The future of Old Trafford continues to be one of the key issues for Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The British billionaire recently took control over sporting operations at Manchester United after becoming a minority owner. Along with improving the team’s roster and cutting costs all over, Ratcliffe has focused on building a new stadium.
After arriving at the club, the billionaire proclaimed that he wanted to build a “Wembley of the north” in Manchester. The idea is to have United play in front of 100,000 fans on matchdays. While this could be accomplished by renovating Old Trafford, Ratcliffe is now leaning towards building a new arena. The plan would cost over $2.5 billion and take up to six years to complete.
The news may make United fans worry about what will happen to Old Trafford. After all, the historic arena has been the home of the club since 1910 and is widely regarded as one the most famous stadiums in the world. Nevertheless, Ratcliffe and the club may have found a way to keep Old Trafford, while also building a new state-of-the-art arena.
According to The Guardian, United does not want to demolish Old Trafford in order to make room for a new stadium. Instead, team officials are considering scaling down the historic arena so both stadiums can fit in the surrounding area. The decision would allow United’s women’s and academy teams to play in Old Trafford, while the men’s team would move into the new arena.
If the team ultimately goes with this plan, Old Trafford’s capacity would be cut down to around 30,000. The stadium’s current capacity on matchdays nearly reaches 75,000. It previously never had a lower capacity than around 44,000 following the move to go to an all-seat stadium in 1992.
Manchester United Women and the U21s currently play most of their games at the Leigh Sports Village. This facility is about 15 miles away from Old Trafford. and can hold around 12,000 fans. However, the women’s team also plans to play three of their 2024/25 Women’s Super League (WSL) matches at Old Trafford as well.
The move could seemingly help Ratcliffe’s relationship with the women’s team. The billionaire has made several decisions in recent months that have rubbed the WSL side the wrong way. Nevertheless, potentially moving the women’s team into Old Trafford would almost certainly support the players.
There are, however, still some issues to be ironed out if the team ultimately opts to make this move. Old Trafford is 114 years old and needs upgrades. This is a significant reason why Ratcliffe wants a new arena in the first place.
Potentially moving the women’s team into a dilapidated stadium could continue Ratcliffe’s fractured relationship with the players. Instead, team brass would also likely need to renovate and make ample upgrades to Old Trafford as well. If they can make the necessary alterations, the club could create a unique situation in Manchester. The men’s team would get their new arena, while the women and U21s could benefit from playing at a historic and remodeled Old Trafford.
PHOTOS: IMAGO.
