Manchester United stadium plans move into next phase
Manchester United have moved into the next phase of their stadium build after co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe insisted they can be the most profitable club in the world.
Foster + Partners unveiled designs for a new edition of Old Trafford, which will be located on land adjacent to the Theatre of Dreams, in March.
It features 100,000 seats and three spires, the tallest of which could be seen from greater Liverpool.
But the club, co-owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the American Glazer family, are consulting with fans surrounding key aspects of the “New Trafford” build.
Described by the club as a “wave of discovery” the market research, carried out by CSL, will build on previous focus groups and surveys as Manchester United’s chiefs aim to please as many fans as possible.
The potentially multi-billion pound construction cost – which is set to include buying land adjacent to the existing site – comes amid a backdrop of financial uncertainty for United.
Manchester United plans
Minority owner Ratcliffe previously said the club could run out of money before the end of the year, but has committed to the stadium project and spent a net sum of £166m in the summer transfer window while laying off hundreds of staff and cancelling free meals at the club’s Carrington base.
The club’s cumulative losses since 2019 have been over £400m.
“Those numbers will get better,” said Ratcliffe, who runs the club’s football operations.
“Manchester United will become the most profitable football club in the world, in my view, and from that will stem, I hope, a long-term, sustainable, high-level of football.”
On staff cuts, he told The Business podcast, produced by The Times and The Sunday Times: “The costs were just too high.
“There are some fantastic people at Manchester United, but there was also a level of mediocrity and it had become bloated. I got a lot of flak for the free lunches, but no-one’s ever given me a free lunch.”