Manchester United have Old Trafford rail seating plan approved for 1,500 fans to begin next season

Manchester United have been given approval to install rail seating for up to 1,500 supporters at Old Trafford, with the new plans set to be in place for the start of the new season.

Trafford Council have granted a request from the Premier League club to trial barrier seating, which will be located in J-Stand in the north-east quadrant of the 76,000-seat capacity stadium.

Although the start of the new 2020/21 Premier League season looks up in the air following the coronavirus pandemic, United hope to start the trial whenever the campaign gets the green light.

And should the plan prove successful, the club are open to installing more rail seating in the hope that it improves the spectacle for supporters who have grown frustrated with persistent standing, rather than as a sign of the club’s support for safe-standing.

Talks between the club and the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust (MUST) led to the application for the safe standing project to be submitted to the local council and United’s group managing director Richard Arnold believes the Barrier Seating falls in line with their efforts to modernise Old Trafford and ensure it is “future-proofed”, should the Premier League changed the current all-seater stadium policy that has been heavily discussed in recent years.

“It should be stated up front that our overwhelming priority is to keep our people safe from the Covid-19 pandemic. It may seem strange to talk about stadium plans at this time, but football and our fans will return when it is safe, and our preparations for that must continue in the background,” said Richard Arnold, United’s group managing director.

“This announcement is the latest step in what has been a long journey with our fans. We have listened to their feedback, in particular the representations made by MUST, and worked with Trafford Council to develop and approve this proposal.

“Our belief is that the introduction of barrier seats will enhance spectator safety in areas of the stadium where – as with other clubs – we have seen examples of persistent standing. It also allows us to future-proof the stadium in the event of any changes to the current all-seater stadium policy. If the trial is successful, we may consider further implementation of barrier seating in other parts of the stadium.

“We will now move on to develop the installation, compliance and licensing plan for the trial with a view to having the new seats installed for when we can welcome our supporters back to Old Trafford.”

The project will be impacted by the current lockdown restrictions, with the club stressing their compliance to “work within current UK Government recommendations relating to construction site operating procedures and social distancing”.

The move follows the announced expansion of the Stretford End’s ‘atmosphere section’ that came in February, with the designated area also set to grow from the start of next season. “Both of these initiatives underline our commitment to the continued improvement of Old Trafford, with a focus on further enhancing the matchday experience, atmosphere and safety for all supporters.”