Sir Jim Ratcliffe challenged to deliver Manchester United new 100,000-seater stadium
Fans remain divided over whether Manchester United should build a new stadium
Manchester United co-owners Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family have been challenged to deliver a new 100,000-capacity stadium that can transform the wider region.
The Old Trafford regeneration task force headed by Lord Coe met for a final time on Tuesday afternoon before submitting an “options report” to the owners.
Ratcliffe, Joel Glazer and his brother Avram are expected to spend the next month studying the task force’s recommendations and findings as the club prepares to make a final decision next summer on whether to build a new world-class ground or redevelop their existing Old Trafford home.
Omar Berrada, the United chief executive, and Collette Roche, chief operating officer, listened via video call to Coe and the task force, which also includes Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, and Gary Neville, a former United captain, spell out how they believe a vision for a “Wembley of the North” could serve as the catalyst for an extraordinary regeneration project.
“At every stage we have challenged all involved to recognise the opportunity that sport presents as a powerful driver for transformational urban regeneration and that is reflected in the report,” Coe said.
“Manchester United will now work together with local authorities to review the findings and agree a path forward in the months ahead.”
United are targeting a 100,000-capacity ground if they go down the new-build route. In an interview with the United We Stand fanzine this month, Ratcliffe said: “If we can build a 100,000-capacity stadium then we will fill it.”
‘Stadium can catalyse regeneration around Old Trafford’
Coe said the meeting “marked the conclusion of months of feasibility work to explore ways in which the development of a world-class football stadium can catalyse regeneration of the area around Old Trafford, delivering huge social and economic benefits for the local community, and the wider region.”
The 10-strong task force was convened in February by Ratcliffe to fully examine how a world-leading new stadium could support wider renewal of the Old Trafford area and drive social and economic improvements for the entire region.
“This has been a multi-stakeholder process that has collected views from over 50,000 fans, plus residents, community members and businesses,” Coe added.
“We discussed the outcome of this work in the form of an options report with Manchester United, Trafford Borough Council and Greater Manchester Combined Authority to help inform their decision-making process.”
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The task force, which has provided advice and instruction on the wider vision and benefits case as well as commissioning an economic study and engaging and consulting with stakeholders, will continue to support the project next year.
The Oxford Economics report claimed the development’s potential benefits would include the creation of 92,000 jobs, more than 17,000 new homes and an additional 1.8 million visitors each year.
While both redevelopment and new-build options are still on the table, Ratcliffe is strongly in favour of a new stadium although it is not known how such a huge project could be financed at a time when the club have posted losses before tax of £312.9 million over the past three seasons.
Progress is being made on Freightliner potentially moving their freight terminal operations out of Old Trafford to St Helens, which would not only free up land to build on but, crucially, also transform passenger rail services.
A recent survey of around 500,000 United supporters established that around 52 per cent of fans were open to the idea of a new build.
A redeveloped Old Trafford is the preference for 31 per cent of fans, with 17 per cent said to be unsure which option they would prefer at this stage.