Man Utd home to preserve Old Trafford essence

Article posted by Coliseum, March 12^th, 2025

Image: Foster and Partners

The Premier League team Manchester United F.C. has thrown its support behind the Government’s growth agenda by announcing its intention to pursue a new 100,000-seater stadium as the centerpiece of the regeneration of the Old Trafford area in Greater Manchester, England (UK).

‘MANCHESTER UNITED’ stated that the stadium and the wider regeneration project have the potential to deliver an additional £7.3bn per year to the UK economy which brings large-scale social and economic benefits to the community and the wider region including the possible creation of 92,000 new jobs, more than 17,000 new homes as well as driving an additional 1.8 million visitors annually.

The Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as the Man United (often stylized as Man Utd), is a professional football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England (UK). They compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.

The Old Trafford is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England (UK) and is the home of the Manchester United F.C. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium in the United Kingdom and the 12th-largest in Europe.

Image: Foster and Partners

‘MANCHESTER UNITED’ further stated that the conceptual images and scaled models of what the new stadium and the surrounding area could look like were unveiled on March 11^th by Foster + Partners, the architecture group appointed to design the stadium district. These will provide a master plan for more detailed feasibility, consultation, design, and planning work as the project enters a new phase.

London (UK)-based Foster + Partners is a global studio for architecture, urbanism and design all rooted in sustainability and founded by Norman Foster in 1967. Since then, he and the team around him have established an international practice with a worldwide reputation. With offices across the globe Foster + Partners work as a single studio that is both ethnically and culturally diverse.

Stated Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Co-Owner of Manchester United, “Today (March 11^th) marks the start of an incredibly exciting journey to the delivery of what will be the world’s greatest football stadium at the center of a regenerated Old Trafford. Our current stadium has served us brilliantly for the past 115 years but it has fallen behind the best arenas in world sport. By building next to the existing site we will be able to preserve the essence of Old Trafford while creating a truly state-of-the-art stadium that transforms the fan experience, only footsteps from our historic home. 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. 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.”

Observed Omar Berrada, Chief Executive of Manchester United, “Our long-term objective as a club is to have the world’s best football team playing in the world’s best stadium. We are grateful for the feasibility work done by the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force exploring options for the future of Old Trafford. We have carefully considered its findings together with the views of thousands of fans and the local residents and concluded that a new stadium is the right way forward for the Manchester United and our surrounding community. We will now embark on further consultation to ensure that the fans and the residents continue to be heard as we move towards the final decisions.”

Image: Foster and Partners

The Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force was set up to review options for the stadium and the regeneration project.

The most successful Manager in English football history, Sir Alex Ferguson, said, “The Manchester United should always strive for the best in everything it does, on and off the pitch, and that include the stadium we play in. The 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.”

Remarked Lord Norman Foster, Founder and Executive Chairman, Foster + Partners, “This has to be one of the most exciting projects in the world today with incredible regional and national significance. It all starts with the fans’ experience, bringing them closer than ever to the pitch and acoustically cultivating a huge roar. The stadium is contained by a vast umbrella, harvesting energy and rainwater, and sheltering a new public plaza that is twice the size of the Trafalgar Square (a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London). The outward-looking stadium will be the beating heart of a new sustainable district which is completely walkable, served by the 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 the Mancunians (the people of Manchester) can be proud of.”

Added Lord Sebastian Coe, Chair of the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force, “Today (March 11^th) marks an important step forward in what I firmly believe can be the biggest and most exciting urban regeneration project in the United Kingdom since the 2012 London Olympics. I am proud to have helped lay the groundwork as the Chair of the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force over the past year and would like to thank my fellow members for their contributions. Our exploratory work is now complete and we will hand over responsibility to the Manchester United for the delivery of the stadium and the Mayoral Development Corporation to drive forward the wider regeneration.”

Asserted Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, “Our common goal on the Task Force has been to try to unlock the full power of the club for the benefit of its supporters and for Greater Manchester as a whole – creating thousands of new homes and jobs. If we get this right the regeneration impact could be bigger and better than London 2012. The Manchester United could, and indeed should, have the best football stadium in the world. To me, that means a stadium that is true to the traditions of the club, affordable to all, with nobody priced out, and a stadium that sets new standards in the game globally. I believe this vision can be realized, and if so, the benefits for Greater Manchester, the North West and the country will be huge.”

Image: Foster and Partners

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