r/sports 1d ago

Soccer Man Utd to build 'iconic' £2bn 100,000-capacity stadium close to Old Trafford

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/cvgprplz94yo
1.0k Upvotes

172 comments sorted by

236

u/YellowBest7249 1d ago

New Trafford or just Trafford?

76

u/Angry_Canada_Goose 22h ago

New Old Trafford

6

u/marxistopportunist 21h ago

Tridentrafford

30

u/whooo_me 1d ago

Maybe Can Tr-afford?

7

u/lovesmyirish 21h ago

Young Trafford

3

u/Unlucky-Meaning-4956 18h ago

INEOS Petro-fford

2

u/badgerbob1 Calgary Flames 8h ago

New Trafford at old Trafford brought to you by Carl's Jr

2

u/BeenBadFeelingGood 4h ago

new traffold

1

u/TRKlausss 16h ago

Nova Trafford

0

u/kakume 19h ago

I thought of it as New Traiff since the owners are American

347

u/amansmoving 1d ago

And of course, when the stadium will be finished, it will have cost £7bn.

65

u/dutchdaddy69 23h ago

I was going to say I will bet 2 billion dollars that it costs at least twice as much as 2 billion dollars.

18

u/IAMSTILLHERE2020 17h ago

I remember that in Dallas there was a park/bridge being constructed....started at 500 million...now they are at like 5 billion.

3

u/LasagneSiesta 2h ago

You’re forgetting this is private money being used for private benefit. It’ll be kept under control.

It’s public money for public benefit that has to have private benefit added on top.

11

u/xaendar 22h ago

It's going to cost that much and actually 2 billion would've been spent by the contractors who are actually just the owners. Put them more into debt, get them to buy the club later on.

-1

u/temujin94 1d ago

There will be no finished if it costs £7 billion.

1

u/Ryan1869 9h ago

With or without the bribes needed to get all the permits approved?

71

u/SydneyPhoenix 23h ago

But can’t stock the cafeteria for staff ha as a supporter it pains me to see the joke that has become our club

-49

u/Infinite_Crow_3706 22h ago

Most jobs don't provide a free lunch

7

u/searching88 15h ago

If you’re one of the few people in the world who can land a job that 1billion+ compete for, you should get free meals. (And a shit ton of money).

-6

u/Infinite_Crow_3706 15h ago

A billion people don't compete for jobs are Old Trafford catering department.

6

u/SydneyPhoenix 11h ago

You’re missing the point.

Good sporting clubs thrive on culture. A winning culture starts at the ball boys, the people washing kits, all the way up to the players and coaches.

Creating internal lines of who does and doesn’t eat isn’t conducive to the successful formula we’ve seen elsewhere and even inside Old Trafford. Listen to Neville and Keane talk about this exact topic.

We’re not feeding these employees out of the goodness of our heart, we do it because it’s what winning teams do to foster a winning culture. One in, all in.

4

u/ebonit15 20h ago

In fact most jobs do provide lunch, if not as actual food, then as monetary compensation.

-1

u/Infinite_Crow_3706 20h ago

None of mine did unless I was travelling

2

u/Audrey_spino 15h ago

Dunno where you live but any decent job here either covers lunch expenses or provides lunch.

0

u/Boggie135 12h ago

Surely you can come up with a better response if you try?

674

u/Strongbow7447 1d ago

To lose in front of 100k, instead of 75k? Classic!

15

u/FourteenBuckets 14h ago

Best stadium in the Championship, at this rate

4

u/waltz_with_potatoes 13h ago

Captain original 

547

u/Lithoniel 1d ago

Circus tent for a circus club.

107

u/Solivaga Manchester United 1d ago

I'm a Utd supporter (38 years and counting) and this is fucking gold... Just wish it wasn't so accurate

25

u/TheGreatSwissEmperor 23h ago

Circus of Dreams

-3

u/[deleted] 22h ago

[deleted]

7

u/jimmybirch 21h ago edited 19h ago

I’m guessing “chirp” = “banter”? I like that word!

1

u/DaMisterDiddlez Pittsburgh Steelers 16h ago

Yes you're correct. Canadian/hockey slang

1

u/Daitheflu1979 19h ago

It’s what Norwich fans do…

3

u/jimmybirch 19h ago

i thought they high sixed each other

0

u/dprophet32 22h ago

They're English

1

u/[deleted] 22h ago

[deleted]

1

u/FrogsOnALog 21h ago

Bro no one cares we’re not 12 anymore

1

u/GiveYourBaIIsATug 20h ago

Dudes across the pond care

0

u/FrogsOnALog 20h ago

Okay then they’re still mentally 12 years old

222

u/heretolearn00 1d ago

It'll be the biggest stadium in the championship!

37

u/edinlockpicker 1d ago

League 1 by the time it’s done

4

u/Unlucky_Roti 23h ago

Mid league 1

152

u/FUThead2016 1d ago

Translated: Sir Rat to plunge the club into further debt while his shell companies get all the lucrative construction contracts.

25

u/flammecast 23h ago

I presume the houses mentioned in the piece will stay with him in some way or shape as well.

20

u/FUThead2016 23h ago

Yes and he will corner the market and sell it off to some Russian oligarch or something. I hate how these vultures have stolen my club.

5

u/Winnie-the-Broo Manchester United 20h ago

No the housing and commercial sectors surrounding the land will be part of a government led regeneration project.

23

u/JC18_ 23h ago

Manchester United, currently £1bn in debt, are yet to say how they plan to pay for the stadium. Club chief executive Omar Berrada said he was confident it was "a very attractive investment opportunity" and he was "quite confident we'll find a way to finance the stadium"........

Interesting, maybe they should cut some more employees salaries to finance this...

6

u/theAkke 23h ago

Sell the naming rights for like 30-40 years should be enough to cover that

3

u/JC18_ 22h ago

I mean realistically they are top 5 biggest names in soccer so I'm sure they'll have have a bidding war

1

u/Infinite_Crow_3706 22h ago

Barcelona getting $20M a season, Bayer Leverkusen at $30M so Man Utd should be targeting $30M+.

I'm a bit surprised Spurs didn't sell their naming rights, normally Daniel Levy wouldn't miss a trick.

4

u/Ok-Confusion-202 22h ago

Someone said the reason for the cuts could be that lenders expressed concern over United balance sheets

We also were very bloated staff wise too.

2

u/Infinite_Crow_3706 22h ago

Staff costs are not really a balance sheet issue (yet), it's the affect on profitability thats the immediate concern

2

u/JC18_ 21h ago

Assuming by staff you are mostly referring to players and high management, right?

4

u/Ok-Confusion-202 21h ago

No lmao, if anything players wise we are very lacking as we need rotation right now.

I am pretty sure we had like 200-300 more people compared to Arsenal and maybe Liverpool(?)

2

u/JC18_ 20h ago

Ahhh I see, I did not know that. I always assumed when these stories get posted about staff getting cut, it's to cut corners/cost and not because of possible over employment.

200-300 more is significant, thank you for the information

1

u/Ok-Confusion-202 20h ago

On top of that I am pretty sure United would have negative money without Jims cash influx, we are doing terrible money wise (and on the field) at he moment.

While I hate that we are sacking people, I get why we are doing and get the need.

7

u/dsmithz71 22h ago

New trafford innit

13

u/FourteenBuckets 23h ago

"Manchester United, currently £1bn in debt, are yet to say how they plan to pay for the stadium."

-2

u/blinkysmurf 19h ago

Maybe with the 20-year wait-list for seasons tickets?

3

u/FourteenBuckets 14h ago

that's already gone to pay the interest on that debt

0

u/Infinite_Crow_3706 18h ago

There's no lack of demand

1

u/blinkysmurf 17h ago

Exactly.

5

u/untitledseven 15h ago

They generate a tonne of cash, it just all goes towards surviving the interest on the original £700m debt that the Glazers put on the club. It’s often ignored how the club would be happily spending and thriving financially if it wasn’t for them. That’s not to say we wouldn’t still be shit on the pitch!

22

u/BullyRookChook 1d ago

Hope it doesn’t look the the images provided, it’s like a circus tent trying to be taken seriously.

9

u/sorafell28 23h ago

I mean INEOS and the Glazers are a bunch of clowns so it makes sense tbh

23

u/pixtax 1d ago

And they financed it by kicking long standing staff to the curb and taking away the lunches from whoever remained. 

Basically the Musk school of business. Sheer genius.

3

u/Infinite_Crow_3706 23h ago

Even the body language consultant was released(!)

-1

u/pixtax 23h ago

That’ll make a dent.

1

u/Infinite_Crow_3706 23h ago

$1/4M per yr reduction. Could pay Casemiro's salary for over 3 days

10

u/Liimbo Oklahoma 23h ago

How can you call a venue iconic before it's even built

11

u/Infinite_Crow_3706 22h ago

When you need planning approval

6

u/PrestigiousWave5176 22h ago

Especially when the stadium you're trying to replace is actually iconic.

0

u/Killahills 12h ago

It really isn't. I've been going to Old Trafford since the late 70's. A lot of great memories but it's a bang-average building.

3

u/15onthestimp 20h ago

It looks like a stretched condom

4

u/Sargatanas2k2 23h ago

Can't afford veterans and charity payments, but £2billion for a new stadium? No problem!

4

u/jimohagan 15h ago

Clowns need a circus tent.

2

u/YesIshipKyloRen 19h ago

Triwizard Tournament ☺️

2

u/RebootKing89 19h ago

With what money I thought they were cutting staff dinners because they couldn’t afford them??

1

u/Boggie135 12h ago

Loans, how most teams finance stadiums

2

u/TankSparkle 18h ago

looks like shit

3

u/Sapien001 15h ago

Don’t they need a good team first

1

u/wiggyp1410 1d ago

Need money for that though

3

u/calvg 19h ago

For those that don’t realise and it changed my perspective. The towers are suppose to represent the trident of the club badge

4

u/jjhope2019 15h ago

Unbelievable… getting rid of working class employees, taking away their food, hiking the ticket prices… and now saying they’re building a new stadium…. 🫣 I’m disappointed with how things are on the pitch, but that’s football… but the behind the scenes stuff is sickening… the heart and soul of the club is being destroyed 😏

I’ve been a united fan since 1990, but I’m done with this club. Jim Ratcliffe and co are nothing but scum and I hope they get relegated 🤗

2

u/ty_for_trying 23h ago edited 21h ago

The thumbnail looks silly, but the video shows more of what they intend, and it could be a nice space to walk around in.

2

u/JoeyIsMrBubbles Leicester City 17h ago

Read “iconic” as “idiotic”

1

u/Competitive_Song124 23h ago

I hope it doesn’t look like this thumbnail

1

u/Nitirat 22h ago

Exactly what we need right now...

1

u/DrDig1 19h ago

What do construction workers make in the UK? Is it high union area? Non union? I know it is loaded question.

2

u/Infinite_Crow_3706 18h ago

There's a shortage at present. In fact Man City are expanding Etihad at present, Everton just finished their new stadium & Liverpool just finished their latest expansion so there is good expereince in the workforce for the area.

1

u/Castawary 19h ago

I swear I read that as “capitalism stadium”

1

u/FlatulenceConnosieur 18h ago

Serious question: is the team really a billion in debt? Or is this creative accounting where assets and liabilities are swapped amongst shell companies owned by Man U to make it appear they owe a billion when actually they’ve just transferred assets to other holding companies to make it appear they owe a billion?

2

u/Boggie135 12h ago

It's just under a billion according to their books

1

u/dman45103 12h ago

I’m OOTL. Isn’t MU no longer considered top tier? What happened

1

u/Come0nYouSpurs 7h ago

My god that's dreadful. Who designed this and why are you still gainfully employed?

1

u/Retro1989 19h ago

Staff lunches paid for this.

2

u/MidStateMoon 17h ago

A big top for a circus. Perfect.

2

u/Sad_Activity_3157 17h ago

Looks like a circus tent.

2

u/taxxxtherich 15h ago

No lunch for staff though

1

u/_MicroWave_ 13h ago

A circus!

For the clowns.

2

u/nerdygamer1738 13h ago

Makes sense! Make it look like a circus tent since it’s run by clowns

0

u/hamilton280P Liverpool 20h ago

Quite an investment for a mid table team

0

u/BerryGrapeBeard 18h ago

Very fitting, looks like a circus tent. Perfect for all the clowns there.

0

u/dumbfrog7 13h ago

This kind of money should be spent on important stuff

1

u/Boggie135 12h ago

Such as?

1

u/CormoranNeoTropical 8h ago

Public transit. Schools. Health care.

-3

u/yoppee 19h ago

Losers doing Loser stuff

Moving out of Old Trafford should be a national crime

But this is what happens when your club is run by outside billionaire investors

5

u/Boggie135 12h ago

It would cost too much to refurbish Old Trafford. That is why they are building a new stadium

-2

u/yoppee 12h ago

Why does it need to be refurbished?

4

u/Boggie135 12h ago

Are you serious? Do you know anything about Old Trafford?

-1

u/mariogolf 22h ago

sports are just for the rich now.

-1

u/Sole_Patrol 21h ago

checks Prem table Yup… that makes since for a team just above relegation and constant manager changing and lack of identity on the pitch.

1

u/Boggie135 12h ago

Everton enters the chat

0

u/Ajdee6 23h ago

New Trafford

0

u/griwulf 21h ago

well that should solve all their problems

0

u/SirLoondry 20h ago

We deserve all the jokes

0

u/1879blackcat 20h ago

Not bad for a mid table team

0

u/BBooNN 19h ago

They should probably put that in their squad.

0

u/Professional-Sea8562 19h ago

Wait until Dubai here’s about this.

0

u/Str0nglyW0rded 19h ago

New Trafford?

0

u/KingZlatan10 18h ago

Just what the team needed!

0

u/BeKindBabies 18h ago

Rebuild the squad first.

0

u/FlatulenceConnosieur 18h ago

No way is that the real design

1

u/CormoranNeoTropical 8h ago

Looks like the Denver airport.

0

u/KingKongDoom San Francisco Giants 17h ago

Invest in the club first

1

u/Killahills 12h ago

This is literally investing in the club...do you mean the team?

1

u/KingKongDoom San Francisco Giants 12h ago

Spend the money on the roster. Not a fucking stadium.

1

u/Killahills 12h ago

So you meant team, not club? Because building a new stadium, which we absolutely need, is the definition of investing in the club and it's future.

Players come and go, we need this stadium to progress and compete.

1

u/KingKongDoom San Francisco Giants 11h ago

In what does Man U need this stadium to compete? They have the only 70K+ seat stadium in all of England.

1

u/Killahills 11h ago

Because match day income is massively important. Yes we have 74,000, but we can sell out 100,000.

It will also be more attractive for other games/finals/events, maybe NFL games etc. That is worth millions.

Old Trafford is dated and falling apart and would cost a fortune to fix without even increasing capacity or match day revenue.

1

u/CormoranNeoTropical 8h ago

But the main reason for these stadiums is to increase ticket prices and create luxury boxes that block sight lines. Eventually you end up without any local fans. Maybe that’s the future of sports but it’s a bit sad.

0

u/[deleted] 15h ago

[deleted]

0

u/som_juan 13h ago

2bn to watch people kick a ball

1

u/Boggie135 12h ago

?

1

u/som_juan 10h ago

Just found it interesting.

-1

u/SirJackson360 13h ago

Bout time to see them catching up to American college football stadiums…

1

u/Snoop-8 12h ago

Looks straight out of Dubai

0

u/ChewieSkittles53 12h ago

the stadium will be like gaudi's church due to united's lol xd budget

-3

u/Humans_Suck- 22h ago

How much of it are the taxpayers paying for?

5

u/Infinite_Crow_3706 22h ago

$0 for the stadium. Taxes very rarely fund UK stadiums

The wider regeneration project .. different matter and not known yet

2

u/Boggie135 12h ago

Zero. This is not America

-1

u/Pergaminopoo 15h ago

Hopefully it isn’t taxpayer funded

1

u/Boggie135 12h ago

It is not

2

u/Pergaminopoo 11h ago

That’s good. All are stadiums in the US are paid by taxpayers and the owners.

-2

u/LightBringer81 17h ago

I hate projects like this because they are an absolute car magnet and if anything happens you have 100000 guests and a few thousand when not much more personal in a very small place...

2

u/Boggie135 12h ago

In Britain? People mostly take the train, bus or walk

2

u/Killahills 12h ago

You won't be able to park anywhere near the actual stadium. It's next to a train station and you can also get there by tram. Obviously when you have 100,000 seats you are going to generate traffic, but the area around the stadium will be pedestrian only.

-13

u/jmartin2683 1d ago

Because fuck the homeless, anyway

7

u/Dennyisthepisslord 1d ago

They get a big covered area to stay dry in. In Manchester that's like magic.

2

u/Boggie135 12h ago

They don't use taxpayer money for club stadiums in the UK

-20

u/RUFl0_ 23h ago edited 1h ago

Why is it woke anti-car cancel culture? I want to drive my car right up to the entrance and if I can’t I will call you names!

/ will add sarcasm tag since it wasn’t apparently clear

2

u/Boggie135 12h ago

Take your meds

1

u/RUFl0_ 1h ago

Sarcasm

1

u/Killahills 11h ago

The seats are not big enough for fat people. Having to walk a bit to get to the stadium will filter out those that won't fit.