On March 11, 1941, the Germans launched yet another bombing raid on Manchester, this time targeting the Trafford Park Industrial area.
Some of the bombs missed, hitting nearby Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United.
It was destroyed bar one small bit – the players’ race.
The decision was made to rebuild a new Old Trafford right there, using the race as a centrepiece.
When you tour the grand old lady, the guides tell the story that several options were put forward to rebuild Old Trafford somewhere in the vicinity, until the chairman of the day, James W Gibson, said: “We’ll rebuild it right here and keep the tunnel. If the Germans can’t destroy us, no-one will.”
The tunnel is now known as “The Munich Tunnel” to honour the eight Manchester United players and three staff who died in the Munich air disaster of 1958 when the team was travelling back from a European Cup match.
The 74,000-seat stadium is famous the world over and, while dripping with history, water drips on patrons in the old grandstands and it doesn’t have big screens. It’s grand, but it’s also a million miles from modern.
Leichhardt Oval remains popular with fans, despite outdated facilities.Credit: Getty
Time waits for no one and nothing and the old girl, history and all, will come down. Manchester United is building a state-of-the-art, 100,000 seat, $4 billion stadium nearby with all the mod cons, big screens included. It’s been years in the making and the club is slowly getting fans used to the idea.
It will be ready for the start of the 2030-31 season.
Manly, St George Illawarra, the Wests Tigers and Cronulla should take note. While obviously far smaller on a world scale, they face the same problem.
The clubs, and their fans, are spiritually aligned to ageing and crumbling suburban grounds. The sense of history, coupled with convenience, mean they don’t want to move.
Manly and Cronulla fans won’t cop travelling to Allianz, or other stadiums. Who wants to travel back to the shire, or the northern beaches, after 6pm on a Sunday or at 10pm on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday regularly?
Manly fans love Brookvale. It’s been a sellout-a-thon ever since the new Bob Fulton Stand was finished at the northern end.
Wests Tigers fans love Leichhardt, and they seem to tolerate the soulless and colourless Campbelltown to a lesser extent.
The club hierarchy doesn’t love them, though. CEO Shane Richardson knows there is no money, and no growth, in playing in busted stadiums with appalling corporate facilities. He’s 100 per cent correct.
Wests Tigers CEO Shane Richardson.Credit: Oscar Colman
CommBank Stadium, on the other hand, is outstanding.
St George Illawarra fans seem to cope with Kogarah and WIN in Wollongong; WIN the pick of the two. Kogarah, in particular, is like an old Falcon compared to a new Merc. It gets you around OK, and Dicky Johnson drove one just fine back in the day, but you can’t drive it forever.
Sharks fans may not ‘love’ Shark Park, but it’s in their backyard. Many walk there. Allianz is a train ride, then a tram ride, then a walk away.
But Shark Park is a bomb site that has no right hosting NRL matches in the modern era. The construction of the new licensed club has been a disaster. It closed in 2019 and was due for completion in 2022. Nothing’s happened and the club and the developer are in dispute.
Time is ticking in the shire and it is an appalling state of affairs that it has drifted and drifted to the point it’s 2025 and there’s nothing doing.
Wade Graham runs out at Sharks Stadium for his final NRL game at the ground.Credit: Getty
Getting a new stadium was the missing piece of the Penrith puzzle. They were early adopters of a centre of excellence, which is located out the back of its booming precinct – an all-in-one club, entertainment, residential and multi-hotel complex. But their stadium was old.
It was on crown land, but the club managed it. The state government is building them a $300m ripper in time for the 2026 season. The Panthers hand control over to Venues NSW as part of the deal. Give a bit, take a lot.
One CEO said: “You have to think of it like a hotel. The Travelodge, perfectly fine, can charge $195 a night. But the five-star Hilton can charge $500. Stadiums are exactly the same when it comes to the corporate dollar.”
Another said: “Corporates go to Allianz and CommBank then come back to our ground and it’s embarrassing really. We have no chance for growth.”
Corporates are where the big money is at. Like business-class seats on a flight and high-roller rooms at a casino.
The question of course is – where does the money come from? You beg, steal and borrow.
Inner West Mayor Darcy Byrne did just that, securing $40 million from the state and federal governments after his public campaign to save Leichhardt. It’s not much but it’s something.
Lobby governments and councils, look for private partners. Allow Venues NSW to control the ground, like Penrith did. Give a bit, take a lot.
Whatever it takes.
If Manchester United with that much history on the line can do it, anyone can, if you are willing to do the deal.
