Old Trafford is still one of the most visited football stadiums in all of Europe, but the type of people in the stands is different. For many, a season ticket is no longer affordable. The working class fans who used to sit in the stadium now watch the games in the pub.
Old Trafford is still one of the most visited stadiums in Europe
Upper class people sit in the stands who have hundreds to thousands of euros left to go to football. Old Trafford is also very popular with foreigners. At Manchester United, those fans are actively used because they fill the club’s cash in the field of merchandise. Before and after matches, the museum tour is often fully booked. All those new fans from abroad are also much more inclined to buy something from the fanstore. Until just before a game, there are huge queues in front of the many cash registers.
On the one hand there is the tradition and history that is well preserved at Old Trafford. On the other hand, the marketing and merchandise stands out. Manchester United have brought those two extremes together in a clever way. The football club is a commercial giant with tentacles in every corner of the planet and at the same time as a visitor you step into a time machine. Old Trafford is what brings those worlds together. It is a unique stadium where history is palpable. It’s just unclear how long.
Attendance this season in big five leagues
| Club | Spectators | |
| 1 | Barcelona | 83,148 |
| 2 | Borussia Dortmund | 81,186 |
| 3 | Bayern Munich | 75,007 |
| 4 | Manchester United | 73,886 |
| 5 | International | 72,565 |
| 6 | AC Milan | 72,029 |
| 7 | Marseille | 62,654 |
| 8 | West Ham United | 62,458 |
| 9 | AS Roma | 61,736 |
| 10 | Spurs | 61,663 |
| 11 | Schalke 04 | 61,047 |
| 12 | Arsenal | 60,205 |
Owners of Newcastle are eyeing Belgian relegation club
Continuing with the commercial aspect of the game, the owners of Newcastle United are interested in a takeover of KV Oostende. Despite the relegation to the second level of Belgium, several parties are interested in Oostende.
After last weekend’s 4-0 defeat against OH Leuven, Oostend’s fate was finally sealed. Ostend will no longer play at the highest Belgian level next season. Nevertheless, the owners of Newcastle are interested in a takeover, Het Nieuwsblad reports. In addition, the owners of Bournemouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers also prey on Oostende.
Oostende came into the hands of the Pacific Media Group (PMG) in 2020, but criticism of the policy from fans has increased in recent months. The club sold important players, but did not bring back enough quality. Ostend is in financial trouble and was recently unable to pay part of the staff.
Oostende is not the only Belgian second-tier team that could get the same owner as a Premier League side. For example, Lommel is part of the City Group and RWDM and Crystal Palace also have the same owner.
