Soccer

Manchester United women to play first ever game at Old Trafford

Match against West Ham on March 27th ‘a special moment’

Manchester United’s Katie Zelem (right) celebrates scoring her side’s third goal in a recent Women’s Super League match. Photograph: Tim Goode/PA Wire

Wed Mar 17 2021 - 18:43

Manchester United’s women’s team will play at Old Trafford for the first time when they host West Ham on Saturday, March 27th, with the manager, Casey Stoney, saying the game would be a “special moment” in the history of the team which was relaunched in 2018 after it had been disbanded in 2005.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity to showcase the women’s game which has seen huge growth over the last few years,” she said. “We of course will miss our fans, they are such an important part of this club and we have felt their amazing support from afar throughout the season. We are all eager to get them back in the stands as soon as possible and hope that there will be many more opportunities to play at Old Trafford in the future.”

The United forward Marcus Rashford was one of the first to praise the move. Posting on social media he said: “Yes @ManUtdWomen exactly where they deserve to be. There’s no feeling like playing at OT. Enjoy it, we are rooting for you.”

The club’s chief operating officer, Collette Roche, said: “We are thrilled to be hosting our women’s team at Old Trafford. We would have loved for fans to able to be there to witness this moment, but that time will come.”

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With the Premier League and men’s Championship paused for an international break, women’s football is to take centre stage with staggered kick-offs meaning that every Women’s Super League and women’s Championship game will be broadcast live across the FA Player, BBC and BT Sport.

United follow Tottenham in announcing that their women’s side will play in the club’s main stadium during the men’s international window, with Spurs hosting Arsenal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for the second time at 3.30pm on March 27th. Last year, a league record crowd of 38,262 fans watched Arsenal defeat their north London rivals 2-0 at the stadium. – Guardian News and Media 2021

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