Featured image credit: Manchester United
Work on the refurbishment of the players’ tunnel at Old Trafford has been completed ahead of Manchester United’s first home match of the new Premier League season on Friday.
The tunnel has been modernised to create an environment that can “inspire and motivate” United’s men’s, women’s and academy players on match days. It now features LED lights on the ceiling where the players wait before walking onto the pitch.
A Red Devil silhouette has also been fitted on the left wall of the tunnel, with ‘UNITED’ written on the right wall. Backlit club crests also feature on the ceiling and wall.
The top of the tunnel features a heritage area with repositioned plaques in tribute to former United president John Henry Davies and former owner James W. Gibson. The tunnel also features a display of the eagle crest worn by United in the 1958 FA
Cup final.
United announced in July that Old Trafford’s iconic tunnel was being redesigned. United is also working on replacing executive seating in the Stretford End of the stadium, and this work is set to be completed in the coming days.
The club confirmed in January 2023 that it would replace the Stretford End’s executive seating with season ticket seats following consultation with its fans’ advisory board. It was agreed that all 850 executive seats in the stand would be returned to general admission for the start of the 2024-25 season.
The decision to remove the Stretford End executive seating and revamp the tunnel is in line with other “fan-centric” steps taken by the club, including the installation of rail seating and the introduction of a dedicated atmosphere section.
The changes at Old Trafford come with the stadium’s long-term future still unclear. Last month, it was widely reported that United had set its sights on building a new 100,000-capacity stadium next to Old Trafford instead of redeveloping the current venue.
A final decision is expected to be made by the end of the year, with a new stadium potentially costing more than £2bn (€2.3bn/$2.6bn). Last week, reports emerged that United could retain Old Trafford and downsize it to a 30,000-capacity venue if the club decides to build a new home ground.
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