100,000 capacity and £2bn cost – everything we know about Manchester United’s Old Trafford plan

2028 is reportedly the first time Manchester United could play at a new Old Trafford.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe immediately set the wheels in motion to address the future of Old Trafford after acquiring a minority stake, but the process was never going to be straightforward.

The British billionaire expressed his desire to rebuild a new stadium, creating a “Wembley of the North”, but refurbishment was another option and a task force was announced in March to look closely at the feasibility of a new building and regeneration wider.

The panel is chaired by Lord Sebastian Coe, who led the London 2012 Olympics, and former United captain Gary Neville has been appointed, along with Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and Sara Todd, chief executive of Trafford Council, and others 10 relevant personalities.

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The Old Trafford Taskforce has had two meetings so far and they agree with Ratcliffe that a new build is the logical proposition to regenerate Old Trafford and the surrounding area.

The inaugural meeting of the taskforce took place in April and, when asked about it, Manchester Mayor Burnham told the MEN: “It was an introductory meeting. We all know each other, although most of us already knew each other, but we were just discovering what we could do.

“Obviously our role is to facilitate the club’s decision. We are there to help with information, evidence, insight, sometimes adding a wider perspective that sometimes the club is not aware of.

“So it was a very high-level introduction, but it was really good that Lord Coe was there. I think that’s a really big statement of not just the ambition of the club but the ambition of Greater Manchester to have someone of his stature (involved) who delivered the London Olympics.

“And I think that sends a message that this is more than just building a stadium, which is a really important message to get across. This is potentially one of the biggest regeneration projects the north of England will see this century, in fact it is that significant.”

It is understood the end of the year has been set aside for the task force to conclude its findings and from there plans will be submitted for a new 100,000 capacity stadium.

Although a renovation has been considered, rebuilding Old Trafford is the leading option and would see United play in the club’s second largest stadium in Europe.

In February, Ratcliffe stated his preference to rebuild Old Trafford and said: “In an ideal world I think it’s a no-brainer, a stadium in the north, which would be a world-class stadium where England could play and you could have the FA Cup final and it’s not all centered in the south of England.

“So in an ideal world, absolutely, that’s where I would be, but you have to be practical about life. In broad terms, a renovation means a (billion) and a new stadium – both of which would include the campus, so, you know, the ec**p museum and the store is too small and you’d have the Xbox thing to entertain the fans.

“So in other words, the fans could come in there and do some stuff. So you include the campus in both cases, in very simple terms you’re talking about one versus two (billion).

“I think the refurbishment would take longer than new because it’s more complicated because obviously you’re building and you have to build over a main rail line, which is quite complicated and expensive.”

However, when considering that the task force will share its findings in late 2024, it could be another six months before work on reconstruction or renovation begins.

If Ratcliffe gets his way and all interested parties agree to rebuild Old Trafford on the same site, as expected, the earliest work could start would be the summer of 2025. This would also be seen as is moving quickly, given the 71-year-old became part-owner of the club in February 2024.

Early estimates suggest that a new rebuild of Old Trafford would cost around £2 billion, taking around three years to complete a world-class stadium.

For example, Tottenham left White Hart Lane in 2016, spent almost three seasons at Wembley, then moved to the new 61,000-seat venue in early 2019.

It would be ambitious to aim for United to play in a brand new, state-of-the-art Old Trafford by the start of the 2028/29 season, but Ratcliffe is a man in a hurry.

Ratcliffe will celebrate his 75th birthday in 2028 and there is a sense that he was so intent on tackling the future at Old Trafford to leave a legacy behind in Manchester.

Most importantly, United are expected to improve on the pitch and compete for more trophies thanks to the new football structure Ratcliffe has implemented, but Old Trafford have lagged behind as a unit over the past 10 years or so and decided his future. agenda.

Should the rebuilding decision be finalised, United will choose an architectural firm and it is understood that Populous is “hopeful” he will be trusted to design the future of Old Trafford.

Along with Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Populous are responsible for the Emirates and Principality of Cardiff, which was the first stadium in the UK with a fully retractable roof.

They are the lead architecture firm for such redevelopments and have their foot in the door with United because they were brought on board to look at the feasibility planning – presenting what could be done, without presenting detailed designs – and gave them those Ratcliffe findings.

VILL Architecture, a Norwegian company, have publicly thrown their hat into the ring and formed embryonic plans to create a sustainable Old Trafford. They spoke to MEN in May and discussed the need to connect the fabric of the city with the stadium.

Which architectural firm is awarded the contract will be a huge call, and the consequences of what Ratcliffe decides will be felt by supporters for generations to come.

Old Trafford was built in 1910 and leaving the stadium would divide opinion among fans.