After much talk of whether Old Trafford would be redeveloped or an entirely new stadium would take its place, Manchester United have confirmed their plans to build a brand-new home ground and revealed the first new images.
Put simply, it looks incredible.
Not only will a 100,000 capacity see it overtake Wembley (90k) as the biggest arena in the UK but co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and the INEOS Sports group now spearheading the rebuild of the club aim for it to become “the world’s greatest football stadium”.
Unveiling the first official images along with a CGI concept video as somewhat of a teaser trailer for the new stadium, the ‘centrepiece of the Old Trafford Regeneration’ project, Stretford and beyond are set to look very different.
The first thing to note is the striking shape of the new stadium complex; while many fans were worried designs would resemble another shiny metallic bowl shape like many other new stadiums across Europe and the globe, chief architects Foster + Partners have gone for a much different visage.
Lord Norman Foster, the company’s executive chairman, said as part of the full announcement: “This has to be one of the most exciting projects in the world today. It all starts with the fans’ experience, bringing them closer than ever to the pitch and acoustically cultivating a huge roar.
“The stadium is contained by a vast umbrella, harvesting energy and rainwater, and sheltering a new public plaza that is twice the size of Trafalgar Square.”
Revolving around three tall spires – a trinity, if you will – the new Man United home campus will be covered by the large netting-esque feature which wraps around the main stadium structure itself.
Credit: Foster + Partners“Our current stadium has served us brilliantly for the past 115 years, but it has fallen behind the best arenas in world sport”, says Ratcliffe.
Set to cost in the region of £2 billion, it is believed the huge undertaking could be completed within the space of five years.
With support from the government as part of the official Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force, which Mayor Andy Burnham, the likes of Gary Neville, Lord Sebastian Coe and other notable figures serve on, the wider goal is for the redevelopment to transform the area and expand further into South Manchester.
The club claims ‘New Trafford’ (not an official name) will create 92,000 new jobs, involve the construction of 17,000 homes and bring an additional 1.8 million visitors to the area annually.
As per further particulars shared online, it is said that the ground would be visible from the Peak District and even the outskirts of Liverpool “in optimum conditions”; the tallest mast will be larger than Beetham Tower and 15.5% of the seats will be reserved for hospitality.
You can see more images of what they hope the stadium and atmosphere to look like during a night match down below:
“We are proud to be supporting that mission with this project of national, as well as local, significance”. (Credit: Foster + Partners)
Although millions of fans will be torn over the decision to leave the existing ‘Theatre of Dreams’, it has been widely reported that the cost of renovating Old Trafford as fans know it today could prove almost as costly as building the new sporting arena entirely.
Commenting on the plans, the club’s legendary manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, has backed the move. He said as part of the official statement: “Manchester United should always strive for the best in everything it does, on and off the pitch, and that includes the stadium we play in.
“Old Trafford holds so many special memories for me personally, but we must be brave and seize this opportunity to build a new home, fit for the future, where new history can be made.”
It’s also still unclear as to what will happen to Old Trafford, although the belief is that it will remain intact next to the new stadium nearby and be used for Man United Women’s fixtures as well as youth games.
You can hear Lord Foster talking through the plans and see the design in more detail down below:
Also remarking on the plans, Mayor Burnham, added. “Our common goal on the Task Force has been to try to unlock the full power of the club for the benefit of its supporters and for Greater Manchester as a whole – creating thousands of new homes and jobs.
“If we get this right, the regeneration impact could be bigger and better than London 2012 [something he’d already said this time last year]. Manchester United could, and indeed should, have the best football stadium in the world.”
“To me, that means a stadium that is true to the traditions of the club, affordable to all, with nobody priced out, and a stadium that sets new standards in the game globally. I believe this vision can be realised, and if so, the benefits for Greater Manchester, the North West and the country will be huge.”
How do you feel about the plans, Reds?
Featured Images — Manchester United (via club website)
Sport
Manchester City staff member sacked after wearing Man United shirt to shift
Danny Jones
Man City have divided a fair few supporters after they sacked a barman for wearing a United shirt to their shift during the Manchester derby.
Although it’s not exactly surprising, the decision has ruffled plenty of feathers on both sides, as well as among neutral fans.
The Blues emerged victorious in the 197th clash between the two local rivals, winning 3-0 on an evening that paid tribute to the late, great Ricky Hatton, but another backstory looming over the fixture that caught the attention of football fans online was the City staff member who lost his job.
Working on concessions inside the Etihad Stadium before the game, the barman was made known to the official MCFC Matchday Support channel on X, who quickly confirmed he had been let go before the game even began.
In the since-deleted post, the home fan who reported the worker wrote: “Absolute joke – letting one of the bar staff in block 315 wear a United shirt on Derby Day.”
Although many City fans applauded the fast action by the club on the day, it’s fair to say that sacking him so soon that he didn’t even last until kick-off has rubbed many others the wrong way.
One Liverpool fan commented: “I hate United way more than City, but to sack him from a job because of an item of clothing is crazy. So, so poor from Manchester City, this. It’s just football lads, he’s not wearing a political or derogatory symbol. It’s literally a football team…”
Another neutral added: “Getting a minimum wage worker sacked for having a bit of fun instead of just winding him up is the absolute sad state this country is in.”
Even the ‘Out Of Context Football Manager‘ parody account chipped in, writing: “The guy’s been sacked for this. All he needed was a formal warning. I get he’s taking the p*ss – but losing a salary he might really need over this?!
While many have been even more outspoken in their response, as you can see, many supporters – be they Red or otherwise – have come up with arguably the perfect solution:
Manchester City are yet to comment on the backlash, apart from the initial confirmation that the still-anonymous staff member has been released from his position, but as for Man United, simply sticking him on the kiosks in the Stretford End could prove to be a very easy bit of positive PR.
Besides the growing frustration around the fanbase, as Ruben Amorim has yet to turn things around at Old Trafford (pressure was growing even before the derby day defeat), the Red Devils could no doubt do with some positive press for a change.
In fact, it was only earlier this year that co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, CEO Omar Berrada and the wider INEOS Sports administration sanctioned a second round of redundancies at United, with approximately 450 individuals losing their jobs.
That being said, although some have labelled the sacking of the now ex-City barman as “absolutely horrendous behaviour” for Man City, many jumped to quip back that “[United are] more likely to sack more bar staff, not hire them”, as well as simultaneously taking aim at their significant transfer spending.
Featured Images — Mataniels via X (now deleted)/The Manc Group
Sport
Salford Red Devils supporters group outline plans for the next major protest march
Danny Jones
Salford Red Devils supporters trust, The 1873, have outlined details of their next major march in protest over the club’s well-publicised ownership troubles and financial crisis.
The fan group, which has mobilised on multiple occasions already this year, is set to hit the streets once again this month and in larger numbers than ever, confirming another big demonstration before their next home game this weekend.
Sharing the update with fellow Red Devils on social media, 1837 leaders are demanding “truth and accountability from the top” ahead of the peaceful protest through Salford.
They have dubbed the event ‘The Last Rally’, but we can only assume there’ll be more fan action as the weeks and possibly months of uncertainty continue.
As you can see, The 1837 are calling for like-minded supporters to rally outside another nearby amateur rugby league football team, Salford City Roosters, before marching on to a second meeting point and, ultimately, the Salford Community Stadium.
Starting in Eccles, with a stop at Barley Farm, before arriving at their club’s home ground in Barton-upon-Irwell, the plan is to gather as much awareness, support and local attention as possible.
Writing in the caption of the above post, they added: “We’ve dominated headlines. We’ve exposed bad ownership. We’ve stood together.
“A history worth fighting for. A future worth protecting. Our last chance to be heard. Don’t stay silent. Make it count.”
Following a recent meeting of the RFL and the two Greater Manchester Mayors, Andy Burnham and Paul Dennett, Salford Red Devils were given somewhat of an even further stay of execution, as it was confirmed that their ‘winding up’/administration deadline has now been adjourned until October.
Nevertheless, the majority of fans are still being kept in the dark about the exact and up-to-date nature of their rugby league club’s situation at present.
Back in June, it looked like new investors could very well still be injecting vital funds to keep key players and staff on the books, but jump to now, and it looks like they don’t know if even things like the big screen even belong to them much longer.
Salford Red Devils aren’t just in debt – our very identity is up for grabs.
The badge. The name. Even the big screen. All signed off as collateral to financiers.
Once again, the march and peaceful protest will take place this Friday, 19 September, prior to the next fixture against Wakefield Trinity.
Getting points on the board will no doubt be a big plus for all, but the game looks like it will very much serve as the backdrop to the wider ongoing saga.
Are you a Red Devils fan, and if so, will you be attending the demonstration? Better still, even if not, what do you make of the circumstances surrounding your side at the moment?
Fantastic to see the fans turn out again, Salford Red Devils will never die 1873 👹🏉 pic.twitter.com/Gne5peQK6u
Danny Jones -
11th March 2025 
