Manchester United unveil 100k-cap new stadium plan

Manchester United have unveiled grandiose plans to build a new £2 billion (€2.4bn), 100,000-seat stadium next to their current Old Trafford home.

According to the football club, the stadium and wider regeneration project have the potential to deliver an additional £7.3bn per annum to the UK economy, creating up to 92.000 jobs and 17,000 new homes in Greater Manchester.

The stadium, which would also host concerts, would surpass London’s 90,000-cap Wembley Stadium as the largest in the UK. Architecture group Foster + Partners has been appointed to design the scheme, which the club hopes will be completed within five years.

“Today marks the start of an incredibly exciting journey to the delivery of what will be the world’s greatest football stadium, at the centre of a regenerated Old Trafford,” says Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

“Our current stadium has served us brilliantly for the past 115 years, but it has fallen behind the best arenas in world sport. By building next to the existing site, we will be able to preserve the essence of Old Trafford, while creating a truly state-of-the-art stadium that transforms the fan experience only footsteps from our historic home.

“Just as important is the opportunity for a new stadium to be the catalyst for social and economic renewal of the Old Trafford area, creating jobs and investment not just during the construction phase but on a lasting basis when the stadium district is complete. The government has identified infrastructure investment as a strategic priority, particularly in the north of England, and we are proud to be supporting that mission with this project of national, as well as local, significance.”

“If we get this right, the regeneration impact could be bigger and better than London 2012”

The 75,000-cap Old Trafford, which has been United’s home ground since 1910, has staged live music events only sporadically, welcoming acts such as Billy Joel, the Rolling Stones and Bon Jovi over the years. More commonly, major outdoor concerts in the city have taken place at the nearby 50,000-cap Emirates Old Trafford, as well as the 60,000-cap Etihad Stadium (home of rivals Manchester City) and the 80,000-cap Heaton Park.

It is projected the scheme will drive an additional 1.8 million visitors annually.

“If we get this right, the regeneration impact could be bigger and better than London 2012,” says Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham. “Manchester United could, and indeed should, have the best football stadium in the world. To me, that means a stadium that is true to the traditions of the club, affordable to all, with nobody priced out, and a stadium that sets new standards in the game globally. I believe this vision can be realised, and if so, the benefits for Greater Manchester, the North West and the country will be huge.”

IQ recently went behind the scenes at fellow Premier League outfit Everton’s new stadium in Bramley-Moore Dock. With the ability to host events between 5,000 capacity and 53,000, the new ground – which opens later this year – will be the biggest stadium to come on stream in the UK since the 62,850-cap Tottenham Hotspur Stadium opened more than six years ago.

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