Which Old Trafford Came First? The Cricket Ground vs. the Football Stadium — Manchester’s Great Naming Puzzle Solved

The Short Answer: Cricket Came First — and It Wasn’t Even Close

If you’ve ever Googled “Old Trafford” and ended up on the wrong venue’s website, you’re not alone. Two iconic sports grounds sit less than a mile apart in south-west Manchester, and both go by the name Old Trafford. The confusion is completely understandable.

Here’s the timeline in plain English:

• 1857 — Old Trafford Cricket Ground opens as the home of Manchester Cricket Club.
• 1864 — Lancashire County Cricket Club is formed and adopts Old Trafford as its home.
• 1884 — The cricket ground hosts its first Ashes Test, becoming England’s second-oldest Test venue.
• 1910 — Old Trafford football stadium opens, with Manchester United losing 4–3 to Liverpool on day one.

That’s a 53-year head start for the cricket ground. By the time Archibald Leitch was sketching plans for United’s new stadium in 1909, the cricket ground next door was already one of the most celebrated sports venues in England.

Old Trafford Cricket Ground — Est. 1857, England’s Second-Oldest Test Venue

How the Cricket Ground Got Its Name

In 1857, Manchester Cricket Club relocated onto the meadows of the de Trafford estate — land owned by the aristocratic de Trafford family, who had been rooted in this corner of Lancashire for centuries. The ground took its name from the land it was built on, and the land took its name from the family who owned it.

It’s about as literal a naming story as you can get. The cricket club moved onto de Trafford family meadows, so they called the ground Old Trafford. No committee meetings. No branding consultants. Just geography.

From Muddy Fields to Test Cricket

The early years were not glamorous. The ground was accessible only along a footpath from the railway station, sat out in open countryside, and pulled in tiny crowds. It took until the Roses match of 1875 — Lancashire vs Yorkshire, as fiercely contested then as now — for significant numbers to start showing up.

Things changed quickly after that. When W.G. Grace brought Gloucestershire to Old Trafford in 1878, 28,000 spectators turned up over three days. That crowd sparked a round of improvements to access and facilities that transformed the ground entirely.

By 1884, Old Trafford had earned enough prestige to become England’s second ground to host Test cricket, after The Oval — staging a famous Ashes match against Australia. It’s held that distinction ever since, going on to host 84 Tests and five Cricket World Cups (1975, 1979, 1983, 1999, and 2019).

From Manchester Cricket Club to Lancashire County Cricket Club

Manchester Cricket Club — founded all the way back in 1816 — used Old Trafford as its home from 1857 onwards. Then, in January 1864, the leading members of the club gathered and formally constituted Lancashire County Cricket Club. Old Trafford became the county club’s home ground from the outset, and it has been ever since.

Lancashire purchased the ground outright from the de Trafford family in 1898 for £24,372 — a significant investment that secured the venue’s future. By then, crowds of over 50,000 were attending Test matches there.

Emirates Old Trafford in 2026

Since 2013 the cricket ground has officially been known as Emirates Old Trafford, following a sponsorship deal with the airline. Most people still call it Old Trafford Cricket Ground — or just “the cricket ground” if they’re locals trying to avoid confusion.

As of 2026, the venue is in the middle of its most ambitious transformation in decades. Trafford Council has approved a new 4,850-seater stand that will push the total capacity to 26,700, making Emirates Old Trafford the largest cricket ground outside London. The redevelopment also includes a new heritage centre, enhanced member facilities, and an extension of the on-site Hilton Garden Inn hotel. The ground already hosts concerts with a capacity of up to 65,000 — Coldplay, Beyoncé, and Bruce Springsteen have all played here — so it’s very much a year-round venue, not a seasonal one.

Old Trafford Football Stadium — Manchester United’s Home Since 1910

Why Manchester United Chose That Exact Location

By 1909, Manchester United (formerly Newton Heath) were in decent shape on the pitch — they’d just won their first FA Cup and a league title — but their ground at Bank Street in Clayton was an embarrassment. The pitch swung between gravel and marsh depending on the weather, and the neighbouring chemical works meant the air was routinely toxic. Not ideal matchday conditions.

Club chairman John Henry Davies decided enough was enough and bankrolled the construction of an entirely new stadium. After scouting around Manchester, he settled on a patch of land adjacent to the Bridgewater Canal in the Old Trafford area — five miles from Bank Street, right next to the cricket ground.

That wasn’t accidental. The cricket ground was already the area’s most famous landmark, and building next door gave the new football stadium an immediate sense of place and prestige. It also gave it its name.

Archibald Leitch and the Opening Day

Davies commissioned Archibald Leitch, Scotland’s greatest stadium architect — the man behind Craven Cottage, Stamford Bridge, and Ibrox — to design the new ground. Leitch’s brief was reportedly simple: “Create the finest stadium in the North.” The original plan called for a capacity of 100,000. Rising costs scaled that back to 80,000, but it was still a staggering ambition for 1909.

The stadium opened on 19 February 1910. Around 45,000 to 50,000 supporters poured in for the inaugural match against Liverpool. A journalist at the game called it “the most handsomest, the most spacious and the most remarkable arena I have ever seen.” United then went and lost 4–3. Sandy Turnbull scored the first-ever goal at Old Trafford, for the record.

How the Football Stadium Got Its Name

Simply put: it’s in Old Trafford. The neighbourhood was already named after the de Trafford family estate, the cricket ground had carried the name for 53 years, and when Manchester United built their stadium on a patch of land in the same area, they named it after the place they were in.

It’s worth saying this plainly because a lot of articles dance around it: the football stadium was named after the area, which was already associated with the cricket ground of the same name. Nobody sat down and invented a new name. The cricket ground had made “Old Trafford” famous in sporting circles, and the football club leaned into that identity.

Why Are There Two Stadiums with the Same Name in Manchester?

“Old Trafford” Is a Place, Not Just a Stadium

This is the key thing that trips people up. Old Trafford is a district of Greater Manchester — a neighbourhood two miles south-west of the city centre, in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford. Both stadiums are named after the area they sit in, not after each other.

Think of it like two pubs on the same street both being called “The Crown” — not because one copied the other, but because they’re both on Crown Street. Same logic applies here.

The de Trafford Family — The Original Namesakes

The whole naming chain starts with a Norman warrior called Ranulph, who was awarded land at a river crossing near the Irwell by King Canute in 1017. He took the name of the place — trey-ford, meaning river crossing — and became Ranulph, Lord of Trafford. His descendants, the de Trafford family, lived at Old Trafford Hall for centuries, and the area around the hall gradually became known as Old Trafford.

The old hall itself was demolished in 1939. But the name it gave the neighbourhood lives on in both sports grounds, a hotel, a tram stop, and the name of a Metropolitan Borough that over 240,000 people call home.

So when you ask which Old Trafford came first, the cricket ground wins by 53 years — but the name Old Trafford predates both of them by about 900 years.

How Far Apart Are the Two Grounds?

About 800 metres — a 10-minute walk, tops. They sit at opposite ends of Warwick Road. The section nearest the cricket ground is now called Brian Statham Way (named after the great Lancashire and England fast bowler), and the section nearest the football stadium is Sir Matt Busby Way. A short strip of Warwick Road in the middle connects them.

Both grounds share the same Old Trafford Metrolink tram stop, which sits right next to the cricket ground on the Altrincham line. This is useful to know if you’re planning to visit both in a day — and you absolutely can.

Side-by-Side: Cricket Ground vs. Football Stadium in 2026

The Future of Both Old Traffords

Manchester United’s “New Trafford” Plan

In March 2025, Manchester United confirmed plans for a new 100,000-seat stadium designed by Foster + Partners — the firm behind the Gherkin and Wembley’s arch. Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who purchased a 27.7% stake in the club in February 2024, has described the vision as “the world’s greatest football stadium” and, more modestly, “the Wembley of the North.”

The new stadium would be built adjacent to the current Old Trafford and is estimated to cost around £2 billion. The club has confirmed it intends to fund the stadium itself, while asking the government to support infrastructure and area regeneration.

As of 2026, the project is still firmly in its planning phase. The original target of being ready for the 2030–31 season has been described as “somewhat uncertain,” partly due to a land dispute with freight company Freightliner and the broader complexity of a regeneration project of this scale. In the short term, Manchester United is making comfort improvements to the existing Old Trafford for the 2026–27 season — new food outlets, self-service kiosks, and digital fan communications.

The club is officially calling the project “Old Trafford Regeneration.” Foster + Partners used the name “New Trafford Stadium” in their fact sheets. Either way, if it’s built as planned, the name Old Trafford will eventually apply to a new, even larger stadium.

Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground Expansion

The cricket ground’s future looks more immediately concrete. The new 4,850-seat Red Rose Grandstand has planning approval, and when complete it will take the ground’s capacity to 26,700 — making it the largest cricket venue outside London. Work also includes a new pitch-view suite for members, a heritage centre celebrating Lancashire Cricket’s history, and a further extension to the Hilton Garden Inn hotel on site.

There’s also a wider civic vision at play. Trafford Council’s Civic Quarter Masterplan — covering a 120-acre site that takes in the cricket ground, the former Kellogg’s site, and the town hall — includes plans for a pedestrian processional route linking Emirates Old Trafford to Manchester United’s ground. The two Old Traffords, already 800 metres apart, may soon be connected by a dedicated walking corridor. At that point, the shared name will feel less like a quirk and more like an intention.

Greatest Moments at Each Old Trafford

Cricket Ground Highlights

The cricket ground has been making history for nearly 170 years. A few moments stand out:

• 1884 — the first Ashes Test to be held in England (at Old Trafford), with Australia as the opponents.
• 1956 — Jim Laker’s 19 wickets for 90 runs against Australia in the same innings. A record that has never been matched in Test or first-class cricket, and almost certainly never will be.
• 1990 — a 17-year-old Sachin Tendulkar scored 119 not out against England. His first of 100 international centuries.
• 1993 — Shane Warne bowled Mike Gatting with the “Ball of the Century.” One delivery, one leg-break, one man walking back to the pavilion looking completely baffled.
• 1999 — India vs Pakistan in the World Cup, watched by over 22,000 people at the ground and millions more around the world.

Football Stadium Highlights

The football ground has had 116 years to build its legend. Some chapters:

• 1966 World Cup — Old Trafford hosted group stage matches, including Portugal’s run that culminated in Eusébio’s famous goals.
• 1999 — Manchester United won the Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League in the same season. The Treble. Still the high watermark of English club football.
• 2003 Champions League Final — AC Milan beat Juventus on penalties at Old Trafford, one of the few times the ground has staged a European Cup final.
• 2022 — a record 68,871 fans watched England vs Austria in the opening match of UEFA Women’s Euro 2022, making it the largest crowd ever to attend a Women’s Euros match at that time.

Visiting Both Old Traffords — What You Need to Know in 2026

The good news: you can comfortably visit both in a single day, and you won’t need a car to do it.

Getting There

The easiest route is the Metrolink — Manchester’s tram network. From Manchester Piccadilly, the journey to the Old Trafford tram stop takes around 15 minutes on the Altrincham line. The stop sits right beside the cricket ground. From there, the football stadium is a straightforward 10-minute walk up Warwick Road (Sir Matt Busby Way at the football end).

On matchdays at Old Trafford football ground, Sir Matt Busby Way closes to traffic, so driving is genuinely not worth it. If you’re coming by car on a non-matchday, both grounds have car parks. Use M16 0PX for the cricket ground and M16 0RA for the football stadium.

Tours and Non-Matchday Visits

Manchester United’s stadium tour runs on most non-matchdays and is one of the most popular sports tours in the UK. You’ll get access to the dressing rooms, the pitch side, the player tunnel, and the club museum. As of 2026, booking in advance online is strongly recommended — walk-up availability exists but isn’t guaranteed on busy days.

Emirates Old Trafford operates year-round as a conference, events, and hospitality venue, with the on-site Hilton Garden Inn open to guests whether there’s cricket on or not. On non-match days you can often walk into the ground itself and get close to the pitch — it’s a notably accessible venue compared to many sports grounds.

Practical Tips

• Concerts at Emirates Old Trafford sell out fast and the ground’s concert capacity (up to 65,000) means the surrounding area gets very busy. Plan your tram journey home before you go in.
• Hotel Football, the hotel themed around Manchester United and co-founded by Gary Neville, sits just across the canal from the football stadium and is a fun place to stay if you’re making a proper sports weekend of it.
• The museum at Old Trafford (football) is included in the stadium tour price and is genuinely worth your time even if you’re not a United fan — the history of English football is woven through it.
• If you’re visiting in summer, the cricket is often the better bet for a relaxed, unhurried day — especially for a County Championship match where tickets can be bought on the day and the atmosphere is brilliantly English in the very best way.

FAQ

Which Old Trafford is older — the cricket ground or the football stadium?

The cricket ground is older by 53 years. Emirates Old Trafford (cricket) opened in 1857, while the football stadium — home of Manchester United — opened on 19 February 1910. When Manchester United built their new ground in 1909–10, the cricket venue next door was already one of the most famous sports grounds in England.

Are the two Old Traffords in the same place?

No — they’re two completely separate venues about 800 metres (half a mile) apart. They share the same Metrolink tram stop and are linked by Warwick Road, but they’re distinct stadiums hosting different sports. One common mistake is thinking the cricket World Cup and the Champions League were both played “at Old Trafford” as if it’s the same place. They weren’t — different grounds, same neighbourhood.

Why do both Old Traffords have the same name?

Both stadiums are named after the district of Old Trafford in Greater Manchester — not after each other. The area took its name from the de Trafford family, who owned the local estate from around 1017. The cricket club moved onto de Trafford family meadows in 1857 and named the ground accordingly. When Manchester United built their stadium next door in 1909, they named it after the area they were building in — which already had a famous cricket ground of the same name.

Which Old Trafford has the bigger capacity?

The football stadium is significantly larger. Old Trafford (football) holds 74,244 people, making it the largest club football stadium in the United Kingdom. Emirates Old Trafford (cricket) currently holds around 22,000 for Test matches, rising to approximately 26,700 once the new stand under construction is complete. However, the cricket ground expands to around 65,000 for concerts — so for a Coldplay gig, it actually outpaces the football stadium.

Is the cricket ground called Old Trafford or Emirates Old Trafford?

Officially it’s Emirates Old Trafford, following a sponsorship deal with Emirates airline that began in 2013. In practice, locals and cricket fans call it Old Trafford Cricket Ground or just “the cricket ground.” The Emirates branding appears throughout the venue itself, but the historic name is very much still in use — including by the BBC and most cricket media.

Can you visit both Old Traffords in one day?

Yes, easily. They’re 800 metres apart, share a tram stop, and both offer tours or open access on non-matchdays. A reasonable plan: tram in from the city centre, start at the cricket ground (it’s right by the tram stop), walk up Sir Matt Busby Way to the football stadium, do the museum and stadium tour, then head back into town for dinner. Give yourself a full day and you won’t feel rushed.

Did Manchester United deliberately build their stadium next to the cricket ground?

Yes. The site was deliberately chosen. When chairman John Henry Davies was scouting locations for the new stadium in 1908–09, the Old Trafford area — “five miles from Bank Street, next to the cricket ground” — was identified as the ideal spot. The cricket ground’s established reputation gave the new football venue an immediate sense of prestige, and the area’s existing identity made the naming decision straightforward.

What is “New Trafford” — is the football Old Trafford being demolished?

In March 2025, Manchester United announced plans for a new 100,000-seat stadium designed by Foster + Partners, at an estimated cost of £2 billion. The club is calling the project “Old Trafford Regeneration”; the name “New Trafford Stadium” came from the architects’ documentation. As of 2026, the project is still in its planning phase — the original target of the 2030–31 season has been described as “somewhat uncertain.” Whether the current Old Trafford is demolished or repurposed hasn’t been confirmed.

Have any surprising events happened at the “wrong” Old Trafford?

A few. A cricket floodlit competition was played at the football Old Trafford in 1981. The football ground has also hosted tennis (a 1927 exhibition match featuring French champion Suzanne Lenglen drew 15,000 spectators), boxing (Chris Eubank vs. Nigel Benn in 1993 in front of 43,000), baseball (American soldiers played there during World War I), and even shinty — a traditional Scottish Highlands game — on the site before the stadium was built.

Is Old Trafford easy to reach from Manchester city centre?

Very. The Metrolink tram from Manchester Piccadilly to the Old Trafford stop takes around 15 minutes on the Altrincham line. From the tram stop, you’re immediately at the cricket ground, and a 10-minute walk brings you to the football stadium. On matchdays at the football ground, the Metrolink is absolutely the way to go — Sir Matt Busby Way is closed to traffic, and driving anywhere near the stadium is a bad idea that will add at least an hour to your journey home.

By Andrii Brusniak, visited 39 stadiums in 12 countries.

Article published: 18.05.2026

Updated: 18.05.2026