Huge benefit from new Manchester stadium

Image: Manchester United

A world-class 100,000-seater stadium for Manchester United, built as part of a regenerated Trafford Park, could deliver an additional £7.3 billion per year to the UK’s economy, according to an economic study.

Manchester United said Oxford Economics, one of the world’s foremost independent global advisory firms, has undertaken a preliminary economic impact assessment of the proposals.

Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylized as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional football club based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England (UK). The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football.

Old Trafford is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England (UK) and the home of Manchester United F.C.

With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after the 90,000-capacity Wembley Stadium) in the United Kingdom and the 12th-largest in Europe.

Image: Manchester United

Initial estimates suggest that the new development project will contribute huge growth to the UK economy, including the creation of 92,000 new jobs, more than 17,000 new homes as well as driving an additional 1.8 million visitors per year.

The initial findings of the report are based on a range of potential development opportunities in the Old Trafford area, including a 100,000-seater world-class stadium, plus new mixed-use developments around the stadium and in the adjacent Trafford Wharfside area.

These developments will benefit the local community, attract new residents, increase job provision, and make it a vibrant destination for visitors from Manchester, the UK and all around the world.

In addition to these positive impacts, there will be opportunities to unlock further significant economic impact associated with potential changes to the rail infrastructure around Old Trafford.

Foster + Partners, lead architects on the Stadium District, has helped to shape the proposals for how best to utilise the land around the stadium to regenerate the area into a powerful driver of sustainable growth centred around a sports, residential, entertainment, business, and education campus.

Image: Manchester United

London (UK)-based Foster + Partners is a global studio for architecture, urbanism and design all rooted in sustainability and founded by Norman Foster in 1967.

Foster + Partners will also provide expert recommendations on how the Old Trafford Stadium District masterplan can align with the existing Trafford Wharfside masterplan and support the objectives of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

While the stadium itself won’t be part of the initial planning phase, the ultimate vision includes a state-of-the-art stadium as the centerpiece of the regeneration effort.

Once finalised, this work will also inform the final recommendations of the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force.

The Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force was created in March this year to explore options for regenerating the Old Trafford area with the development of a world-class football stadium at the heart of the project.

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