Sir Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the Old Trafford Regeneration Project and Mayoral Development Corporation, gives an update on Man United’s home stadium.
Manchester United announced plans for a new stadium last year (Image: PA)
Manager Sebastian Coe has admitted that the timeline for the construction of Manchester United’s new stadium is “a bit uncertain” but remains confident that he is “moving in the right direction”. United first announced plans to redevelop Old Trafford in March last year, with initial indications that completion could take place in the 2030/31 season.
The plans involve United turning Old Trafford into a 100,000-seat venue, which could cost as much as £2bn to complete.
Lord Coe, who spearheaded London’s successful bid for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, is now chairman of the Mayor’s Development Corporation, which is overseeing the regeneration of Old Trafford.
The former IOC president previously led a taskforce set up by United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe to explore possibilities for the club’s stadium as part of a wider transformation of the local area.
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Coe is currently playing a key role in the development of the 100,000-capacity venue, which Ratcliffe envisions to become the ‘Wembley of the North’.
However, he admitted that securing the land needed for the scheme – estimated to cost around £2bn – had proved “complex”.
Speaking on the Sports Agent podcast, Coe said: “I love regeneration projects so I was really happy to be asked to be a part of it.
“I actually believe in good locally-funded projects that make life easier for local people.
“And we also learned from the London model that if you build a model around sport, the synergies of getting other things done can be achieved much more quickly than before.
Initial design of Manchester United’s new stadium (Image: Manchester United)
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“Land acquisition is always complex, we know that from London’s experience, so at the moment we are preparing in stages and using our world-class stadium as a catalyst for many other things, including domestic investment.”
“So this is about jobs, it’s about housing, it’s about educational aspirations, and I’ve seen time and time again how sport can be used properly and change the local landscape. This is an exciting project.”
Regarding timescales, Mr Koh added: “Again, there is some uncertainty at the moment. The stadium is under investigation and is inappropriately scaled.
“But again, it also depends on the purchase or acquisition of various other land parcels in that space.
“It’s all happening at the moment and I’m not going to give you a rundown on it, but we’re moving in the right direction.”
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