Plans are well and truly underway for Manchester United’s brand-new stadium.
After a lengthy planning stage, Ineos announced plans to build a new 100,000-seater stadium to replace Old Trafford.
Initial plans and visuals of how the stadium could look are breathtaking, and Manchester United’s new home deserves glory which the club will be desperate to find before the move-in date.
United aims for the new stadium to be complete for the 2030/31 campaign, with club CEO Omar Berrada stating to The Athletic, that he is hopeful that Ruben Amorim will shepherd in the new era.
The plans for United’s new stadium have excited Gary Neville, and the majority of fans are also excited by the news, with the plans very impressive.
United will continue playing at Old Trafford until the move, which was a big relief. But one question remains.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Manchester United must not demolish Old Trafford
The plans for the future are great, with the stadium looking like it’s from not just the 21st century but also the 22nd.
A vision for the future, but it must see United keep its past and tradition to avoid losing what makes the club so special.
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Old Trafford has so much history within its walls and to simply knock it down would be a travesty for the fans and the club.
However, the stadium could be reduced in size and repurposed for perhaps the academy or women’s team to make use of – both of which would have several positives.
Manchester United re-purposing Old Trafford has several positives
Instead of demolishing, turning Old Trafford into a capacity of between 10,000 and 15,000 for the academy and women’s team, would make a lot more sense for the club, for three main reasons
Financially
By using a smaller Old Trafford for academy and women’s games, Ineos would unlock a second stream of revenue, with games sure to draw more fans than when playing at the Leigh Sports Village, which in turn could unlock a new revenue stream.
Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Images
Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Images
Fans
Retaining the feeling of Old Trafford would also be valuable for fans who don’t wish to see the stadium gone. United could keep irreplaceable aspects while reducing its size and capacity. Fans would still be able to visit and see the Munich Tunnel and the Trinity Statue for instance.
Benefit to Manchester United women
Looking at what Manchester City did with their academy stadium, United reducing Old Trafford to 10,000-seater for example would be perfect to give the women’s team a home of their own – shared with the U21s. Ratcliffe may be inclined to do this to make up for his disrespectful treatment of the women’s team to date.