How long has it been since Old Trafford was remodeled and why are its fans opposed to the changes?

Manchester United is preparing to remodel their stadium but how long has it been since Old Trafford was remodeled and why are their fans opposed to the changes?

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So far they are only contemplating reaching a capacity of 80 thousand seats, as currently, the Theater of Dreams has 74 thousand seats.

With its new remodeling, the club seeks to add 6 thousand new seats, and the main modifications will be made in the grandstand known as Bobby Charlton, in addition to the press area and VIP areas.

Although the proposed changes are not so substantial, there is an underlying discussion that has scandalized the club's followers. 

How long has it been since Old Trafford was remodeled?

The last time Old Trafford was remodeled was in 2006 when it underwent structural changes that allowed them to have a larger capacity and as a consequence, to have more seats available for its fans. 

On that occasion, the club remodeled the stadium to add about 8,000 seats to the building, in a remodeling that began in July 2005 and ended in May 2006. 

In that remodeling, seats were added on the second levels in the northwest and northeast quadrants of the field, and part of the new seats was used for the first time on March 26, 2006, with 69,070 spectators, which at the time became a new Premier League record. 

The stadium's capacity continued to rise before reaching its current peak on March 31, 2007, when 76,098 spectators watched United beat Blackburn Rovers 4-1, meaning that only 114 seats (0.15% of the total capacity of 76,212) were unoccupied.

However, this new record of available seats suffered a setback when in 2009, a reorganization at the stadium resulted in a reduction in capacity to 75,957.

This reduction continued until it reached the 74,000 seats that the stadium currently has, which is why the team's owners have proposed remodeling the stadium. 

But it is not the addition of seats that has caused the club's fans to panic and oppose the changes, but an even stronger underlying reason. 

Why fans oppose Old Trafford redevelopment

While only minor renovations to the stadium are contemplated so far, fans have always feared that the stadium will be demolished. 

In fact, that issue came back into the discussion since, among the 3 projects that were presented for the remodeling, one included the demolition of Old Trafford. 

And this discussion was again put on the table by Simon Jordan, the former Crystal Palace owner who stated that the club's supporters should understand if the club even wants to demolish the stadium. 

That statement alone was enough for the club's supporters to fear the worst, and to balk at the idea of redeveloping their stadium. 

However, Red Devils fans can rest assured, at least for now, that their 112-year-old stadium will not be demolished.

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