Manchester United: 2,100 additional rail seats to be installed at Old Trafford for 2023-24

Manchester United FC (Premier League) will install an additional 2,100 rail seats at Old Trafford (74,879 capacity) before the start of the 2023-24 season, announced the club on 10/07/2023.

"The additional rail seats will be in the south-west quadrant of the stadium, adjoining the Stretford End and home of the club’s vocal Red Army fan group," said Manchester United, which had initiated a trial of these seats in January 2022. This installation, authorised by the Sports Ground Safety Authority (SGSA), will bring the total number of rail seats at Old Trafford to "more than 6,000."

Standing had been banned in the UK since 1989 when legislation was introduced following the Hillsborough disaster on 15/04/1989, when 96 spectators (97 in total after Andrew Stanley Devine died "as a result of the life-changing injuries he sustained during the tragedy") were killed during a crowd surge at a match between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at the Hillsborough Stadium, Sheffield (UK). The 'rail seating system' is a process that allows seats to be locked in the upright position during matches …