Manchester United has announced its intention to build a new 100,000-capacity stadium as the centerpiece of the regeneration of the Old Trafford area.
According to the club, the stadium and the wider regeneration project have the potential to deliver an additional £7.3 billion per year to the UK economy, bringing large-scale social and economic benefits to the community and the wider region. These include the possible creation of 92,000 new jobs, more than 17,000 new homes, and attracting an additional 1.8 million visitors annually.
Conceptual images and scaled models of what the new stadium and surrounding area could look like were unveiled on Tuesday by Foster + Partners, the architecture group appointed to design the stadium district. These will provide a master plan for more detailed feasibility studies, consultations, design work, and planning as the project enters a new phase.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, co-owner of Manchester United, emphasized the importance of the project, stating that Old Trafford has served the club for 115 years, but the time has come to build a new, world-class stadium:
“Today marks the start of an incredibly exciting journey to deliver what will be the world’s greatest football stadium at the heart of a regenerated Old Trafford.
“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, just footsteps from our historic home.
“Just as important is the opportunity for a new stadium to act as a catalyst for the social and economic renewal of the Old Trafford area — creating jobs and investment, not just during the construction phase, but on a lasting basis once the stadium district is complete.
“The government has identified infrastructure investment as a strategic priority, particularly in the north of England, and we are proud to support that mission with this project of national, as well as local, significance.”
The most successful manager in English football history, Sir Alex Ferguson, added:
“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.”
The design concept envisions the stadium contained beneath a vast umbrella structure, harvesting energy and rainwater and sheltering a new public plaza twice the size of Trafalgar Square. The outward-facing stadium will serve as the beating heart of a new sustainable district — fully walkable, well-connected by public transport, and enriched by natural spaces. It will be a mixed-use, miniature city of the future, driving a new wave of growth and creating a global destination Mancunians can be proud of.
