Manchester United have announced that it will attempt to build a new 100,000-seater Old Trafford within a time frame of five years.
The new home ground of the Red Devils will become the biggest stadium in the United Kingdom on or before 2032 at the latest.
Sir Jim Ractcliffe, the minority owner of the club, vows to deliver “the world’s greatest football stadium” on Tuesday during the announcement.
The new Old Trafford will have an “umbrella” – a massive glass and steel canopy over it. Three pillars – a representation of the Red Devils trident will hold up the canopy in the sky.
Manchester United’s new home ground will feature a public plaza twice the size of the Trafalgar Square in London and the club’s version of the Wembley way.
In addition, the new 100,000-seater stadium will have a giant wraparound scoreboard, a three-storey museum and canal-side restaurants which Sir Jim Ractcliffe says will “preserve the essence of Old Trafford… while transforming the fan experience only footsteps from our existing home.”
The old Old Trafford will be demolished while the new edifice will be built on a land southwest of it.
Manchester United’s former legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson has given his support to the demolition of the stadium where he had many memories as manager and construction of a new stadium.
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,’ the club’s most successful manager said.
‘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.’
Manchester United will fund the estimated £2bn needed for the construction of the stadium and it will also seek the support of the government for a wider infrastructural development of the area.
‘Just as important is the opportunity for a new stadium to be the catalyst for social and economic renewal of the Old Trafford area, creating jobs and investment not just during the construction phase but on a lasting basis when the stadium district is complete,’ Ratcliffe added.
‘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.’
The new Manchester United stadium will bring about £7.3bn to the economy. It is also projected to create 92,000 jobs and 17,000 new jobs with an expected 1.8m visitors per year to the area.
