It has been more than a year since the club’s co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe revealed his big plans for a 100,000-capacity venue near the site of his current home at Old Trafford.
Advertisement
At the time, Ratcliffe talked about trying to reduce construction to a five-year timeframe, raising expectations about how quickly the project would begin.
However, as has been noted privately, at the time the club had no land to build on, plans were not in place and there was no detailed business case.
The five years, in reality, begin from the moment United receives the green light to put shovels in the ground.
“We said construction would take four to five years,” Collette Roche, recently appointed by United as chief executive of its new stadium development, told the club’s Inside Carrington podcast.
Advertisement
“People read that because we could have the stadium ready by 2030. But it takes one or two years to prepare it for construction – preparing the land, getting the funds in place and getting planning permission.
“That’s the part we’re doing now. We haven’t set a date for opening, but we’re on track within those timelines.”
United sources had previously told BBC Sport that the aim was to host the 2035 showpiece. That private message has now been repeated as Roche told MUTV: “Our plan is to be able to host other international sporting and entertainment events.
“Andy Burnham, the mayor, said his ambition would be for us to host the Women’s World Cup final in 2035, so if we could achieve that it would be incredible.”
What exactly are Manchester United doing?
In response to repeated questions about the stadium over recent months, United have continued to emphasize that work was being done “behind the scenes”.
Advertisement
However, in the absence of obvious and visible progression, many observers have cast doubt on whether the project, which is likely to cost more than £2 billion, will ever be built.
Roche has chosen to provide an update as part of a wider desire within the club to ask for patience from its large fan base.
While the launch of the Mayoral Development Corporation, chaired by Lord Coe, was ignored by many supporters (who are only interested in the new stadium, complete with the ‘circus tent’ as shown in the initial design), it forms an essential part of the wider regeneration of Old Trafford, of which United’s ground is intended as the centrepiece.
The desire is for all relevant parties to move forward together, which means that a large number of stakeholders are aligned in terms of plans and timetables.
Advertisement
Much of Roche’s work focuses on this.
Where will the stadium be built and how much will it cost?
There is a general location, but the precise details have not yet been agreed upon.
This cannot happen until United has acquired the land. There’s been a lot of talk about the Freightliner terminal, but it’s just one of many land owners.
Once the club has identified a precise site, further work will need to be done to determine the desired access routes, public transport links and where the 15,000 new homes will be built to ensure they are not adversely affected by the large-scale events that regularly occur at the stadium as planned.
Advertisement
United are understandably coy about this, but rightly so.
Until the plans are ready, they don’t know what materials will be needed for construction. They don’t know if Ratcliffe’s idea of ​​using the nearby Manchester Ship Canal for transport will become a reality. Basically, they don’t say how much it will cost because they don’t know.
How will it be paid?
United sources are confident that financing will be available for the project. What is less clear is what method will be used.
It is possible that Ratcliffe and the Glazer family used their own money. This would be clean in the sense that it would keep ownership of the stadium under the club’s umbrella and not dilute their respective stakes in United.
Advertisement
However, the Glazer family has been criticized for taking money from the club and not returning it. His acquisition in 2005 was financed with United’s own money and it would be a big surprise if the strategy was changed.
Alternatively, more could be borrowed, although with United already owing debts exceeding £1bn, including outstanding transfer fees, its wisdom has been questioned.
A new company could be created and investors could participate in it. That would separate the stadium from the club, and with Old Trafford being used as collateral for the current long-standing debt, it is also unclear how that would work.
All of this must be weighed against the continued spending demands on the various teams, including the men’s first team, by far the most expensive part of the club.
Advertisement
“I am delighted to say that we have generated a lot of interest,” Roche added of the funding situation. “There are many people and organizations that want to invest, not only in the stadium, but also in the stadium district in general.
“Those conversations will naturally take place behind closed doors.”
What happens now?
It could be a couple of years before a ‘new Old Trafford’ starts to emerge from the ground.
For now, the work will continue unseen.
However, in a matter of months it is expected that the territorial situation will be resolved. After that, United will move into planning strategy, procurement strategy and high-level engineering design.
Advertisement
That’s when the building permit will be submitted and fans will finally be able to see what the club intends their stadium to look like and how close it is to the initial artists’ impressions that Ratcliffe revealed last March.
“The same ambition, the same vision,” Roche said.
“We want to build a stadium that is worthy of our past, but also fit for the future.”
