Manchester United have unveiled plans for a new 100,000-seater stadium – the biggest in the country.
Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been vocal about his desire for a new, state-of-the-art ground ever since he purchased almost 30% of the club in February last year.
United were previously examining whether to redevelop the historic Old Trafford but have now said they will build an entirely new stadium – next to the old one.
The planned stadium would become the largest in the UK – overtaking Wembley Stadium, which has a capacity of 90,000.
The project, undertaken in conjunction with the government’s regeneration task force chaired by Lord Sebastian Coe, has been developed by Foster + Partners.
It will replace one of the world’s most iconic football stadiums and redevelop the surrounding area.
Sir Jim said the new stadium would be built “next to the existing site”, but the fate of Old Trafford – and whether it will be knocked down – isn’t clear.
In a press release, United said the project could bring billions of pounds to the UK economy, create as many as 92,000 jobs and more than 17,000 new homes.
Sir Alex Ferguson, United’s most successful football manager, said: “Manchester United should always strive for the best in everything it does, on and off the pitch, and that includes the stadium we play in.
“Old Trafford holds so many special memories for me personally, but we must be brave and seize this opportunity to build a new home, fit for the future, where new history can be made.”
Offering some details about the stadium plans, Lord Norman Foster, founder of Foster + Partners, said: “The stadium is contained by a vast umbrella, harvesting energy and rainwater, and sheltering a new public plaza that is twice the size of Trafalgar Square.”
Leadership figures involved in the new stadium also stressed its wider benefits for the local area and its economy, as well as the wider North West.
“If we get this right, the regeneration impact could be bigger and better than London 2012,” Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, said.
While senior figures at United have been trying to sound upbeat about the club’s future, the team has struggled on the pitch this season, languishing in the bottom half of the table.
Alongside that, under Sir Jim’s stewardship, there have been rounds of redundancies and cost-cutting measures.
On the evening before the stadium announcement, the British billionaire spoke in a round of interviews in which he tried to justify his actions so far and talk up the club’s future.
However, he also described some of his players as “not good enough” and admitted some were likely overpaid.
While Sir Jim has been the face of the club’s cost-cutting approach, majority owners the Glazers are widely blamed for the malaise and the debt, with many fans accusing them of draining the club of its resources for personal gain since taking it over in 2005.
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