Manchester United stadium plans: Everything we know about Sir Jim Ratcliffe's plans to transform Old Trafford into the £2bn 'Wembley of the North'
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is looking to turn Manchester United's home into a stadium worthy of one of the biggest clubs in the world.
The idea of remodeling Old Trafford was considered, but it has now been scrapped and everything points to a new land.
Many Red Devils fans feel the 'Theater of dreams It is no longer fit for purpose and the hierarchy agrees.
Ratcliffe has made it clear that one of its priorities is to ensure that wherever united man Call home, it's up to the task.
the billionaire 25 percent participation at Man United was confirmed in December 2023 and has already made several changes, including dismissal staff and canceling Sir Alex Ferguson's ambassadorial contract.
But one of his main objectives was to create a sensational stadium.
There is a lot of information available and here is everything we know so far.
Manchester United stadium plans: new ground
It seems almost inconceivable to imagine United playing anywhere other than Old Trafford.
However, the club is now thinking about building a super stadium.
The plan is for Man United's new stadium to be built on roughly the same site as Old Trafford, meaning one of the world's most iconic stadiums would be knocked down.
This so-called 'Wembley of the North' would be the largest venue in the country, with capacity for 100,000 people.
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But it wouldn't just be a stadium; This would be a massive infrastructure project that would include a transportation hub, new housing, business and entertainment venues.
Man United's 'Wembley of the North' would be at the center of the project, but a regeneration of the area is planned.
The club owns 100 acres of land around Old Trafford; 43 of them are ripe for development and 25 are unused, and it is this land that would be used.
Architects Foster + Partners, who designed Wembley, have been hired for the project.
Plans for this incredible undertaking will be submitted in late 2024 and work could begin in 2025, once the club gains approval.
But given its large scale, the stadium and its surroundings may not be completed until 2030.
Manchester United stadium plans: Where is the money coming from?
As they look set to build a new stadium, significant funds will be needed to build the Old Trafford replacement.
Reports suggest that the creation of Ratcliffe's 'Wembley of the North' will cost around £2 billion.
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Ratcliffe has already pledged a significant share, but several reports suggested he was trying to lobby the government for public funds to help United.
But it has become clear that United will now have no public money to spend on their new ground.
However, public funds are being allocated for the general renovation of the area, which is estimated to provide £7.3 billion for the UK economy92,000 jobs, 17,000 homes and 1.8 million more people for the area.
In terms of the stadium, United could also look to get some tax breaks and relaxed planning regulations.
Another way United could finance it is with its own cash and bank loans, while the Confidence of Manchester United fans They have offered to buy shares in the club.
This would raise capital for investment and give fans a say in the running of the club.
INEOS has already approached potential investors as the club looks to find the necessary funds.
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Manchester United stadium plans: What's been said?
Ratcliffe emphasized his opinion that Manchester United should have a stadium that can compete with Wembley.
Talking about building a new plot of land, he said: “You have this opportunity, if you want, to build a completely new plot of land, because we have enough space.”
“If you built a brand new ground it would be absolutely state-of-the-art, world-class, with 90,000 or even 100,000 spectators, which would then provide a platform for some of the big competitions in the north of England.
“Why does England always play in the south? Why is the FA Cup final always in the south? Why can't the Champions League final occasionally be in the north?”
“Football in the north is as important as it is in the south, possibly more so, and people in the north pay their taxes, so why do we have Wembley, Twickenham, Wimbledon etc. in the south?
“What do we have in the north? There is a strong argument for building a 'Wembley of the north'”.
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Meanwhile, United legend and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville is part of the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force, which is looking to transform that part of Manchester.
Neville sees this project as an opportunity to help the north of England.
In this regard, he said: “Two different things are happening. Manchester United will build a new stadium and there should be no public money for it. That is absolutely clear.
“Andy Burnham (mayor of Manchester) has said that before and I am absolutely unequivocal about that. “With the amount of stress there is on the public finances at the moment, it is unjustifiable that it could go to a football club.
“However, you think about what happened with the HS2 outage in the north of England, and the devastation it will cause and the damage it will cause to the northern region.
“When you talk about 'Northern Powerhouse' as a 'level up' – the slogan of the previous government – none of that has ever happened. It's just words. It's a public relations slogan.
“What this will do is redistribute the load in a different part of the north west to allow capacity to open up in Greater Manchester, Liverpool and elsewhere and beyond, which will have a massive impact on the local economy.”
