Rec and Sports

Manchester United: The Red Army of Fans at Old Trafford

Buying Manchester United tickets for a home game not only allows you to see one of the most popular clubs in Europe play, but also gives you access to the Field of Dreams, meeting place of the Red Army.

Fans have been buying Manchester United tickets to their home games at Old Trafford, since 1910 (except for 8 years after it was bombed during World War II). The stadium was named Field of Dreams by one of its most renown players Bobby Charlton. Sir Robert “Bobby” Charlton became famous for his attacking instincts from “Midfield” midfield and his ferocious long-range shot. He won the “FIFA World Cup” World Cup and was named the “Ballon d’Or” European Footballer of the Year in 1966.

Seating 76,212Manchester United ticket buying fans, Old Trafford has the second-largest capacity of any English football stadium, the third-largest of any stadium in the “United Kingdom”, and the eleventh-largest in Europe. It is one of two stadia in the country to have been given a “UEFA elite stadium” five-star rating by UEFA. Old Trafford has often hosted FA Cup semi-final matches as a neutral venue and a few “English national football team” England international fixtures. It also hosted matches at the “1966 FIFA World Cup” and “UEFA Euro 1996″ and the “2003 UEFA Champions League Final”.

The Old Trafford pitch is surrounded by four stands, officially known as the North, East, South and West Stands. Each stand has at least two tiers, with the exception of the South Stand, which only has one tier because of construction restrictions. The lower tier of each stand is split into Lower and Upper sections, the Lower sections having been converted from standing room only terraces in the early 1990s.

Arguably the best-known stand at Old Trafford is the West Stand, or the Stretford End. Originally designed to hold 20,000fans, 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. Stretford End houses Manchester United’s most die-hard supporters, known as The Red Army. Much of the noise and atmosphere at Old Trafford emanates from this stand, and it was once measured that the roar from the Red Army there was louder than that of a jumbo jet lifting off. It is practically impossible to get a set in the Stretford End as the fans that fill this stand have Manchester United season tickets.

Manchester United’s Red Army was once the biggest and most infamous group of followers British football has ever seen. When the Red Army of Manchester followed their team to an away game, the town would be in a uproar. The Red Army would travel en-mass by train, coach, car or even by foot if necessary. In “1974-75 in English football” the mid-seventies when Manchester United had been relegated from the top flight of English football and played one season in the “Football League Second Division” Second Division, the Red Army caused such mayhem at grounds up and down the country visiting stadiums where they would at times outnumber the home support, it led to the introduction of home and away fan segregation and fencing at football grounds throughout England.

The modern day Red Army is nothing like it’s counterpart from the 1970’s … 80’s. No longer solely a Manchester based supporters club, with a fan base of over 300 million fans it has grown to have membership world wide. This huge number of fans, all of whom would like to get to Old Trafford, both to see the game and to experience the atmosphere there, result in it almost always being difficult to buy Manchester United Tickets.

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