Sir Matt Busby Way · Manchester M16 0RA · Capacity 74,310
Old Trafford: England's largest club ground
Seventy-four thousand seats makes this the biggest club stadium in the country by a clear margin. It sits in Trafford, two hundred and fifty miles from Kent, and there is a second famous Old Trafford half a mile away that hosts cricket. Both facts matter when you are booking.
Seats. Only Wembley holds more people in England, and Wembley is not a club ground. Seventy-four thousand leaving a single site is the largest routine crowd movement in English club football.
Football or cricket? They are half a mile apart
This catches out visitors constantly, and a wrong drop costs you fifteen minutes on foot at best.
M16 0RA, Sir Matt Busby Way
Manchester United. Seventy-four thousand. The one with the tram stop named after it.
M16 0PX, Talbot Road
Emirates Old Trafford. Lancashire and Test cricket, and a concert venue in summer.
And both signposted
On a matchday the area is full of people going to one or the other. Say which when you book.
Different stops
Old Trafford and Wharfside serve the football ground; Old Trafford station serves the cricket.
Kent to Manchester
Times include the rest breaks a journey of this length legally requires. This is a full-day trip in every direction.
| Pick-up area | Distance | Each way |
|---|---|---|
| Gravesend & Northfleet | 248 miles | 4h 40m – 5h 50m |
| Dartford & Bluewater | 243 miles | 4h 35m – 5h 45m |
| Bromley & Orpington | 238 miles | 4h 30m – 5h 40m |
| Sevenoaks & Tonbridge | 241 miles | 4h 35m – 5h 45m |
| Rochester & Chatham | 258 miles | 4h 50m – 6h |
| Maidstone & Aylesford | 255 miles | 4h 45m – 5h 55m |
| Canterbury & Ashford | 283 miles | 5h 15m – 6h 25m |
How to do it from Kent
A 3pm Saturday kick-off from Kent is a fifteen-hour day. Here are the realistic formats.
| Format | What it involves | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Day return, 15:00 kick-off | Leave 07:00, home around 22:00 | Long but manageable. The most common. |
| Day return, evening kick-off | Leave 11:00, home around 03:00 | Punishing. Consider staying over. |
| Overnight | Up the day before, back after | Much better for evening and European fixtures. |
| Rail plus local | Train to Piccadilly, tram to the ground | Cheapest for two or three. The tram goes to the door. |
A trip to the biggest ground in the country
Seventy-four thousand people leave at once
That is more than any other club crowd in England and it takes time. The area around Sir Matt Busby Way and the Bridgewater Way is managed and closed on matchdays, and the tram is overwhelmed for a good half hour. We hold well back from the ground, towards Trafford or the Chester Road side, and accept a fifteen to twenty minute walk in exchange for roads that are actually moving.
The tram is genuinely good, and genuinely full
Metrolink runs to the ground and it is the right way to arrive if you are already in Manchester. After the whistle it is a queue like any other, so if you are travelling on by coach the walk out to a collection point beats waiting for a tram to a station to reach a coach that could have collected you directly.
Evening kick-offs need an overnight
A three o'clock Saturday works as a day return from Kent, at fifteen hours door to door. An eight o'clock European night does not: you would leave at eleven in the morning and get home at three the following morning. For those fixtures the room is the cheaper option once you account for what the day costs you.
Say football or cricket when you book
Emirates Old Trafford, the cricket ground, is half a mile away and hosts Test matches and summer concerts. Both are signposted, both are busy, and both are called Old Trafford. Naming which one takes a second and saves a walk.
Old Trafford questions
Distance, format, and which Old Trafford.
Is this the football ground or the cricket ground?
The football ground, at M16 0RA on Sir Matt Busby Way. Emirates Old Trafford, the cricket ground, is half a mile away at M16 0PX. Both are called Old Trafford, both are signposted, so say which when you book.
How far is it from Kent?
Around two hundred and forty to two hundred and eighty-five miles, four and a half to six and a half hours each way including required rest breaks.
Can we do a 3pm Saturday as a day return?
Yes, and most groups do. Leave around seven, home around ten in the evening. It is a fifteen-hour day but a manageable one.
What about an evening kick-off?
Consider staying over. An eight o'clock kick-off from Kent means leaving late morning and getting home around three the following morning.
Where do you collect after the match?
Well back from the ground, towards Trafford or the Chester Road side, which means a fifteen to twenty minute walk to roads that are moving. Seventy-four thousand people take a while to clear.
Is the tram worth using?
It runs to the ground and it is the right way to arrive if you are already in Manchester. After the whistle it queues like everything else.
Can you take a full coach?
Yes, up to forty-nine seats, with multiple vehicles run as one booking. At this distance a coach is considerably better than a minibus.
Is the fare fixed?
Yes, agreed before travel and unaffected by motorway delays or a slow exit.
Northern grounds and guides
The long away days.