An image of Old Trafford (left) next to an image of the new stadium plans (right), with an image of Sir Jim Radcliffe in between
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Sir Jim Radcliffe's Manchester United have announced their intention to demolish Old Trafford and replace it with an ambitious £2billion 100,000 seater stadium.
The new stadium is set to be built next to the existing site of the Man Utd stadium and will be the centrepiece of the regeneration of the Old Trafford area of Manchester. Alongside the plans, the club revealed images and scaled models of the unnamed stadium, designed by architecture group Foster + Partners.
United believe the stadium and wider regeneration project can deliver an addition £7.3bn per year to the UK economy. It is estimated that the new project will create up to 17,000 new homes and 92,000 new jobs, as well as attracting 1.8million more visitors to the area each year.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, co-owner of United, said: "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.
An AI image of the fans walking towards the new stadium
Sir Jim Ratcliffe claimed the new arena would be "the world's greatest football stadium"
"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.
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"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.”
Old Trafford was the site of massive flooding after a torrential downpour in May 2024 and two fans even claimed to have been hit by falling concrete from the crumbling roof in November 2023. Previously, United's owners have opted against investing in the stadium while several of their rivals have continued to improve their stadia.
The stadium is contained by a giant umbrella that shelters a public plaza that is twice the size of Trafalgar Square
The stadium is contained by a giant umbrella that shelters a public plaza that is twice the size of Trafalgar Square
Following the release of the plans, the ambitious project enters a new phase which will include detailed feasibility, consultation, design and planning work. Omar Berrada, chief executive of United, said: “Our long-term objective as a club is to have the world’s best football team playing in the world’s best stadium."
"We are grateful for the feasibility work done by the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force exploring options for the future of Old Trafford. We have carefully considered its findings, together with the views of thousands of fans and local residents, and concluded that a new stadium is the right way forward for Manchester United and our surrounding community.
A view inside the new stadium
The new development will "transform the fan experience" while keeping the essence of Old Trafford, United say
While the majority of fans accept that building a new stadium is the right move, plans have been met with a mixed response online. Following their release, many fans have said they're unsure at the design of the new stadium, comparing it to a circus tent.
Responding to the original Mirror story, NannaV wrote: "As for the stadium design it would be more at home in the UAE than Manchester, it looks like a glorified circus tent, not a football stadium." While hexford said: "A Big Top Circus and we know who starts in a Circus. Seems fitting."
Task force chiefs have claimed the regeneration could be the biggest project since the London 2012 Olympics Don't Miss
Other commenters voiced their concern around where the money for the new stadium would come from and whether that could affect the team negatively. 11pjjj said: "Great even less money to rebuild the squad. Where will United play when they knock down old Trafford."
Theonetwo1973 wrote: "As a Liverpool fan I have no issues with clubs having new stadiums but seriously, United should clear their 700 million debt first. They need to build a good team and start winning trophies again, start attracting the best players again and revenue goes up. Profits will also go up and you have money to spend. This Ratcliffe plan is just bonkers. Where's the real money coming from?"
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