Manchester United’s ambitious plans for a new 100,000-seat stadium are “on track”, although the club has yet to finalize its exact location or a clear timetable for completion.
The project, which will create the UK’s largest football stadium, is still in its formative stages a year after it was first unveiled.
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Colette Roche, the club executive in charge of development, confirmed significant progress has been made behind the scenes, particularly in terms of investment and land positioning.
However, she played down suggestions that the stadium could be completed by 2030, clarifying the complexities of such a massive project.
Manchester United unveiled plans for a new stadium last year (Foster + Partners/PA) (PA Media)
Roach told the club’s official podcast: “When we came up with the idea of building a new stadium 12 months ago we did say it would take four to five years to build and that was correct.
“But I think people will read that we may have the stadium ready by 2030, but as the construction of the stadium is as complex as the stadium we are going to build, it does take one to two years to prepare for construction – to collect the land, get the funding in place and get planning permission.
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“That’s part of what we’re doing right now. So we don’t have a designated opening date yet, but we’re on track within those timelines.”
The proposed £2bn stadium is earmarked for land adjacent to the club’s historic Old Trafford home. Still, work is ongoing to secure the entire site, with the nearby freight terminal posing particular challenges.
As well as the stadium itself, the club is actively seeking funding from a variety of sources in the hope that the project will be a catalyst for a wider regeneration in the area.
Roche highlighted key areas of progress: “Some of the progress we’ve made is first and foremost in land assembly.
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“We want to ensure that this stadium gets the best possible location, has enough land around it to house suitable facilities, and is interconnected and provides a great matchday experience. I hope to be able to share some positive news on this in the coming months.
“I think the second area where we’ve done a lot of work is investment and I’m pleased to say we’ve got a lot of interest in that. There’s a lot of people and organizations that want to invest, not just in the stadium but in the wider stadium area.”
The new stadium will be built on land adjacent to Old Trafford (Richard McCarthy/PA) (PA Wire)
The club engaged extensively with its fan base and received approximately 80,000 responses to the project survey. They believe the new stadium will respect their rich history while reflecting future ambitions, delivering huge benefits to the local community.
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Roach concluded: “It’s more than just a stadium. My priority and that of the club is to be the best stadium for the best team and the best fan experience.
“But when we had done all the analysis it was clear it was going to be a catalyst to generate more revenue. So we knew it was going to bring billions of pounds into the local economy, which is fantastic.
“It will also create thousands of homes and 90,000 jobs. This will go far beyond football.”