July 11 – The man who delivered London 2012 is now being tasked with dragging the fallen giant, Manchester United into the future. Lord Coe has been handed the keys to the most ambitious stadium project in British football history – a £4.2 billion regeneration of Old Trafford that promises a 100,000-seat colossus and transformation of the surrounding area.
Coe’s appointment comes soon after he lost the vote to president of the IOC. A former conservative MP, he has experience of city redevelopment leading on the redevelopment of a derelict chunk of East London into an Olympic legacy that’s still paying dividends two decades later.
The Old Trafford Regeneration Mayoral Development Corporation – to be created by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham in partnership with Trafford Council – has been granted statutory powers to purchase land and drive forward a project that promises 48,000 jobs and at least 5,000 new homes.
Coe, 68, turned Stratford from a post-industrial wasteland into a thriving district that continues to attract investment and residents. Now he’s applying that same blueprint to the new Theatre of Dreams.
“Throughout my career, I’ve seen the difference that sports-led regeneration can make in fostering strong communities and acting as a catalyst for economic growth,” Coe said. “That was certainly true of the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics – and now, I believe, Greater Manchester’s moment has come.”
The ambition extends beyond stadium walls. Coe is already eyeing the 2035 FIFA Women’s World Cup as a potential showcase for the new Old Trafford, with the home nations currently the sole bidder. Old Trafford would like to host the final.
It’s vintage Coe – thinking big, planning long-term, and understanding that world-class infrastructure attracts world-class events.
The statutory body will have real teeth – powers to compulsory purchase land, drive planning applications, and coordinate with local authorities in ways that private developers simply can’t match.
Omar Berrada, United’s chief executive, said: “Lord Coe’s proven leadership and track record in delivering transformational projects will be invaluable as we work together to turn our collective vision into reality.”
The consultation process begins now, with the expectation that construction will transform not just Old Trafford but the wider Trafford Park area – a district that’s seen better days and desperately needs the investment boost that only a project of this scale can provide.
“Twenty years on from securing the Olympic and Paralympic Games for this country, I’m ready to help deliver a vision of equal scale and ambition,” Coe declared.
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