- Ratcliffe wants stadium decision by December
- Prefers new 100,000-seat, £2B stadium
- Alternative: rebuild Old Trafford, affecting revenue
Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants Manchester United to decide on their stadium plans by December. He prefers a new facility with a capacity of 100,000 that will cost more than £2 billion and take six years to finish.
That would be built close to Old Trafford, enabling the use of the current arena until the new one is completed. One of the most critical aspects of the build’s look is that it is associated with the club.
The other alternative is to rebuild Old Trafford, which would significantly decrease revenue because sections of the stadium would be closed while being renovated, or United would have to play elsewhere while construction is underway.
Colette Roche, United’s chief operational officer, oversees the initiative for Ratcliffe, the minority stakeholder in charge of football operations. She has visited several leading stadiums and spoken with the owners or those most involved in the venue’s development. This has included meetings with Real Madrid management about the Santiago Bernabéu reconfiguration, which began in 2019 and is nearing completion, and an in-depth examination of SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Los Angeles County.
SoFi Stadium, owned by Arsenal’s owner Stan Kroenke, debuted in 2020 and hosted United’s friendly match against Arsenal on Saturday. It has a 70,240 capacity that can be increased to 100,240, took four years to build, cost $5 billion or more, and features a 1 million square foot canopy embedded with 27,000 LED panels that provide prime advertising space, with the display visible to air traffic arriving at the neighboring Los Angeles airport.
“Invest in your future with Webull UK – get started with free shares.”
SoFi is a significant performance venue and the home of the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and Chargers. It is located on the 298-acre Hollywood Park campus, an entertainment complex with a shopping mall, residential complexes, and the YouTube Theater.
Before their US tour, United met with the people in charge of establishing SoFi to learn from the initiative, particularly the campus component, as the club assessed how to use the Old Trafford footprint effectively.
James T Butts, the mayor of Inglewood who spearheaded Hollywood Park’s creation, stated, “I may be biased, but I believe this is the world’s premier sports venue.” “The roof is the largest advertising opportunity in the world.
