Post by Rustin Cohle on Jul 29, 2024 12:42:21 GMT
www.thetimes.com/sport/football/article/manchester-united-decide-old-traffords-future-end-year-7nbtx3hqn
Manchester United making plans for £2bn 100,000-seat new stadium
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has told club taskforce, which is led by Lord Coe, to make recommendation by end of year on whether to revamp Old Trafford or build new ground on the site
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has told club taskforce, which is led by Lord Coe, to make recommendation by end of year on whether to revamp Old Trafford or build new ground on the site
Manchester United will decide by the end of the year if they want to revamp Old Trafford or build a new 100,000-seat stadium on the grounds of their present home.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Ineos chairman who owns 27.7 per cent of the club, has told the stadium taskforce that was set up in April that they should report back in December with their findings.
At present, the taskforce, which is led by Lord Coe and includes figures such as Gary Neville and the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, is leaning towards recommending that a new stadium is built in the car park area behind the Stretford End, rather than a revamp of the existing ground. However, the club say that no final decision has been made.
The taskforce acknowledges that building a new stadium would be costly, at an estimated £2billion, and says that any decision will not be made without canvassing the opinions of the supporters.
The club have already asked 30,000 fans for their thoughts in a survey. A subcommittee of the taskforce is set to be appointed, including a representative of the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust, to gauge the mood of fans.
The club are not ruling out a revamp of the present stadium and it would be the cheaper option, at an estimated cost of £1billion, but United would also lose match-day revenue because they would probably have to close part of the 74,100-capacity stadium while building works are undertaken.
The club have about 51,000 season-ticket holders.
If United do build a new stadium, they have vowed to ensure that the arena is in keeping with United’s traditions. Landmarks such as the Holy Trinity Statue, depicting Sir Bobby Charlton, George Best and Denis Law, would be protected.
It is anticipated that a new stadium would take six years from the point of inception to the end of construction. United would be able to play in the present stadium, built in 1910, while a new ground is built.
If the capacity was 100,000, it would make the new ground the biggest football stadium in the world.
United’s senior staff have been on a tour of the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, where the first team played against Arsenal on Saturday night, and other American venues. They have also paid a visit to Real Madrid’s Bernabeú and Barcelona’s Nou Camp, which have been redeveloped of late.
Real put a new outer shell on their stadium during a four-year revamp and inserted a subterranean system that allows them to store their pitch underground and use the arena for concerts and NFL games. Barcelona are playing at the Olympic Stadium while the Nou Camp is refurbished.
The SoFi Stadium, described by the Inglewood mayor James T Butts as “the pre-eminent stadium in the world”, took almost four years to build.
The impressive stadium was bankrolled entirely by Stan Kroenke, the Arsenal and LA Rams owner. The Rams and their local rivals LA Chargers both play at the SoFi, which cost about £5billion. The construction of the 70,000-seat SoFi has helped to provide jobs for Inglewood, which has historically been a deprived part of California.
United would hope to fund any new stadium with private investment and some public money, which would be put towards improving transport links to the stadium.
The former United forward Andrew Cole devoted part of his tour diary, published on United’s website, to talking about the job opportunities created in Inglewood, 12 miles south of downtown LA, since the SoFi was built.
“I don’t draw this comparison lightly, but you can see a parallel with the opportunity back home in Manchester,” Cole said. “A new or redeveloped stadium at Old Trafford could be the focal point for revitalisation of the surrounding area.
“Manchester United fans and everyone in the north of England deserves a truly world-class stadium, and SoFi set the standard to aim for. This is the kind of arena the best players in the world want to be playing in and fans want to be experiencing.”
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Ineos chairman who owns 27.7 per cent of the club, has told the stadium taskforce that was set up in April that they should report back in December with their findings.
At present, the taskforce, which is led by Lord Coe and includes figures such as Gary Neville and the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, is leaning towards recommending that a new stadium is built in the car park area behind the Stretford End, rather than a revamp of the existing ground. However, the club say that no final decision has been made.
The taskforce acknowledges that building a new stadium would be costly, at an estimated £2billion, and says that any decision will not be made without canvassing the opinions of the supporters.
The club have already asked 30,000 fans for their thoughts in a survey. A subcommittee of the taskforce is set to be appointed, including a representative of the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust, to gauge the mood of fans.
The club are not ruling out a revamp of the present stadium and it would be the cheaper option, at an estimated cost of £1billion, but United would also lose match-day revenue because they would probably have to close part of the 74,100-capacity stadium while building works are undertaken.
The club have about 51,000 season-ticket holders.
If United do build a new stadium, they have vowed to ensure that the arena is in keeping with United’s traditions. Landmarks such as the Holy Trinity Statue, depicting Sir Bobby Charlton, George Best and Denis Law, would be protected.
It is anticipated that a new stadium would take six years from the point of inception to the end of construction. United would be able to play in the present stadium, built in 1910, while a new ground is built.
If the capacity was 100,000, it would make the new ground the biggest football stadium in the world.
United’s senior staff have been on a tour of the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, where the first team played against Arsenal on Saturday night, and other American venues. They have also paid a visit to Real Madrid’s Bernabeú and Barcelona’s Nou Camp, which have been redeveloped of late.
Real put a new outer shell on their stadium during a four-year revamp and inserted a subterranean system that allows them to store their pitch underground and use the arena for concerts and NFL games. Barcelona are playing at the Olympic Stadium while the Nou Camp is refurbished.
The SoFi Stadium, described by the Inglewood mayor James T Butts as “the pre-eminent stadium in the world”, took almost four years to build.
The impressive stadium was bankrolled entirely by Stan Kroenke, the Arsenal and LA Rams owner. The Rams and their local rivals LA Chargers both play at the SoFi, which cost about £5billion. The construction of the 70,000-seat SoFi has helped to provide jobs for Inglewood, which has historically been a deprived part of California.
United would hope to fund any new stadium with private investment and some public money, which would be put towards improving transport links to the stadium.
The former United forward Andrew Cole devoted part of his tour diary, published on United’s website, to talking about the job opportunities created in Inglewood, 12 miles south of downtown LA, since the SoFi was built.
“I don’t draw this comparison lightly, but you can see a parallel with the opportunity back home in Manchester,” Cole said. “A new or redeveloped stadium at Old Trafford could be the focal point for revitalisation of the surrounding area.
“Manchester United fans and everyone in the north of England deserves a truly world-class stadium, and SoFi set the standard to aim for. This is the kind of arena the best players in the world want to be playing in and fans want to be experiencing.”
