I'm a married father of 4 children who likes days out has experience of family products and destina...
I'm a married father of 4 children who likes days out has experience of family products and destinations. I find sites like this useful before purchasing/embarking on a trip somewhere, so hopefully my experiences of places will assist people too
Member since:10.01.2008
Reviews:35
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Old TraffordCricket Ground is situated in Stretford, on Talbout road a good few miles out of Manchester City Centre. It has "test status" which means, according to the ECB (English Cricket Board) it has the facilities, transport links, and crowd capacity to cope with and to execute the hosting of international matches to a high standard.
On a "good day" it can take 22,000 people, although generally there are never more than half that many people attending popular matches involving Lancashire, the home county.
With Manchester being known nationally as the "Rainy City" it is no surprise that the drainage facilities on the actual playing service have been constantly improved over the last 5 years.
Unfortunatley, there is only ONE covered stand (discounting the Pavilion - for 'members' only) for spectators to shelter under, which was the result of the only other covered stand being declared unsafe for structural reasons about a decade ago.
Having said that, on match day.... with a large crowd, the atmosphere at this ground is second to none. Particularly
on "roses" matches which is the battle between Lancashire and Yorkshire (a couple of times a year, progress permitting). The crowd is sometimes rowdy at these games, for traditional reasons, so small childen may be intimidated by the chanting and shouting.... but stewards and security are never far away to crack down on those in breach of ground regulations suchs as foul and abusive language, importing alchohol and other anti-social habits.
The ground has a club shop, with all the latest merchandise, toilets practically under every stand, and good quality seating in the stands themselves, something which has also been improved in the last 5 years.
During matches which have been surrounded by good weather, the club DOES permit spectators to enter onto the playing area (but not the very middle) during intervals in play for a walk, a short game of cricket, or to look at the middle of the playing area for themselves.
There is never really a shortage of anyone to ask should you require help. The stewards know their stuff, and are always visable by their yellow jackets and custom-bought hats.
On the days where there is not a large number of spectators expected, they do close the part of the ground which is furthest away from the key facilities, enabling the "better" parts of the ground to be better staffed with the majority of spectators sat there.
If you go for some of the less County Championship (4 day) games there can sometimes be a distinct lack of food/drink facilities with only the County Restaurant available for non-members.
However, on popular match days (One day, international, cup) the facilities for ordinary Jo Public are second to nonw with the main bars open in the stands, choice of private hot food vendors (many have been coming for at least 10 years for me to know) and a good choice of where to sit.
The additional facilities are the ground are the Members Pavillion, Red Rose Suite and Maclaren Suite (all members only). The ground also boasts a museum of past and present Lancastrian Cricketing achievements, 2 scoreboards (which means you can see one scoreboard wherever you sit in the ground), an indoor Cricket school, practise nets (useful to watch the non-playing team members) and the aforementioned County Restaurant.
There is also the Old Trafford Lodge on site, which builds up behind the stand closest to the main gate. Prices are more than reasonable in keeping with local hotels in Manchester and the surrounding area. A handful of rooms have balcony overlooking the ground, but these are booked up fairly quickly for big games.
The ground has transport links to most of the local area via Manchester City Centre which can be reached via Talbot Road or the Metrolink, which runs between Bury, Eccles and Altringham plus key stations in between. On popular match days, this is particularly busy... and with matches sometimes (though not often) coinciding with Manchester United (half a mile further down the road) this particular transport link gets very busy very quickly.
Limited car parking is available on the practise ground and surrouding areas such as Trafford Town hall, B&Q, local businesses and schools with prices ranging from £3-£5...... generally signs for car parking are visable on Talbot Road on the approach from City and from Stretford in the opposite direction.
The ground is occasionally used as a venue for large-scale concerts, with hometown band Oasis playing there in 2002. Richard Ashcroft performing a homecoming gig, supported by Razorlight, at the ground in 2006. The day after, Foo Fighters played with support from The Strokes, Angels & Airwaves, The Subways and Eagles of Death Metal. In July 2007, Arctic Monkeys hosted and headlined a "mini-festival" on the ground, supported by Supergrass, The Coral, The Parrots and Amy Winehouse. It was also the venue for the Move Festival which took place between 2002 and 2004, artists who appeared over the three years included Green Day, David Bowie, R.E.M., New Order and Morrissey. The ground will also host Radiohead in 2008 as part of their world tour.
Prices for visiting the ground vary on the type of match and the type of ticket (Adult, Child under 13, OAP) so it's always best to check before you decide to attend. If you like Cricket, and your team is playing here, I would certainly give it a go!
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Advantages: An attraction full of history, enthusiastic and informed tour guides, not expensive Disadvantages: I can't think of any, but if you support Manchester City you may disagree ;-)
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