Manchester United reveals plans for the ‘world’s greatest’ soccer stadium to replace Old Trafford

Manchester United unveiled plans on Tuesday to build the “world’s greatest” soccer stadium.

A proposed 100,000-seater arena, costing around 2 billion pounds ($2.6 billion), would be built next to United’s current Old Trafford home and surpass Wembley Stadium as the biggest in the United Kingdom.

“Manchester United is the world’s most favorite football club and, in my view, is the biggest and deserves a stadium fitting of its stature,” part owner Jim Ratcliffe said.

Work could begin as early as this year, with completion by the 2030-31 season, the club said.

Ratcliffe, who is one of Britain’s richest people, said the new venue could be a tourist attraction in the manner of the Eiffel Tower.

“We have 1 billion people around the world who follow Manchester United. They will all want to visit this stadium,” he said.

Designed by British architect Norman Foster, the first released images of the stadium include three giant tentpoles that would be seen from 40 kilometers (25 miles) away. They support a surrounding covered area, which he describes as “arguably the largest public space in the world.”

Wembley is currently the biggest stadium in the U.K., with a capacity of 90,000, and is home to England’s national soccer teams.

Twickenham, the national rugby stadium, holds 82,500.

Old Trafford is the country’s biggest dedicated soccer stadium with a capacity of just over 74,000, but is dated in comparison to the likes of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, which regularly hosts NFL games.

Old Trafford, which was bombed during World War II, has been home to United since 1910.

Under the plans, the 20-time English champion said it would not need to relocate during the construction process. It is estimated it would take around 12 months to disassemble Old Trafford once the new stadium is completed.

Ratcliffe paid $1.3 billion for an initial 25% stake in United last year and made a new stadium one of his priorities.

“Today marks the start of an incredibly exciting journey to the delivery of what will be the world’s greatest football stadium,” Ratcliffe said. “Our current stadium has served us brilliantly for the past 115 years, but it has fallen behind the best arenas in world sport.”

United has not set a start date yet but Foster said building work, which could include pre-fabricated parts and a “Meccano” type construction, could mean it is completed in five years.

The timing would likely rely on government involvement in what United wants to be part of a wider project to regenerate the surrounding Old Trafford area. It said it would be worth 7.3 billion pounds ($9.4 billion) to the U.K. economy, and the U.K. government has already voiced its support for the project.

“Our long-term objective as a club is to have the world’s best football team playing in the world’s best stadium,” United chief executive Omar Berrada said.

Managerial great Alex Ferguson said the club “must be brave and seize this opportunity to build a new home, fit for the future, where new history can be made.”

The announcement came days after thousands of United fans marched in protest against the club’s ownership in the face of cost cuts, ticket price increases and ongoing failure on the field.

United is majority owned by the American Glazer family, which also owns the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Upon investing, Ratcliffe vowed to return the once-dominant club back to the summit of European soccer after more than a decade since it last won the Premier League.

But his first year in charge of soccer operations has been turbulent. United endured its worst-ever Premier League season last year and is on course to set a new low this term, with the team currently languishing in 14th position.

United has not won the league title since Ferguson’s final season in 2013.

Berrada said the club was still focused on returning to the summit of European soccer.

“We don’t want to inhibit our ability to invest in the team, for us to continue being competitive while we are building a new stadium,” he said. “Our number one goal is to get our teams winning and to get the men’s team competing for all the titles consistently. We are not going to deviate from that.”

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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer