Manchester United have unveiled plans for a brand new 100,000-seater stadium – the most important within the nation.
Minority proprietor Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been vocal about his want for a brand new, state-of-the-art floor ever since he bought nearly 30% of the membership in February final yr.
United have been beforehand analyzing whether or not to redevelop the historic Previous Trafford however have now mentioned they’ll construct a wholly new stadium – subsequent to the outdated one.
Picture:
A conceptual picture from Foster + Companions of what the brand new Manchester United stadium might appear like.
Pic: PA
Picture:
Previous Trafford stadium. File pic: Reuters
The deliberate stadium would turn into the most important within the UK – overtaking Wembley Stadium, which has a capability of 90,000.
The venture, undertaken along side the federal government’s regeneration job power chaired by Lord Sebastian Coe, has been developed by Foster + Companions.
It would exchange one of many world’s most iconic soccer stadiums and redevelop the encircling space.
Sir Jim mentioned the brand new stadium can be constructed “next to the existing site”, however the destiny of Previous Trafford – and whether or not it will likely be knocked down – is not clear.
Extra on Manchester United
In a press launch, United mentioned the venture might deliver billions of kilos to the UK economic system, create as many as 92,000 jobs and greater than 17,000 new houses.
Sir Alex Ferguson, United’s most profitable soccer supervisor, mentioned: “Manchester United ought to all the time attempt for the most effective in all the pieces it does, on and off the pitch, and that features 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.”
Providing some particulars in regards to the stadium plans, Lord Norman Foster, founding father of Foster + Companions, mentioned: “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.”
Management figures concerned within the new stadium additionally confused its wider advantages for the native space and its economic system, in addition to the broader North West.
“If we get this right, the regeneration impact could be bigger and better than London 2012,” Andy Burnham, mayor of Better Manchester, mentioned.
Whereas senior figures at United have been attempting to sound upbeat in regards to the membership’s future, the staff has struggled on the pitch this season, languishing within the backside half of the desk.
Alongside that, beneath Sir Jim’s stewardship, there have been rounds of redundancies and cost-cutting measures.
On the night earlier than the stadium announcement, the British billionaire spoke in a spherical of interviews during which he tried to justify his actions to date and speak up the membership’s future.
Nevertheless, he additionally described a few of his gamers as “not good enough” and admitted some have been probably overpaid.
Whereas Sir Jim has been the face of the membership’s cost-cutting strategy, majority house owners the Glazers are extensively blamed for the malaise and the debt, with many followers accusing them of draining the membership of its sources for private achieve since taking it over in 2005.
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