club chairman John Henry Davies and stadium architect Archibald Leitch – taking part in the burial of a time capsule of Manchester United memorabilia near the centre tunnel. Only relatives of winger Billy Meredith , wing-half Dick Duckworth and club secretary Ernest Mangnall could not be found. Old Trafford
21160-474: The ground's executive suites, and also plays host to any VIPs who may come to watch the match. Members of the media are seated in the middle of the Upper South Stand to give them the best view of the match. The television gantry is also in the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand, so the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand is the one that gets shown on television least often. Television studios are located at either end of
21344-526: The implementation of safe standing . In February 2022, the club announced major renovation plans to improve the Emirates Stadium. The first phase of renovations include installing new video boards, turnstile ticket readers, and refurbishing the stadium roof and wrap. Future renovation plans include completely overhauling the PA system and improving mobile connectivity within the stadium. On 11 January 2023, Arsenal unveiled eight new pieces of artwork that would adorn
21528-416: The increased capacity requirements from matchday crowds. Islington Stadium Communities Alliance (ISCA) – an alliance of 16 groups representing local residents and businesses, was set up in January 2000 as a body against the redevelopment. Alison Carmichael, a spokeswoman for the group, said of the move, "It may look like Arsenal are doing great things for the area, but in its detail the plan is awful. We blame
21712-408: The lower level stands opposite the entrance tunnel. "The Spirit of Highbury", a shrine depicting every player to have played for Arsenal during its 93-year residence, was erected in late 2009 outside the stadium at the south end. Eight large murals on the exterior of the stadium were installed, each depicting four Arsenal legends linking arms, such that the effect of the completed design is 32 legends in
21896-551: The match between Manchester United and Derby County earlier that day. The highest average attendance at Old Trafford over a league season was 75,826, set in the 2006–07 season. The greatest total attendance at Old Trafford came two seasons later, as 2,197,429 people watched Manchester United win the Premier League for the third year in a row, the League Cup , and reach the final of the UEFA Champions League and
22080-480: The most of the four stands. It can also accommodate a few fans in executive boxes and hospitality suites. It opened in its current state in 1996, having previously been a single-tiered stand. As the ground's largest stand, it houses many of the ground's more popular facilities, including the Red Café (a Manchester United theme restaurant/bar) and the Manchester United museum and trophy room. Originally opened in 1986 as
22264-621: The most part with recognition as a sovereign country in Europe (48 out of 55 members are sovereign UN member states), although there are some exceptions. One UN member state (Monaco) and one UN General Assembly non-member observer state (Vatican City) are not members. Some UEFA members are not sovereign states, but form part of a larger recognised sovereign state in the context of international law. These include England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales ( UK constituent countries ), Gibraltar ( UK overseas territory ), Faroe Islands ( Danish Realm ), and Kosovo ( state with limited recognition ), however, in
22448-631: The new clock end which features a newer, larger replica of the clock. The Arsenal club museum, which was formerly held in the North Bank Stand, opened in October 2006 and is located to the north of the stadium, within the Northern Triangle building. It houses the marble statues that were once held in the marble halls of Highbury. As of 2008, Arsenal's season ticket waiting list stood at 40,000 people. There has also been discussion on
22632-409: The new three-tiered stand cost a total of £18.65 million to build and had a capacity of about 25,500, raising the capacity of the entire ground to more than 55,000. The cantilever roof would also be the largest in Europe, measuring 58.5 m (192 ft) from the back wall to the front edge. Further success over the next few years guaranteed yet more development. First, a second tier was added to
22816-403: The news; AISA chairman Steven Powell said in a statement: "We are disappointed that the club has not consulted supporters before announcing a new bond scheme." Though Arsenal never stated how many bonds were sold, they did raise several million pounds through the scheme. The club also extended its contract with sportswear provider Nike , in a deal worth £55 million over seven years. Nike paid
23000-409: The ones who make the most noise. Originally designed to hold 20,000 fans, the Stretford End was the last stand to be covered and also the last remaining all-terraced stand at the ground before the forced upgrade to seating in the early 1990s. The reconstruction of the Stretford End, which took place during the 1992–93 season , was carried out by Alfred McAlpine . When the second tier was added to
23184-524: The only team in Europe to win all UEFA's official championships and cups and, in commemoration of achieving that feat, have received The UEFA Plaque by the Union of European Football Associations on 12 July 1988. UEFA's premier futsal competition is the UEFA Futsal Cup , a tournament started in 2001 which replaced the former Futsal European Clubs Championship . This event, despite enjoying
23368-649: The only teams to have won the European football championship in all categories. The top-ranked UEFA competition is the UEFA Champions League , which started in 1955 as the European Champion Clubs' Cup (or simply the European Cup) and initially only gathered the top team of each country; this competition has since been expanded to gather the top 1–4 teams of each country's league (the number of teams depend on that country's ranking and can be upgraded or downgraded). A second, lower-ranked competition
23552-469: The pitch, two sections of the Main Stand roof were cut away. The first match to be played under floodlights at Old Trafford was a First Division match between Manchester United and Bolton Wanderers on 25 March 1957. However, although the spectators would now be able to see the players at night, they still suffered from the problem of obstructed views caused by the pillars that supported the roofs. With
23736-525: The pitches ranging from gravel to marsh, while Bank Street suffered from clouds of fumes from its neighbouring factories. Therefore, following the club's rescue from near-bankruptcy and renaming, the new chairman John Henry Davies decided in 1909 that the Bank Street ground was not fit for a team that had recently won the First Division and FA Cup , so he donated funds for the construction of
23920-432: The possibility of relocating to a new stadium, having been denied planning permission by Islington Council to expand its home stadium, Highbury . After considering various options (including purchasing Wembley Stadium), the club bought an industrial and waste disposal estate in Ashburton Grove in 2000. A year later, they received the council's approval to build a stadium on the site; manager Arsène Wenger described this as
24104-480: The replay of the 1970 final between Chelsea and Leeds United ; Chelsea won the match 2–1. The ground also hosted the second leg of the 1968 Intercontinental Cup , which saw Estudiantes de La Plata win the cup after a 1–1 draw. The 1970s saw the dramatic rise of football hooliganism in Britain, and a knife-throwing incident in 1971 forced the club to erect the country's first perimeter fence, restricting fans from
24288-543: The safety of Old Trafford as a rugby league venue, in particular the short in-goal areas and the slope around the perimeter. In January 2019, Old Trafford was selected to host the 2021 Rugby League World Cup finals, with the men's and women's matches being played as a double header. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , 2020 was the first year in which Old Trafford did not host the Super League Grand Final due to concerns about having to possibly reschedule
24472-513: The scheme. By October 2001, the club asserted that a poll of Islington residents found that 70% were in favour, and received the backing from the then Mayor of London , Ken Livingstone . The club launched a campaign to aid the project in the run up to Christmas and planted the slogan "Let Arsenal support Islington" on advertising hoardings and in the backdrop of manager Arsène Wenger 's press conferences. Islington Council approved Arsenal's planning application on 10 December 2001, voting in favour of
24656-399: The seating above the tunnel can be raised by up to 25 feet (7.6 m). The tunnel leads up to the players' dressing room, via the television interview area, and the players' lounge. Both the home and away dressing rooms were re-furbished for the 2018–19 season, and the corridor leading to the two was widened and separated to keep the opposing teams apart. On 3 April 2016, the South Stand
24840-485: The second to be converted to a cantilever roof, following the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand. It is also commonly referred to as the Scoreboard End, as it was the location of the scoreboard. The East Stand can currently hold nearly 12,000 fans, and is the location of both the disabled fans section and the away section; an experiment involving the relocation of away fans to the third tier of the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand
25024-616: The semi-finals of the FA Cup. The lowest average attendance at Old Trafford came in the 1930–31 season, when an average of 11,685 spectators watched each game. Adjacent to the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand of the stadium is Manchester United Football Ground railway station . The station is between the Deansgate and Trafford Park stations on the Southern Route of Northern Rail's Liverpool to Manchester line . It originally served
25208-596: The site outright in one of London's most expensive areas. The club therefore sought other ways of generating income, such as making a profit on player trading. Arsenal recouped over £50 million from transfers involving Nicolas Anelka to Real Madrid , and Marc Overmars and Emmanuel Petit to Barcelona . The transfer of Anelka partly funded the club's new training ground , in London Colney , which opened in October 1999. The club also agreed new sponsorship deals. In September 2000, Granada Media Group purchased
25392-411: The south goal in the lower tier, and a further 4,500 seats can be made available also in the upper tier, bringing the total to 9,000 supporters (the regulation 15% required for domestic cup competitions such as the FA Cup and EFL Cup ). In total, the current seated capacity is 60,704, with future facilities in place which may allow future expansion of seats pending approval from regulatory bodies such as
25576-408: The south stand under cover, while the remaining three stands were left as terraces and uncovered. Including the purchase of the land, the construction of the stadium was originally to have cost £60,000 all told. However, as costs began to rise, to reach the intended capacity would have cost an extra £30,000 over the original estimate and, at the suggestion of club secretary J. J. Bentley , the capacity
25760-421: The stadium and this opened on 21 August 1935. It was initially named United Football Ground, but was renamed Old Trafford Football Ground in early 1936. It was served on match days only by a shuttle service of steam trains from Manchester Central railway station . It is currently known as Manchester United Football Ground . Construction was carried out by Messrs Brameld and Smith of Manchester and development
25944-516: The stadium for music purposes. Green Day set a gig attendance record when performing at the Emirates in June 2013. The Killers played 2 exclusive sold-out concerts at the Emirates for their Imploding the Mirage Tour on 3 & 4 June 2022. The stadium has also been used for a number of international friendly matches all of which have featured the Brazil national football team . The first match
26128-414: The stadium further, with the next stage pointing to a redevelopment of the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand, which, unlike the rest of the stadium, remains single tier. A replication of the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand development and North-East and North-West Quadrants would see the stadium's capacity rise to an estimated 95,000, which would give it a greater capacity than Wembley Stadium (90,000). Any such development
26312-665: The stadium on matchdays only, but the service was stopped at the request of the club for safety reasons. The stadium is serviced by the Altricham , Eccles , South Manchester and Trafford Park lines of the Manchester Metrolink network, with the nearest stops being Wharfside , Old Trafford (which it shares with the Old Trafford Cricket Ground ) and Exchange Quay at nearby Salford Quays . All three stops are less than 10 minutes' walk from
26496-428: The stadium requires to operate and open. The road closures were passed at a council meeting in July 2005. Securing finance for the stadium project proved a challenge as Arsenal received no public subsidy from the government. Whereas Wenger claimed French clubs "pay nothing at all for their stadium, nothing at all for their maintenance", and " Bayern Munich paid one euro for their ground ", Arsenal were required to buy
26680-490: The stadium to the extent that a Christmas Day fixture against Stockport County had to be switched to Stockport's ground. Football resumed at Old Trafford on 8 March 1941, but another German raid on 11 March 1941 destroyed much of the stadium, notably the main stand (now the South Stand), forcing the club's operations to move to Cornbrook Cold Storage, owned by United chairman James W. Gibson . After pressure from Gibson,
26864-402: The stadium was regarded as "a shining example of Anglo–French co-operation ". The stadium has been used as a location for the audition stage of reality shows The X Factor , Britain's Got Talent and Big Brother . In 2016, the Emirates was a venue for Celebrity Masterchef , where contestants prepare meals for club staff members. Aside from sporting uses, the Emirates has been used as
27048-537: The stadium's first season, 2006–07 , was 59,837, with a Premier League average attendance of 60,045. By the 2016–17 season, the reported average home league attendance was 59,957. The attendances that Arsenal reported to the Metropolitan Police for the 2015–16 season show an average home match attendance of 54,918, ranging from a high of 60,007 against Aston Villa to a low of 44,878 against West Bromwich Albion. The highest attendance for an Arsenal match at
27232-420: The stadium, as well as a new purpose-built concourse at the back of the Stretford End. Increasing capacity for disabled supporters is estimated to reduce overall capacity by around 3,000. To mitigate the reduction in capacity, various expansion plans have been considered, such as adding a second tier to the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand, bringing it to a similar height to the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand opposite but without
27416-469: The stadium. General Specific UEFA The Union of European Football Associations ( UEFA / j uː ˈ eɪ f ə / yoo- AY -fə ; French : Union des associations européennes de football ; German : Union der europäischen Fußballverbände ) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football . It governs football , futsal and beach football in Europe and
27600-488: The stadium. Before Arsenal's match against Sunderland in February 2014, the club unveiled a statue of former striker Dennis Bergkamp, outside the west stand of Emirates Stadium. Banners and flags, often designed by supporters group REDaction, are hung around the ground. A large "49" flag, representing the record run of 49 unbeaten league games , is passed around the lower tier before kick off. Described as "beautiful" and "intimidating" by architect Christopher Lee of Populous,
27784-402: The stadium. Old Trafford's record attendance as an all-seater stadium currently stands at 76,098, set at a Premier League game between Manchester United and Blackburn Rovers on 31 March 2007. Old Trafford's record attendance for a non-competitive game is 74,731, set on 5 August 2011 for a pre-season testimonial between Manchester United and New York Cosmos . The lowest recorded attendance at
27968-438: The start of the 2005–06 season." The cost of building the stadium, forecasted at £400 million, had risen by £100 million during that period. Throughout the summer of 2003, Arsenal gave fans the opportunity to register their interest in a relaunched bond scheme. The club planned to issue 3,000 bonds for between £3,500 and £5,000 each for a season ticket at Highbury, then at Ashburton Grove. Supporters reacted negatively to
28152-441: The technical consistency to guarantee that we have a chance to pay [them] back. I did commit and I stayed and under very difficult circumstances. So for me to come back and on top of that [critics] reproach me for not having won the championship during that period it is a bit overboard." Wenger later described the stadium move as the toughest period of his life because of the restricted finances in place. In August 2009, Arsenal began
28336-586: The total of founding associations to 31. UEFA grew to more than 50 members by the mid-1990s, as new associations were born out of the fragmentation of the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia into their constituent states. UEFA's main headquarters after its foundation were located in Paris, but moved to Bern in 1960. Finally, they moved to Nyon , Switzerland, in 1995, opening the organisation's current headquarters in 1999. UEFA membership coincides for
28520-551: The west side of the pitch underneath the main TV camera. The quality of Arsenal's pitch and groundsmanship has been recognised internationally by bodies such as the Institute of Groundsmanship , and have led to the ground sometimes being referred to by players and fans as "The Carpet." The away fans are found in the south-east corner of the lower tier. The away supporter configuration can be expanded from 1,500 seats to 4,500 seats behind
28704-473: The wider sports media. Since 2009, the stadium has undergone a process of "Arsenalisation" with an aim of restoring visible links to Arsenal's history. The stadium hosts international football fixtures (including often acting as a de facto ground of the Brazil national team in Europe), as well as hosting international music acts on a regular basis. Spectator safety at football grounds was a major concern during
28888-527: The winners were presented with awards by artist Harold Riley on 22 February. An exhibition about the stadium at the club museum was opened by former goalkeeper Jack Crompton and chief executive David Gill on 19 February. The exhibition highlighted the history of the stadium and features memorabilia from its past, including a programme from the inaugural match and a 1:220 scale model hand-built by model artist Peter Oldfield-Edwards. Finally, at Manchester United's home match against Fulham on 14 March, fans at
29072-636: The world's most prestigious tournaments. UEFA is the organiser of two of the most prestigious competitions in international football: The UEFA European Championship and the UEFA Nations League . The main competition for men's national teams is the UEFA European Championship (also known as the Euro), which started in 1958, with the first finals in 1960 , and was known as the European Nations Cup until 1964. The UEFA Nations League
29256-509: The world." The royal visit echoed the attendance of the Queen's uncle, the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII ) at the official opening of Highbury's West Stand in 1932. As a result of the change of plan, the Queen extended to the club the honour of inviting the chairman, manager and first team to join her for afternoon tea at Buckingham Palace . Held on 15 February 2007, the engagement marked
29440-432: Was Aston Villa defender Olof Mellberg after 53 minutes. In the same match Gilberto Silva scored Arsenal's first competitive goal at the ground. Jay Simpson was the first Arsenal player to score a hat trick at the Emirates Stadium against Cardiff City in February 2007, while Emmanuel Adebayor recorded Arsenal's 100th goal at the ground in January 2008 against Newcastle United . Arsenal's biggest margin of victory at
29624-402: Was Dennis Bergkamp 's testimonial match against Ajax on 22 July 2006. The Emirates Stadium was officially opened by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh on 26 October 2006; his wife Queen Elizabeth II had suffered a back injury and was unable to carry out her duty. Prince Philip quipped to the crowd, "Well, you may not have my wife, but you've got the second -most experienced plaque unveiler in
29808-438: Was England's 1–0 loss to Spain on 7 February 2007. The match was played in front of a crowd of 58,207. Old Trafford's most recent expansion, which took place between July 2005 and May 2006, saw an increase of around 8,000 seats with the addition of second tiers to both the north-west and north-east quadrants of the ground. Part of the new seating was used for the first time on 26 March 2006, when an attendance of 69,070 became
29992-565: Was Manchester United's longest-serving manager until he was surpassed by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2010. There is also a plaque dedicated to the victims of the Munich air disaster on the south end of the East Stand, while the Munich Clock is at the junction of the East and South Stands. On 29 May 2008, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Manchester United's first European Cup title, a statue of the club's " holy trinity " of George Best , Denis Law and Bobby Charlton , entitled "The United Trinity",
30176-445: Was against Argentina on 3 September 2006 which ended in a 3–0 victory for Brazil. The Emirates was the only London venue for the 2021 Men's Rugby League World Cup . On 12 November 2022, the stadium hosted the second semi final between England & Samoa . It is difficult to get accurate attendance figures as Arsenal do not release these, but choose to use tickets sold. The average attendance for competitive first-team fixtures in
30360-415: Was also chosen to host the 2013 Rugby League World Cup final . The game, played on 30 November, was won by Australia 34–2 over defending champions New Zealand , and attracted a crowd of 74,468, a world record for a rugby league international. During the game, Australia winger Brett Morris suffered a heavy crash into the advertising boards at the Stretford End, emphasising questions raised pre-match over
30544-419: Was built, the only stadia of comparable size anywhere near Old Trafford are local rivals Manchester City's City of Manchester Stadium , or possibly Anfield , home of historic rivals Liverpool, neither of which are considered viable. In 2021 United co-chairman Joel Glazer said at a Fans Forum meeting that "early-stage planning work" for the redevelopment of Old Trafford and the club's Carrington training ground
30728-406: Was completed in late 1909. The stadium hosted its inaugural game on 19 February 1910, with United playing host to Liverpool . However, the home side were unable to provide their fans with a win to mark the occasion, as Liverpool won 4–3. A journalist at the game reported the stadium as "the most handsomest [sic], the most spacious and the most remarkable arena I have ever seen. As a football ground it
30912-413: Was conducted during the 2011–12 season, but the results of the experiments could not be ascertained in time to make the move permanent for the 2012–13 season. The disabled section provides for up to 170 fans, with free seats for carers. Old Trafford was formerly divided into sections, with each section sequentially assigned a letter of the alphabet. Although every section had a letter, it is the K Stand that
31096-465: Was contracted to design and construct the playing field. Floodlights were successfully tested for the first time on 25 June 2006, and a day later, the goalposts were erected. In order to obtain the licences needed to open, the Emirates Stadium hosted three non-full capacity events. The first "ramp-up" event was a shareholder open day on 18 July 2006, the second an open training session for 20,000 selected club members held two days later. The third event
31280-700: Was elected as UEFA's seventh president at the 12th Extraordinary UEFA Congress in Athens in September 2016, and automatically became a vice-president of the world body FIFA. UEFA was officially inaugurated on 15 June 1954 in Basel , Switzerland after consultation between the Italian, French, and Belgian associations. At the founding meeting, 25 members were present. However, six other associations which were not present were still recognised as founding members, bringing
31464-426: Was extended to five years while naming rights were extended to 2028; a further extension of the shirt sponsorship rights was announced in August 2023, also taking that deal through 2028. The stadium name is colloquially shortened from "Emirates Stadium" to "The Emirates", although some supporters continue to use the former name "Ashburton Grove" or "The Grove" to refer to the stadium, particularly by those who object to
31648-491: Was granted by Islington Council in May 2002, but local residents and ISCA launched a late challenge to the High Court, arguing the plans were against the law. Duncan Ouseley dismissed the case in July 2002, paving the way for Arsenal to start work. The club succeeded in a further legal challenge bought by small firms in January 2005 as the High Court upheld a decision by then- Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott to grant
31832-415: Was held at the ground, with around 42,000 people paying to watch WBO champion Chris Eubank fight WBC champion Nigel Benn . Aside from sporting uses, several concerts have been played at Old Trafford, with such big names as Bon Jovi , Genesis , Bruce Springsteen , Status Quo , Rod Stewart and Simply Red playing. An edition of Songs of Praise was recorded there in September 1994. Old Trafford
32016-401: Was played at Old Trafford on 6 June 2009, when England beat Argentina 37–15. The stadium was one of 12 confirmed venues set to host matches of the 2015 Rugby World Cup ; however, in April 2013 United pulled out of the contract over concerns about pitch quality and not wanting to compromise their relationship with the 13-man code. Before the Old Trafford football stadium was built, the site
32200-468: Was purchased by the English National Stadium Trust. The club however was given permission to host its UEFA Champions League home ties at Wembley for the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 seasons. Although Arsenal's time in the competition was brief, twice exiting the group stages, the club set its record home attendance (73,707 against Lens ) and earned record gate income in the 1998–99 season, highlighting potential profitability. In November 1999, Arsenal examined
32384-492: Was reduced to approximately 80,000. Nevertheless, at a time when transfer fees were still around the £1,000 mark, the cost of construction only served to reinforce the club's " Moneybags United" epithet, with which they had been tarred since Davies had taken over as chairman. In May 1908, Archibald Leitch wrote to the Cheshire Lines Committee (CLC) – who had a rail depot adjacent to the proposed site for
32568-530: Was rejected by the FA of Ukraine, England, and Sweden, with all three threatening to boycott matches against Russia. Five of the UEFA national teams, Germany , Italy , France , England and Spain , have won 12 out of 22 FIFA World Cups for Europe. These five nations also make up the so-called « Europe's Big Five », consisting of Spain's La Liga , England's Premier League , Germany's Bundesliga , Italy's Serie A and France's Ligue 1 . UEFA executive committee
32752-664: Was relaunched and recognised as official UEFA club competition by UEFA in 1995. The last Intertoto Cup took place in 2008. The European/South American Cup was jointly organised with CONMEBOL between the Champions League and the Copa Libertadores winners. Only five teams ( Juventus , Ajax , Manchester United , Bayern Munich and Chelsea ) have won each of the three main competitions (European Cup/UEFA Champions League, European Cup Winners' Cup/UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and UEFA Cup/UEFA Europa League),
32936-477: Was renamed the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand before kick-off of the Premier League home match against Everton , in honour of former Manchester United player Sir Bobby Charlton , who made his Manchester United debut 60 years earlier. Perhaps the best-known stand at Old Trafford is the West Stand, also known as the Stretford End . Traditionally, the stand is where the hard-core United fans are located, and also
33120-551: Was restored to the Main Stand by 1951 and, soon after, the three remaining stands were covered, the operation culminating with the addition of a roof to the Stretford End (now the West Stand) in 1959. The club also invested £40,000 in the installation of proper floodlighting , so that they would be able to use the stadium for the European games that were played in the late evening of weekdays, instead of having to play at Maine Road. In order to avoid obtrusive shadows being cast on
33304-401: Was underway. This followed "increasing criticism" over the lack of development of the ground since 2006. The club is considering tearing down the current stadium and building an entirely new one on the same site, but this is believed to be the "least likely choice". In 2024, it was reported that 25 percent Manchester United shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to demolish Old Trafford and build
33488-429: Was unveiled across Sir Matt Busby Way from the East Stand, directly opposite the statue of Busby. The Manchester United club shop has had six different locations since it was first opened. Originally, the shop was a small hut near to the railway line that runs alongside the ground. The shop was then moved along the length of the South Stand, stopping first opposite where away fans enter the ground, and then residing in
33672-407: Was used as a venue for several matches in the football competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics . The stadium hosted five group games, a quarter-final and semi-final in the men's tournament , and one group game and a famous semi-final in the women's tournament , the first women's international matches to be played there. Since 2006, Old Trafford has also been used as the venue for Soccer Aid ,
33856-585: Was used for games of shinty , the traditional game of the Scottish Highlands. During the First World War , the stadium was used by American soldiers for games of baseball. In July 1927, Old Trafford hosted a tennis exhibition match between French Olympic champion and Grand Slam winner Suzanne Lenglen and British Ceylonese player Evelyn Dewhurst . Lenglan defeated Dewhurst 6–0, 6–2 in front of over 15,000 spectators. On 17 September 1981,
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