OLD TRAFFORD

[Leyther_Matt]

4 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

Yeah a 30 minute walk in the October pishing rain sounds great and yes the queue for the Metro is horrendous.OT has over 20 suites & nearly 150 boxes,not sure the Etihad even comes close so whilst I agree the Etihad is a good short term option IMO the Grand Final always be at Old Trafford,everyone to his own I guess.

The rain falls off you while you're walking from the Etihad rather than standing getting soaked waiting to get on to the platform by the cricket ground 

[Davo5]

1 minute ago, Leyther_Matt said:

The rain falls off you while you're walking from the Etihad rather than standing getting soaked waiting to get on to the platform by the cricket ground 

Yeah that’s your big mistake,never catch the Metro straight after the match & not at the cricket ground !

[pahars]

If they choose the extended Bobby Charlton stand option we might not have any choice but to move for a year. It’s easily possible to build a stand over a railway track but the only place to put the cranes to do it would be on the pitch as it’s rows of houses the other side. 
 

I can’t see that all being done in the football off season and FA rules state a club can only have one home ground a season. This potential loss of revenue for the owners makes me think that a basic refurb is the way they go, more corporate and premium areas and a slightly smaller capacity. 

[Leyther_Matt]

16 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

Yeah that’s your big mistake,never catch the Metro straight after the match & not at the cricket ground !

Only done it that way on the occasions I've needed to get straight back to the city centre. Would ordinarily fight for a pint at Exchange Quay. Although admittedly pre-Covid I did have a habit of being abroad for the Grand Final.

[idrewthehaggis]

By the way it might be worth noting that the pitch at Old Trafford (host of numerous Grand Finals and the odd World Club challenge and World Cup final) is the same size as at Moor Lane.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Damien]

4 hours ago, pahars said:

I can’t see that all being done in the football off season and FA rules state a club can only have one home ground a season. This potential loss of revenue for the owners makes me think that a basic refurb is the way they go, more corporate and premium areas and a slightly smaller capacity. 

Tottenham played at Wembley and their new stadium in the same season.

[Wellsy4HullFC]

39 minutes ago, idrewthehaggis said:

By the way it might be worth noting that the pitch at Old Trafford (host of numerous Grand Finals and the odd World Club challenge and World Cup final) is the same size as at Moor Lane.

Think Moor Lane would be a bit small for a Grand Final though...

[Mr Frisky]

8 minutes ago, Wellsy4HullFC said:

Think Moor Lane would be a bit small for a Grand Final though...

Might be ok if the 2 French teams make it to the final though.

[EagleEyePie]

As neither a City or United fan I don't have a particular bias but Old Trafford is definitely a bit of a dump these days so the chance to move it elsewhere, even if it's only for a year or two, is one that I think should be taken.

As others have said, while the capacity of most other options will be smaller than Old Trafford it does mean there's no need to subsidise tickets and there should be a guaranteed sell out pretty quickly, which is what you want for big events.

The Etihad is the ideal place. A modern ground with a decent capacity and it ties in well with the RFL moving to the Etihad Campus.

If Old Trafford gets a nice modern overhaul then it will probably be the best venue once again but at the moment it just feels tired. The concourses in particular are dark and cramped, although I believe they've sorted out the rat infestation.

Just because the Grand Final is traditionally held at Old Trafford doesn't mean it always has to be the case. It's time for a more modern venue.

[Dave T]

3 minutes ago, EagleEyePie said:

As neither a City or United fan I don't have a particular bias but Old Trafford is definitely a bit of a dump these days so the chance to move it elsewhere, even if it's only for a year or two, is one that I think should be taken.

As others have said, while the capacity of most other options will be smaller than Old Trafford it does mean there's no need to subsidise tickets and there should be a guaranteed sell out pretty quickly, which is what you want for big events.

The Etihad is the ideal place. A modern ground with a decent capacity and it ties in well with the RFL moving to the Etihad Campus.

If Old Trafford gets a nice modern overhaul then it will probably be the best venue once again but at the moment it just feels tired. The concourses in particular are dark and cramped, although I believe they've sorted out the rat infestation.

Just because the Grand Final is traditionally held at Old Trafford doesn't mean it always has to be the case. It's time for a more modern venue.

I think if City can expand the ground to be the size of Spurs' which was often discussed then it would be perfect. 

53k feels a touch low, but in the 60s would probably be spot on. 

[meast]

11 hours ago, M j M said:

Serious About RL is just awful isn't it.

Typical click bait tat with poor, lazy journalism and very little substance in any of the articles they produce.

[Jughead]

A stadium of a capacity of 55,000, as per the Etihad, would guarantee a sell-out but, as pointed out by others, it’s the corporate side that would suffer. There’s then a lack of suitable grounds in the north that would be suitable. Everton’s new stadium is a proposed 52,000 capacity, Anfield is 53,394 and then St James’ is 52,404. For a year or two, you could make a case for the Etihad but I wouldn’t go moving the Grand Final completely away from Old Trafford.

I wouldn’t really want two finals in the south in one calendar year, even at the Millennium, as I think crowds wouldn’t be great.  

[Damien]

Don't forget the latest Anfield redevelopment should be finished for the start of the 2023-24 Football season. That will see Anfields capacity at 61k so would be the next biggest Northern venue after Old Trafford.

[Dave T]

One thing to remember about the corporates at Old Trafford, while the capacity point is a fair one, if you take a look round that stadium on Grand Final night, very many of the private boxes are unused. It looks like Dacia have now moved on from SL, no longer billed as sponsor for Magic or on the SL website. 

I'd be stunned if the likes of City or Annfield didn't have the hospitality capacities - these are grounds with substantial boxes and lounges and cater for major events and European football regularly. 

[JohnM]

12 hours ago, Henson Park Old Firm said:

https://www.seriousaboutrl.com/super-league-grand-final-linked-with-sensational-move-away-following-major-old-trafford-news-50407/

This story is like "a foolish man, who built his house on the sand. The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell—and great was its fall."

United have a master plan alright. One master plan: to win something-= eventually.

[bobbruce]

4 hours ago, Jughead said:

A stadium of a capacity of 55,000, as per the Etihad, would guarantee a sell-out but, as pointed out by others, it’s the corporate side that would suffer. There’s then a lack of suitable grounds in the north that would be suitable. Everton’s new stadium is a proposed 52,000 capacity, Anfield is 53,394 and then St James’ is 52,404. For a year or two, you could make a case for the Etihad but I wouldn’t go moving the Grand Final completely away from Old Trafford.

I wouldn’t really want two finals in the south in one calendar year, even at the Millennium, as I think crowds wouldn’t be great.  

Anfield will be 60k plus in the next couple of years. 

[Davo5]

2 hours ago, bobbruce said:

Anfield will be 60k plus in the next couple of years. 

Those 2 hr waits in Englands Aleppo for a bus back into the city is something to savour.

[Eddie]

30 minutes ago, Davo5 said:

Those 2 hr waits in Englands Aleppo for a bus back into the city is something to savour.

It’s not that far to walk tbf, and if you really want a bus what about all the salubrious bars and restaurants in the area to wait in? 

[JohnM]

Maybe, just maybe, this story is a crock of #####.  Won't happen for years, even if it were to go ahead. Moving from OT is change for changes sake when so many complain about the game chopping and changing rules,  structure's. ...anything and everything.  Others regret the loss of traditional stadiums to "characterless" modern stadiums...yet don't like the "Old" in Old Trafford. Sure, "what-if" discussion is fine, but surely, the games authorities aren't  seriously considering moving, are they?

 

[Wellsy4HullFC]

Would they rename it "New Trafford" though?

[bobbruce]

1 hour ago, Davo5 said:

Those 2 hr waits in Englands Aleppo for a bus back into the city is something to savour.

I don’t see a great difference between getting to the city centre from Anfield ,Old Trafford or the Etihad. All a pain unless you’ve pre booked something. 

[pahars]

11 hours ago, Damien said:

Tottenham played at Wembley and their new stadium in the same season.

True but they got special dispensation because of construction delays and it would have seemed a bit unfair if the FA forced them to rent the FA’s own stadium for the season. I don’t think you can plan to do it.
 

Anyway anything that costs the Glazers money is unlikely to happen. The main stand extension at Liverpool should have seen a ROI after five seasons if it wasn’t for covid. That stand had a much simpler and cheaper construction and didn’t cause any loss of capacity or need to play games elsewhere. 

[bobbruce]

1 minute ago, pahars said:

True but they got special dispensation because of construction delays and it would have seemed a bit unfair if the FA forced them to rent the FA’s own stadium for the season. I don’t think you can plan to do it.
 

Anyway anything that costs the Glazers money is unlikely to happen. The main stand extension at Liverpool should have seen a ROI after five seasons if it wasn’t for covid. That stand had a much simpler and cheaper construction and didn’t cause any loss of capacity or need to play games elsewhere. 

Which Liverpool will continue to do with the next phase. Building the extension behind the existing stand and using the off season to connect the two together. 

[whatmichaelsays]

19 hours ago, Death to the Rah Rah's said:

wouldn't bother me if they took it on the road for a couple of seasons while Old trafford was rebuilt (if that what happens).

Any reduced capacity could be made up by charging slightly more for match tickets and increased hospitality opportunities of taking it to Liverpool, Newcastle, Ethiad or even further afield to Cardiff or Edinburgh, although I do think its the wrong time of year to take the grand final to non-traditional areas, purely as its close to xmas

The big problem with the Grand Final is that the teams aren't known until the week before. 

I don't know how many people have looked at the cost of rail tickets between Leeds or Manchester and London just one week ahead of travel, but that would put off most from the idea of having the GF down south. 

Having it in the north largely avoids that problem for most of the target audience. 

[Eddie]

3 hours ago, whatmichaelsays said:

The big problem with the Grand Final is that the teams aren't known until the week before. 

I don't know how many people have looked at the cost of rail tickets between Leeds or Manchester and London just one week ahead of travel, but that would put off most from the idea of having the GF down south. 

Having it in the north largely avoids that problem for most of the target audience. 

Exactly, other than Catalans anyone can drive to OT within a couple of hours max, or get on a local train with a few tinnies and a bag of kettle chips and be there in no time.