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Celebrating the Flags of Manchester United’s Singing Section
- Updated: September 27, 2016
There was a time when attending a Manchester United game at Old Trafford meant experiencing a raucous cacophony of sound from the stands. It still happens from time to time, of course, but it is saved for the big occasions—Champions League knockout games and clashes with Liverpool and Manchester City, for example.
As recently as the 1990s, this was not the case, but football’s culture has changed. The advent of all-seater stadia has played a part—gone are the days when like-minded singers could gather on terraces. That has affected many of the country’s big clubs. The ubiquitous “is this a library?” chant from away fans tells the story.
United had another specific cultural event that effected change: The Glazer-family takeover and subsequent formation of FC United of Manchester. Plenty of noisy match-going Reds of long standing moved away from the Red Devils in protest at the leveraged buyout and the debt that was heaped onto the club’s books.
Naturally, many of those who left were among the hardest of the hardcore.
But, of course, in spite of the changing demographics of the matchday support, in spite of the creation of FC United, many of the hardcore remain, and there has been a conscious effort to help foster an improvement in atmosphere.
The key single change has been the creation of the Singing Section in J-Stand, the north-east quadrant of the ground.
The trial for the area took place in the south-east quadrant, the section of the ground normally used to house away fans. When the permanent section was moved to J-Stand, the club’s website announced, “Where the away fans are currently housed on matchdays offers the most secure place to satisfy the needs of the security services, offering easy access to and from the stadium.”
They also state, “Old Trafford is an all-seater stadium and the club does not condone standing during games, or encourage it to take place as part of the Singing Section.”
However, the Singing Section, like the upper tier of the Stretford End—the ground’s noisiest section before the changes were introduced, and still a hotbed of atmosphere—tends to be a place where fans stand and sing.
From the Stretford End, the Singing Section’s impact can seem minimal. Old Trafford is a huge ground, and sound tends to dissipate. However, anywhere across the halfway line along the Sir Alex Ferguson stand, and all along the East …
