Manchester United’s XXL €2bn project to replace Old Trafford

2 months ago 11
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A monument to English football and a legendary stadium in the sport, Old Trafford is a hundred years old. Built in 1909 and home to Manchester United in 1910, the venue nicknamed the Theatre of Dreams has been the symbolic venue for many historic football matches. Building its legend in this stadium, Manchester United renovated it one last time in 2006 but its condition is seriously deteriorating. This offers Manchester United two options, either a new renovation or the construction of a modern stadium much more suited to the financial demands of today’s football.

Faced with these two possibilities, Manchester United has not yet decided, even if a trend is emerging. Having become co-owner of the club, Jim Ratcliffe via Inéos intends to start over with a blank page and thus build a new stadium. And the least we can say is that he wants to do strong. According to the Daily Mailthe project which is expected to be proposed at the end of 2024 foresees a new stadium with a capacity of 100,000 seats. This is much more than the 74,310 seats of Old Trafford. The new stadium would be the second largest in Europe behind the Camp Nou (Barcelona) which will reach a maximum attendance of 105,000 seats at the end of its renovation works.

A project worth more than 2 billion euros

Overtaking Wembley as the largest stadium in the United Kingdom, the new Manchester United stadium would be an imposing showcase and would thus cause the destruction of Old Trafford. An initial survey of Manchester supporters has been carried out and they are mixed between the creation of a new stadium and the renovation of Old Trafford. Obviously this ambitious project would have a cost and this is estimated at 2 billion pounds sterling (2.4 billion euros) for delivery in 2030. If the amount to be paid will be significant, Manchester United is already working on it. The possibility of financing this with a naming is possible, but the Red Devils want to consult its fans on this option first.

Public-private funding is also being considered to regenerate the area around Old Trafford, which is not very dynamic, and this will require an agreement with local and national elected officials. This new stadium, which would be built next to the current Old Trafford, will take several years to see the light of day if the project is validated and Manchester United could thus continue to play in its current stadium during the work. If nothing is validated and the renovation of Old Trafford remains possible, this option is not really appreciated by the leaders since the work will be at least as expensive for a lower profitability and it will be necessary to reduce the attendance at the stadium during the renovations.

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Manu Tournoux

Manu Tournoux is a passionate and knowledgeable football enthusiast with a special focus on French football. Born and raised in France, Manu discovered his love for the beautiful game at a young age and developed a deep understanding of the ins and outs of "Le Championnat." His French roots and extensive experience in football journalism have made him an invaluable asset to the French Football Weekly team.
 
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