Is Manchester United getting a new stadium? What does this mean for the future of Old Trafford? And how much will it all cost? Takes a look at the key questions…
Could Man Utd get a new stadium?
It was reported in February that Sir Jim Ratcliffe wanted to build a new stadium for United, who have spent the last 114 years at Old Trafford, with a capacity of around 74,000.
According to the report, the plan would make United the ‘Wembley of the North’ to rival the 90,000-seat National Stadium in north London.
Billionaire Ratcliffe, who founded the INEOS Group and acquired a 25 per cent stake in United for a fee of £1.2bn at the end of 2023, then set up the Old Trafford Regeneration Taskforce, with himself as chair. . Other members of the task force include Lord Coe, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
Dave Kidd from The Sun and John Cross from The Mirror discuss the story that Sir Jim Ratcliffe is considering possibly replacing Old Trafford with the name ‘Wombley of the North’.
Editor Andy Mitton said, “I was told that Sir Jim Ratcliffe came to one of his meetings and felt that for the biggest football club in the world, the wow factor was not there. I agree. “said editor Andy Mitton. in February.
What is Man Utd’s position on this?
According to reports, Ratcliffe is against the idea of moving the club, but feels supporters would be behind a stadium move if they stayed within the same ground.
United own 100 acres of land around Old Trafford, of which 43 acres are ready for development. About 25 acres are said to be unused.
As part of the Future of Football series, Jim Hurrin, director of Zaha Hadid Architects, said that United should follow the template of how Barcelona, Real Madrid and Liverpool have renovated their stadiums rather than building new ones. should be followed.
“At Old Trafford, you’d definitely expect them to think about redeveloping and not going anywhere else. Look at what Liverpool are doing with these small changes and upgrades. It’s the future. “Looks like and not a brand new stadium,” he said. .
“I know why Everton are moving but it seems like an old way of looking at new stadiums, especially when you already have something that is an asset.”
Sky Sports’ Neville, part of the Old Trafford Regeneration Taskforce, has been vocal about the need to improve Old Trafford’s facilities. “Maybe what Liverpool have done is the way forward,” he said late last year.
“If funds are lacking, maybe get one or two stands, absolutely world class, and follow up on the other two in the next five to 10 years. That would be a plan.”
What’s wrong with Old Trafford?
Oh, so much. “Old Trafford is falling down” is the first line of a slogan that fans of rival clubs have used consistently to entertain United this season.
Old Trafford Falls were once again on show when the skies opened up after Manchester United’s match against Arsenal.
The declining standards of United’s ground have been well-documented, with the latest example coming after Sunday’s defeat by Arsenal, where thunderstorms flooded areas of the stadium, including water from the roof. fell down.
Other videos of run-down parts of the ground have circulated online in recent years and, although it is England’s biggest club stadium, it has not been selected as one of the host venues for Euro 2028 in the UK and Ireland.
“The main stand needs to be done, so does the roof, but the exterior of the stadium also needs to be done,” Mitton added. “It looks a bit red in different areas and there are fundamental problems with Old Trafford which are not great. Legroom in the stadium is notorious.
“The designs of the stadiums have changed since they first designed the stadiums and the legroom is still the same.
“It’s a beautiful stadium, Old Trafford – but I’m not a fan of the ceiling because I think it’s too low. Old Trafford shouldn’t be smaller, it should be bigger.”
Neville has been vocal about the need to improve Old Trafford’s facilities. “I’ve heard there’s only a few hundred million pounds being spent on Old Trafford. It’s nowhere near enough,” he said late last year.
“I’d rather spend £200 million on the old stadium and the two sides of Old Trafford look absolutely amazing. It’s important you have pride in where you play and Old Trafford is an amazing stadium. “
The last time the club carried out major work at Old Trafford was in May 2006, when 8,000 seats were added to the north-west and north-east quadrants of the stadium.
The work was approved before the Glazer family took control of the club in June 2005, meaning no renovation work has been carried out at Old Trafford since United’s majority shareholders took over 19 years ago.
What do Man Utd fans think of this situation?
United V Stand editor Andy Mitton says Sir Jim Ratcliffe is making the right noise about updating Old Trafford and says the stadium needs to be rebuilt or rebuilt.
Maten believes Manchester United fans are divided on how they want Old Trafford to be redeveloped, but added that money and costs will come into the equation.
“From what I can see Manchester United fans are divided on the decision to rebuild or build a new stadium,” he said.
“I’ve been lucky enough to see the development of some stadiums around Europe like Marseille. I’ve always supported rebuilding but I’m willing to listen and so are other fans. Then it’s up to the debate. Takes to a different area.
“Some fans like the idea of a new stadium. I like what Real Madrid have done and what Barcelona are doing, but I’m not at all against the idea of building a new stadium.
“I’m just in favor of a redevelopment. For me, Old Trafford needs to be expanded. Old Trafford is a wonderful stadium but it’s not the best stadium in the world.”
What have other clubs done recently?
Staying on the same land Tottenham did while building their new stadium. Spurs left their old White Hart Lane ground in 2016, spending almost three seasons at Wembley, before moving back to their new 61,000-seat venue in early 2019.
One problem is that Old Trafford is located between a railway line and a canal, making logistics relatively difficult. While Brentford managed to overcome a similar challenge for their Gtech Community Stadium in 2020, their stadium is much smaller, holding just 17,000 fans.
The renovation of the Aviva Stadium in Lansdowne Road, Dublin also faced challenges related to the railway line, with a line running along the west side of the stadium. The renovation was completed in 2010.
And big… how much will it cost?
reported that expanding Old Trafford would cost United around £800m, while a new ground would cost around £1.5bn to £2bn.
According to Spurs owner Daniel Levy in an interview in November 2020, Tottenham’s new stadium cost the club around £1.2bn.
As part of his £1.2bn deal to buy a stake in United, Ratcliffe is injecting £239m into the club to help expand the club’s infrastructure. Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim, who is up against Ratcliffe in the race to take control of United, was prepared to pledge £1.27bn for the same job.
United could lobby the government to fund part of the stadium project under a ‘levelling-up’ pledge.
A Labor government could be in place as United move to redevelop Old Trafford, and party leader Sir Keir Starmer was a guest at United’s game with Arsenal, meeting with the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force. .
The mayor of Greater Manchester Burnham said earlier this year: “Whoever they are. [Ratcliffe and INEOS] Want, we will facilitate and we will be there to ensure that the club is set up for the future.”
But if those requests are not approved, the only way United can afford the stadium is either Ratcliffe fulfills his £239m pledge, the Glazers suddenly invest in infrastructure for the first time, or the club borrows more money. take
As of March 2023, United already have around £969m of debt. So where will the money come from?
What comes first: fix the roof, or fix the team?
“Man Utd need to win the EuroMillions five weeks in a row to solve all their problems. One thing that was quite interesting on Sunday was that there was a little meeting in Manchester about this ‘Wembley of the North’. .
“This is the plan of INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe; they want to build a new stadium and they want it to be a huge focal point for English football as well as being the home of Manchester United.
“Sir Keir Starmer was at the game. [against Arsenal] And he is the Labor leader while Andy Burnham [Mayor of Greater Manchester] New stadium construction and the re-jig at Old Trafford is involved.
“That roof has been leaking for years so while these are fresh pictures from yesterday, it’s nothing new. It’s a situation that’s been going on for years and fans have complained about it, but the Glazers Did not fix it.
“It’s something that absolutely needs to be addressed because it’s not right for fans to go and pay all that money to see that side get wet.
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