Manchester United put chunks of Old Trafford up for sale

[MANCHESTER] In a left-field move, Manchester United are offering supporters the chance to own a piece of their Old Trafford pitch, with preserved sections of turf going on sale for £125 (US$165.49).

Old Trafford, known as the “Theatre of Dreams”, has been the English football club’s home stadium since 1910 and has been the stage for some of the most significant moments in the club’s history, including their record 13 English Premier League (EPL) titles.

“Wins and losses, successes and failures, highs and lows. We’ve seen it all. Now, supporters can own a piece of the pitch,” United said in a statement on their website on Wednesday (Sep 23).

“Don’t worry, there aren’t holes in the pitch right now. This is all possible because the Old Trafford pitch was completely dug up and stripped back to its foundation in June, for the first time in 14 years.

“That meticulous project was completed by award-winning groundsperson Tony Sinclair and his team of experts, all to regrow the surface to improve player welfare and water drainage.

“As part of the process, sections of the pitch were carefully preserved and, later, placed into glass cubes to create a special memento for Reds.”

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The initiative comes at a difficult time on and off the pitch for United.

They finished third in the EPL last season and returned to the Champions League, but have made a sluggish start to the current campaign and sit 12th in the table with just one win from their first five EPL games.

On Wednesday, the club also reported a seventh straight annual loss, as costs related to player acquisitions and the sacking of former head coach Ruben Amorim this year pushed them deeper into the red. REUTERS