Manchester United have unveiled plans for a new £2 billion, 100,000-seater stadium that would become the largest football ground in the UK. The club hopes to complete the project within five years as they aim to construct the “world’s greatest football stadium”.
United chose to build a new stadium after extensive consultation, rather than redevelop their home of more than a century, Old Trafford. It is to be designed by Foster and Partners, and will include umbrella-style canopies, a huge public plaza, and three soaring masts — known as “the trident” — that will rise 200 metres high and be visible from 25 miles away.
The stadium forms is of a larger regeneration of the Old Trafford area that is expected to create 92,000 jobs, build 17,000 homes and bring in 1.8 million annual visitors. The entire development could add around £7.3 billion to the UK economy a year.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, United’s co-owner, has said he wants the stadium to be “the most iconic in the world.” But details of the funding are unclear, with the club already £1 billion in debt. Its components will be prefabricated and shipped on the Manchester Ship Canal.
