As part of the government’s revitalization of the Old Trafford neighborhood, Manchester United has revealed plans to construct a stadium with 100,000 seats. The new construction was suggested by Man United’s expert task force, which also included former defender Gary Neville and Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, over the idea of renovating the team’s current stadium.
According to Sir Jim Ratcliffe, he hopes the new stadium will be the “greatest in the world” and could be finished in five years. The stadium would have an umbrella design and a new public plaza that is “twice the size of Trafalgar Square,” according to Lord Norman Foster, founder of Foster and Partners, the firm that will design the project.
Additionally, three masts known as “the trident” will be part of the design. These masts will be 200 meters high and visible from a distance of 25 miles.
According to an exclusive interview with Football Insider, former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson stated that once the feasibility and build-cost analyses are finished, United may need to lower the capacity to about 90,000.
Government really keen to crack on with new Man United stadium
The government’s support for the plan has been reaffirmed by Lisa Nandy, the UK Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport. “At the moment, it’s a moving feast,” she told Sky Sports, adding, “but we are impatient to get the economy growing again and get projects like this off the ground.” Not a minute is being wasted.
I’ve been in talks with the Chancellor and the Business Secretary, and we’re eager to get started. The man in charge, Andy Burnham, disclosed that the stadium, which is anticipated to cost up to £2 billion, would not be constructed with public funds.
Although the project appears to conflict with the club’s £1 billion debt and tense relationship with PSR, infrastructure investment is not taken into account under those regulations; it is unclear how the project stacks up against the debt.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe will be pleased with this, as he stated his goal for the “Wembley of the North” on the day of its opening: “If the government truly supports this plan, we will construct a legendary football stadium.”
