Manchester United’s ambitious £2bn stadium regeneration plans have been given a major boost after being included in Mayor Andy Burnham’s 10-year strategic plan.
Old Trafford is set to undergo a total transformation, with the club hoping to have a 100,000-capacity stadium built in five years.
Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who announced the plans last March, believes that the change is necessary in order for the club to compete with their rivals on the global scene.
🚨 Manchester United has welcomed the Greater Manchester Growth Plan announced on Thursday, including backing for the Old Trafford Regeneration project.
Mayor Andy Burnham hailed the Old Trafford Regeneration project as the UK’s biggest sports-led scheme since the London 2012… pic.twitter.com/k1026rMI6t
— The United Stand (@UnitedStandMUFC) November 20, 2025
Back then, Ratcliffe said: “Today marks the start of an incredibly exciting journey to the delivery of what will be the world’s greatest football stadium, at the centre of a regenerated Old Trafford.
“Our current stadium has served us brilliantly for the past 115 years, but it has fallen behind the best arenas in world sport.”
The development coincides with Burnham’s Greater Manchester Growth Plan, which was unveiled on Thursday with a promise of boosting economic growth and social improvement in the area.
The project has been given a further boost with heavyweight sporting figure Lord Sebastian Coe set to be the chair-designate of a new Mayoral Development Corporation. It is hoped that the 2012 London Olympics chief can utilise his experience in order to move the plans forward.
New stadium to drive major change
Old Trafford regeneration will
benefit all of the North.By removing freight trains from the city centre, the railways will work better for everyone.
By relocating freight terminals to other parts of the North West, growth will be spread.
The Government is right to back it. 🙌🏻 pic.twitter.com/0UcvXhYcPF
— Andy Burnham (@AndyBurnhamGM) January 26, 2025
The Old Trafford Regeneration project is the most ambitious sports-led development in the United Kingdom since the 2012 Olympics.
While Manchester United will be getting a new ground, the surrounding area is also said to undergo a major makeover, with 15,000 new homes set to be built. On top of that, locals can expect a host of new leisure and business destinations.
Collette Roche, who is United’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “We are delighted to see the Old Trafford Regeneration project at the heart of Greater Manchester’s wider growth plan for the next decade.
“We want to build the world’s best football stadium as a new home for Manchester United and a venue fit for the biggest international events, including the 2035 FIFA Women’s World Cup, surrounded by a vibrant business, leisure and residential district served by excellent transport links.
“We are determined to play our part, together with other stakeholders, in making this vision a reality and unlocking the huge benefits it can deliver for the surrounding community and wider region.”
According to a report from Oxford Economics, the entire project could add over £7billion annually to the British economy while also creating over 90,000 jobs.
FGG Says: United to expand global commercial footprint
Whatever might be happening with Manchester United on the field, there is no doubt that the club are still a major powerhouse off it.
Few clubs in the world could drive such an ambitious project, and their partnership with the government underlines just how serious these plans are.
Once everything is completed, United will further expand their global commercial footprint, underlining their position as a business and a sporting behemoth.