New Stadium Plan Unveiled Near Old Trafford
Manchester United have confirmed plans for a new 100,000-seat stadium to be built 350 metres north-west of their current Old Trafford home. The club, already carrying approximately £1.3bn in debt, acknowledged the project could add further financial burden but insisted it is a necessary investment.
Omar Berrada, United's chief executive, stated in March 2025 that the working cost of the stadium stands at £2bn. Collette Roche, chief executive of the stadium project, said: “That is the $2bn question. We can look at what other stadiums cost but we’re going to be building a very different stadium, bigger than any other: 100,000 seats. So there is not a price I can go to.”
Funding Options and Debt Concerns
Roche outlined multiple funding avenues: “We’ve still got all funding options available: we can have debt, equity, shares, other investors. We’ve had a lot of approaches. People saying: ‘Can I be part of this?’” She stressed the project must be “a sanity project, not a vanity project,” citing the club’s recent cost-control measures, including about 450 redundancies since Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s investment two years ago.
Part of the cost may be offset by selling naming rights. Roche said: “I really don’t know what the stadium will be called. What I will say is we are going to potentially sell the naming rights to the stadium.” She added that affordable ticket prices remain a priority, requiring alternative revenue streams.
Fan Reactions and Design Flexibility
Supporters have expressed concern over additional debt. Roche responded: “We’ve got a lot of fans who want to watch the match and can’t, so we need a bigger stadium. In terms of how we then fund it [and any] debt, it’s not about putting debt on the club, if indeed that is the route we go.” She compared stadium borrowing to home mortgages, stating: “I am sure all of you haven’t paid for your houses out of your own pocket.”
The initial design, which drew comparisons to a circus tent, is not final. Roche said: “Is it set in stone? No, is the first thing. We’re going through the process. We’re not ripping things up so to speak but now we know where it’s going to be, we need to make sure it fits in the right place.”
Timeline and Next Steps
The stadium plans are part of the draft wharfside strategic master plan for wider area development. On 20 July, Trafford council’s executive committee will decide whether to approve the master plan. If approved, an eight-week consultation begins on 28 July. Roche reiterated the target is to open the new stadium by 2035.
