Old Trafford requires renovation
Manchester United co-owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, says it is his preference to build a new club stadium on the site of Old Trafford.
The 71-year-old was confirmed as the club’s new co-owner on Tuesday, some 14 months after the Glazer family put the club up for sale.
Ratcliffe and his INEOS partners are already hard at work at Old Trafford, appointing Omar Berrada as the club’s new CEO and Dan Ashworth from Newcastle as sporting director.
Those hires are to resolve issues on the pitch, with performance being well below the club’s standards in the last decade.
Ratcliffe’s other major area of concern is Old Trafford. The stadium, which was built in 1907, has fallen behind the club’s rivals in recent years.
The roof, which often leaks, is a source of shame for supporters and the Theatre of Dreams has not been forward to host any games when the European Championships come to the UK and Ireland in 2028.
Ratcliffe says Old Trafford is ‘tired’ (Picture: Getty)
Ratcliffe and his INEOS team have been looking at plans for the stadium’s future, and he says it’s clear the stadium either needs refurbished or rebuilt.
And the British billionaire says, if possible, he would rather rebuild the stadium.
‘Trafford Park is where the industrial revolution began. If you look at that region of Manchester today – only a mile from the centre – it is tired and neglected and parts are quite run down,’ Ratcliffe told the BBC.
‘There is quite a big argument in my view of regenerating the whole south side of Manchester. The nucleus of it would be building a new world class state of the art stadium which could take England games, the FA Cup final, Champions League finals. It could serve the north of ENgland.
‘There is a bias in the UK in terms of where national stadiums have been built – they are all in the south. A lot of talk about levelling up, HS2 cancelled and ll going to be spent in rail networks in London. The people in north pay their taxes just as the people in the south but there is a significant bias I think in terms of major investments in the north.
‘In terms of football history, look at where the Champions League has been won in the UK. Why shouldn’t there be a venue in the north of England for ENgland to play? Why does everyone in the north have to go to the south for the semi-finals of the FA Cup? There is a wider conversation about the new stadium, developing that side of Mancheter. It’s about time someone built a national stadium in the north of England. We are in the midst of thinking about that.
‘If it can be achieved it would clearly be my preference. I would be very excited for the north of England.’
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