Manchester United is considering demolishing Old Trafford, its iconic stadium, if plans for a new £2 billion mega stadium are approved. The new minority owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has been vocal about his desire to build a new ground, and has even set up the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force, which includes Lord Coe and Gary Neville, to oversee the project ¹.
The proposed new stadium would have a capacity of 100,000 seats and has been dubbed the “Wembley of the North”. Initially, it was thought that Old Trafford would be scaled down and kept as a home for United’s women’s and academy teams, but now it seems that demolishing the old ground is a more likely option ¹.
The main reasons for this change of heart are the complexity and cost of the project. Keeping a scaled-back Old Trafford would essentially be a separate stadium project, which would be difficult and expensive to execute ¹. Additionally, the club believes that a 30,000-seater stadium would be too large for their women’s and youth teams, based on current attendance numbers ¹.
Instead, they’re considering building a smaller 15,000-person ground on the site, which could be expanded as interest in women’s football and the academy grows ¹. Of course, this news may not sit well with all fans, but Gary Neville has stressed that the club will consult with supporters and preserve key historical elements of Old Trafford, such as the iconic statue of the “Holy Trinity
