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A majority of Manchester United fans would prefer a new stadium to be built at Old Trafford rather than see the existing stadium redeveloped, according to an extensive survey carried out by the English Premier League football club.
United revealed the initial findings from the first phase of fan consultation on the future of Old Trafford after gathering the thoughts of more than 50,000 supporters, including season ticket-holders, members and executive club members.
According to the results, 52% of fans would like to see a new-build stadium on the Old Trafford site versus just 31% who want to see the existing venue redeveloped. The club said that more than 90% of supporters are positive about the ambition to deliver a ‘world-class stadium at the heart of a regenerated stadium district’.
The strongest support for a new-build stadium came from season ticket-holders, with the desire for a new stadium increasing with the age of the individuals, on average. Meanwhile, younger fans leaned more towards redeveloping Old Trafford.
Rick McGagh, Director of Fan Engagement at Manchester United, said: “We are delighted that this survey received the most responses in the club’s history. It shows how important this work is, and to have this level of engagement at this stage is a really positive place to start.
“We know how important our home is to fans and we need to listen to them and gain all their views and insights in order to develop the world-class stadium they deserve.
“We are able to view the results through different lenses to understand if our season ticket holders feel differently about anything than say our official members. And if younger fans have different views to older fans. This insight is incredibly helpful and allows the project team to understand the differences as well as the commonality in our fanbase.”
The first phase of fan consultation continues today with hundreds of supporters expected to attend the second consecutive day of ‘town hall’ sessions at Old Trafford to learn more about the proposed stadium district and quiz the project’s architects at Foster + Partners. United is also continuing to discuss the different options for Old Trafford with its Fans’ Advisory Board and Fans’ Forum.
The insights gathered will feed into the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force options report that will be delivered at the end of the year.
In September, United offered a first glimpse of what a rebuilt Old Trafford could look like after an economic report found that the club’s plans to regenerate the stadium district could deliver an additional £7.3bn (€8.76bn/$9.75bn) per year to the UK’s economy.
Previous reports have suggested that the club favours building a new 100,000-capacity stadium next to the current ground instead of redeveloping the venue.
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