Man United's FA Youth Cup final with Nottingham Forest SMASHES record

Manchester United’s FA Youth Cup final against Nottingham Forest SMASHES competition’s attendance record with more than 67,000 tickets sold for Old Trafford finale – with Harry Maguire and Sir Alex Ferguson among packed-out crowd

  • Manchester United took on Nottingham Forest in the FA Youth Cup final
  • Sir Alex Ferguson and Harry Maguire were among the big names in the crowd
  • More than 67,000 tickets have been sold for the game, breaking the record
  • The previous record attendance in the tournament stood at 38,187 back in 2007 

A record crowd watched Manchester United and Nottingham Forest contest the FA Youth Cup final at Old Trafford – with plenty of luminaries among them.

United sold 67,000 tickets for the match – priced at just £1 with proceeds going to the club’s charity foundation – though there were patches of red seats around the stadium.

Legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson watched on from the director’s box, with current first-teamers Harry Maguire, Phil Jones and Scott McTominay also in the stands.

A huge crowd of more than 67,000 turned up at Old Trafford for the FA Youth Cup final

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It was a sunny evening with more than 5,000 Nottingham Forest fans making the trip

Former Man United boss Sir Alex Ferguson (middle, in blue) watched on with Sam Allardyce

Former Old Trafford favourites Michael Carrick and Bryan Robson were present as well as Forest’s current first-team manager Steve Cooper.

Forest were backed by more than 5,000 fans in one corner of Old Trafford with the crowd far exceeding the previous Youth Cup record attendance of 38,187 for the 2007 final between Arsenal and United.

The Stretford End unveiled a ‘Class of 22’ banner ahead of kick-off in an echo of the famous team of 30 years ago featuring the likes of David Beckham, Gary Neville, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt.

Beckham had earlier sent the United team a good luck message, urging them to ‘enjoy the experience.’

The crowd at Wednesday’s final also surpasses any Premier League attendance away from Manchester United.

Old Trafford, a 75,000 capacity ground, tops the charts, with Tottenham Hotspur’s new ground, which has 62,850 seats, the next largest.

Manchester United first team captain Harry Maguire attended and took pictures with fans

The packed-out crowd at Old Trafford smashed the previous attendance record from 2007

Prior to the final, United’s Head of Academy, Nick Cox, hailed the impact of exposing these burgeoning stars to large crowds. 

He told the club website: ‘If you turn up and watch the FA Youth Cup final, you are contributing to their development.

‘If we can have a ferocious atmosphere and passionate fans, it will help the boys cope that little bit better when they get the chance to play in front of 75,000.

‘The purpose of the FA Youth Cup is to create amazing learning opportunities.

‘The boys put some pressure on themselves to win, the history of the competition at this club puts a little bit of pressure on them as well, and you play in front of crowds, have that little bit of pressure and have to deal with whatever circumstances cup competitions throw at you.’



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