by Manchester United have welcomed the announcement of government support for the project to regenerate the area around Old Trafford, with CEO Omar Berrada describing it as a “unique opportunity”.
A statement from the UK Treasury on Saturday evening said Chancellor Rachel Reeves was championing the Old Trafford project as “a shining example” of the government’s plans to promote economic growth.
A new state-of-the-art venue – either redeveloping the current stadium to increase capacity to 87,000 or building a new ground which could hold 100,000 fans – is at the heart of the regeneration project.
i️ The Old Trafford regeneration project has been supported by the government.#Mufc
– Manchester United (@manutd) January 26, 2025
“The delivery of a world-class stadium can be the catalyst for the major regeneration of an area of Greater Manchester that requires new investment to thrive again,” Berrad said in a statement on the United website.
“We cannot achieve our wider goal on our own, which is why we welcome the Chancellor’s announcement and the continued support of the Mayor of Greater Manchester (Andy Burnham) and Trafford Council.
“If we work together there is a unique opportunity to create a historic project around Old Trafford that the whole region can be proud of.”
While United would take responsibility for the stadium development, support from public bodies would be needed to unlock the wider regeneration opportunity.
This would include improving transport and housing infrastructure around Old Trafford.
Burnham said: “With our devolved powers, we are mobilizing the whole Manchester system to lock in growth for the next decade and reap the rewards for our City-Region and UK Plc.
“The project around Old Trafford represents the biggest opportunity for urban regeneration this country has seen since London 2012 and is a key part of our 10-year plan to turbocharge growth in Greater Manchester.
“We look forward to working with the Government to move freight away from the Old Trafford site to new locations to open up the capacity of our rail network and unlock massive regeneration potential – delivering benefits across the whole north.”
The Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force – which includes Burnham, former United defender Gary Neville and World Athletics chairman Lord Coe among its members – last week revealed an initial options report which included findings which showed the project can deliver an additional £7.3 billion in gross value added to the UK economy and more than 90,000 job opportunities.
The two options of adding more than 12,000 capacity to the existing stadium or having a larger new build remain under review, with United to decide on the preferred approach before the summer.
A survey published in November found that a majority of United fans favor a new stadium over the redevelopment of Old Trafford.
Trafford Council and Greater Manchester Combined Authority will this week discuss the benefits of establishing a Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) to help take the project forward.
An MDC is a statutory body that can drive the delivery of large-scale development, including mixed-use regeneration, transformational urban extensions and new settlements.
It can take powers to acquire and develop land and introduce new infrastructure – laying the foundations for ambitious regeneration projects.
