Man Utd reveal plans for new 100,000-seater stadium

It is currently unclear how much construction of the new stadium would cost. Image: Foster + Partners/PA

In a statement on its website, Manchester United said that the stadium and wider regeneration project had the potential to deliver an additional £7.3 billion (US$9.4 billion) per year to the UK economy. It was also claimed that the new stadium could lead to the creation of 92,000 new jobs, as well as driving an additional 1.8 million visitors annually.

United’s co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe said the plans showed a “truly state-of-the-art stadium” that could be a “catalyst” for change.

Ratcliffe tried to tie the planned new stadium into UK government’s wider policy agenda, saying, “The government has identified infrastructure investment as a strategic priority, particularly in the north of England, and we are proud to be supporting that mission with this project of national, as well as local, significance.”

Ratcliffe has previously said that government money would be needed for the regeneration scheme, but not for the construction of the stadium itself. UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves has indicated that the government would support funding the regeneration of the area. Manchester United are in debt by approximately £1 billion (US$1.2 billion).

Foster + Partners is the architect that has drawn up the initial plans. Lord Norman Foster, the company’s founder and executive chairman, 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.

“The outward-looking stadium will be the beating heart of a new sustainable district, which is completely walkable, served by public transport, and endowed by nature. It is a mixed-use miniature city of the future – driving a new wave of growth and creating a global destination that Mancunians can be proud of.”

Opened in 1910, Old Trafford is one of the largest stadiums in England, with a capacity of 74,000, but Manchester United’s home ground has been in a state of disrepair for some years.