For the first time in their history, Manchester United Women are playing at Old Trafford.
Next week the team will be on the pitch at the Theater of Dreams for their WSL game against West Ham United. A gap in the men’s schedule has allowed Casey Stoney and her team to use the stadium for an important matchup.
United won against relegation last time around and threatened Aston Villa. A win against West Ham is crucial as Arsenal are not trailing fairly behind in the race for European places.
They usually play their games at Leigh Sports Village, which is also used by the U23 team. The game starts on Saturday, March 27th at 11:30 am.
Manager Casey Stoney said: “Playing at Old Trafford is obviously going to be a special moment in this team’s history and it is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the women’s game.”
This is not the first time a WSL game has been played in a large stadium. The Manchester Derby will be played in front of fans at the Etihad Stadium as early as 2019.
Collette Roche, Chief Operating Officer, said: “We are very excited to host our women’s team in Old Trafford.
“This month’s international break created a void in this season’s program and we all agreed that this was the right time to welcome Casey and her squad to Old Trafford.”
Not only is this an historic achievement, but it also solidifies the club’s commitment to the development of women’s football.
The Euro 2022 competition for women will take place in Manchester next summer. The games will be played at Old Trafford, Leigh Sports Village and the Academy Stadium. The tournament is played across England and offers tremendous visibility for the women’s game.
Main photo: HonorTheKing, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
