Man Utd Are Getting a New Stadium, And You Shouldn’t Care

Early this morning, Manchester United announced plans for a new, modern 100,000-seat stadium that will cost $2 billion. Minority owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who controls Football Operations at the club, has said that he project could take as little as 5 years to complete, as long as the U.K. and local governments don’t get in the way. The proposed stadium would become the largest arena in England by capacity, as well as the largest European football stadium. The construction process would involve the demolition of Old Trafford, the 74,000-seat stadium that has been the home of Manchester United since 1910, a prospect that has angered many Man Utd fans on the internet. In fact, the whole announcement has caused quite the stir on social media, and we’re here to tell you that whether you're a United fan, a neutral, or a rival fan, you shouldn’t care about this “project”.

The Destruction of History?

The biggest contention from Manchester United fans, in particular, has been the destruction of Old Trafford, their stadium for over a century. A stadium with such a rich history that has seen incredible highs and lows, a true symbol of the great institution that Manchester United is… or at least used to be. Regardless, many die-hard fans online are saying that Old Trafford should never be torn down and that any stadium project should simply be a renovation. Bizarrely, the fans making this argument forget the state of Old Trafford.

Just look at the state of this. This is England; the rain is almost constant, and this roof situation has been a disaster for years. This is not even factoring in other issues with the stadium, such as the uncomfortable seats, lack of modern amenities, insanely long lines, horrendous food service, dirtiness, etc. How does anybody think that this is worth fixing or even possible to renovate?  Additionally, there is no viable way to expand the seating, which would result in a massive loss of earning potential for the club. It would make no sense, commercial or construction-wise, for the club to do this, and those hoping for a “new” Old Trafford are either delusional or naively optimistic. 

Also, the main crux of this argument about “history” is blatantly misguided. It might be impossible to convince people on these issues, but the truth is that stadiums are very replaceable. What makes a sports team a sports team is the history, the culture, the tradition, and the fanbase. Players come and go. Managers come and go. Owners come and go, as United fans know very well. An arena is just a building where a team plays. Of course, they have history and they have cultural importance, but they don’t last forever. Old Trafford is a broken-down, deplidated disaster that would have been phased out decades ago if Manchester United had competent owners. Its time has come to an end. Manchester United will not cease to exist if they move another home. Pretty much every team, whether in football or other sports, has moved stadiums before and has survived just fine. This argument is complete nonsense, and it is odd to see grown men online profess their attachment to a building that they go to every weekend or so at best. These people need to get over it. Sorry.

Will This Even Happen?

Before people get ahead of themselves, it is important to discuss whether or not this new stadium project is even feasible. Nothing in this announcement included how the club plans to finance such an expensive project. The club is already estimated to be $1 billion in debt, despite being the profitable club in England, and we are coming off a candid interview with Sir Jim Ratcliffe, where he admits that the club is doing poorly financially, with the need to cut staff, amenities, and players. Any hope to finance this project would have come from loans that would put the company in further debt. Now, Ratcliffe has said that he thinks the financing of the project is possible, but nothing is guaranteed. The project also has to be sanctioned by the U.K. and Manchester governments, a process that will likely be slow and will likely cause conflict.

Naturally, fans online have discussed this financial angle. However, I find it hard to see why fans even engage in some of these discussions. There are people on X talking about the financial prospects as if it’s their money. If my football club or any sports team I support goes and spends tons of money on something, why should I even care? As long as it isn’t getting in the way of the quality of the team on the pitch, I couldn't care less. Internet Influencers like Mark Goldbridge just have to find things to complain about. You would think this guy owns the club, the way he talks like he has intimate knowledge of the club's finances. It’s pretty embarrassing. Fans should just be concerned with what is going on on the football pitch and not in the board room, and best believe Manchester United has problems to address sport-wise.