Manchester United are making plans to build a new stadium at Old Trafford, and the move will be shown until the end of the year.
United’s preferred option is to build a new 100,000-seat stadium with the logo on a plot adjacent to Old Trafford, at a cost of around £2 billion, until 2030. United’s plan is understood to be to stay at Old Trafford and continue to gamble there while they build. on an adjoining floor, which would allow them to avoid playing in a transitional location.
The other option is to remodel Old Trafford, which would pose logistical problems, added to the need to reduce attendance from 75,000 to around 40,000 while the draws are held or played elsewhere.
United set up Old Trafford’s management organisation to assess the feasibility of either option, and officials visited stadiums around the world on fact-finding missions to gain insight into how to build the sports stadium from the United Kingdom.
Those stadiums include the 70,000-capacity Bernabeu, Camp Nou and SoFi in Los Angeles, arguably the most beautiful sports stadium in the world, where United lost 2-1 to Arsenal in a pre-season friendly on Saturday.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, now United’s head of football operations, has an ambitious vision for Old Trafford that includes a primary regeneration of the area, in terms of amenities and task creation.
That is precisely what the So-Fi commission, costing a total of around £4bn, financed through Arsenal owner Stan Kroenke, did with the 6,000-screen ‘Hollywood Park’ around the stadium. concerts, apartments and hotels.
United see SoFi as a template for their own grandiose vision of a new Old Trafford and the upcoming environmental regeneration that such an ambitious transformation of the stadium would bring.
Expenses for the new stadium would be covered by a combination of public and personal investment, with the government providing budget for mandatory sea connections.
Former United striker Andy Cole, who is in the United States for the club’s pre-season tour, was inspired by SoFi and its positive effect on the local community, a legacy he said could be replicated at Old Trafford.
“What stood out to me the most was how central the stadium is to the rise of Inglewood,” Cole said. “I have been coming to Los Angeles for years and this part of the city has never been a place that one decides to stop by as a visitor.
“To see what such a thriving neighborhood looks like, with SoFi at the center, is an inspiring example of downtown regeneration. “I don’t make this comparison lightly, but you can see a parallel with the opportunity in Manchester.
“A new or refurbished stadium at Old Trafford can be the focal point of the revitalization of the surrounding area. Manchester United fans and everyone in the north of England deserve a truly world-class stadium and So-Fi has set itself the popular goal.
“This is the kind of arena that players globally need to play in and enthusiasts need to experience. “
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