Old Trafford has been left behind by the stadiums of Manchester United’s rivals. The Glazers have repeatedly ignored calls to take care of the stadium, which they ignored, and now there is a suggestion that we should demolish the existing stadia for something new.
Of course, the architects in charge of Manchester United’s redevelopment project have been looking into this closely, and they’re going to come up with the best idea for them. A new stadium that will presumably look similar to a toilet seat and not built with match-going fans in mind.
Most of them realise Old Trafford needs a makeover, however, none of us think it’s falling down or is as bad as some make it out to be. And I don’t think it would be popular with fans if they were to knock down the current ground. There’s way to much history to be thrown away and we need to be very careful about what we wish for.
According to The Telegraph, there would have be a “very detailed scoping exercise on what needs doing to Old Trafford” and that the British billionaire recognised the stadium would require far greater investment in the future.
There are three options on the table. They include a small makeover project, expansion of the south stand over the adjacent railway and complete redevelopment of the existing ground, or the creation of an entirely new stadium.
There has also been long overdue plans to overhaul and expand the current Old Trafford, but that is “reaching the end of its natural life” according to Populous. The same company responsible for the stunning Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Chris Lee, chief executive of Populous, said there was “recognition within the club that something has to be done.” He also fears that inaction was not a realistic option with Old Trafford having reached a point where “everything is nearing its sell-by date”.
Lee added: “Well, I would say this wouldn’t I but I feel the new build may well turn out to be the most cost effective solution.
“Yes, the initial outlay is obviously the highest of the three options but there is so much land available to develop there.
“They [United] could carry on using the existing ground while building work is underway, meaning no decline in matchday revenues.
“Architecturally, in the space available you could do something really innovative and exciting. There would be no space constrictions.
“We’ve done the work with Legends to look at all the feasibility options, multiple different versions of renovations of Old Trafford and also what a new build could potentially look like, all of it focused on how we can create an amazing fan experience. Manchester United are very focused on that.”
The report estimates that redevelopment and expansion of Old Trafford in its current form would cost upwards of £800m over eight years, whereas a new stadium could cost as much as £2 billion.
Ratcliffe has invested an initial £237 million towards Old Trafford’s infrastructure, but I don’t think that will significantly see our stadium improve over the coming years. That is just a mere drop in the ocean.
At least it sounds like Ratcliffe is in agreement that it will be a lot more than £237m to get Old Trafford back to the standard of stadium it should be.
Let us know in the comments section how you would feel if they knocked Old Trafford and started fresh. I’m not sure I like the idea of that.
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Wouldn’t like to see Old Trafford knocked down but can’t see how they could improve the fan experience withoutkn9cking half the stadium down.
They need to look at how the American stadiums are designed for fans. Our toilet and consession areas are a disgrace and looked worse than an underground toilet.
I bet the Glaziers wouldn’t pass in them.