Jim Ratcliffe wants Manchester United to finalize their stadium plans by December.
Ratcliffe currently leans towards constructing a new 100,000-capacity stadium, estimated to cost over £2 billion and take around six years to complete.
This new stadium would be built next to Old Trafford, allowing the existing stadium to remain in use until the new one is ready.
The design will prioritize ensuring the new facility reflects the club’s identity.
An alternative would be a comprehensive rebuild of Old Trafford. However, this would significantly impact revenue as parts of the stadium would need to be closed during renovation, or the team would have to play at a different venue temporarily.
Man United’s Chief Operating Officer Colette Roche is managing the project for Ratcliffe.
She has visited several leading stadiums worldwide and consulted with their owners or key stakeholders.
Notable consultations include Real Madrid executives regarding the Santiago Bernabéu’s reconfiguration, which began in 2019 and is nearing completion.
The club has also closely analyzed the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Los Angeles County.
The SoFi Stadium is owned by Arsenal proprietor Stan Kroenke and it opened in 2020.
It has a variable capacity of up to 100,240, took four years to build, and cost over $5 billion.
It features a 1 million sq ft canopy with 27,000 embedded LED screens, offering prime advertising space visible to air traffic.
Home to the NFL’s LA Rams and LA Chargers, and a major concert venue, the SoFi is situated within the 298-acre Hollywood Park campus, which includes a retail park, residential apartments, and the YouTube Theatre.
United held several meetings before their US tour with those responsible for developing the SoFi to learn from its successful integration of a multi-purpose campus.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
