Man Utd season ticket holders ‘want Old Trafford DESTROYED’ over redevelopment as new stadium support revealed
THE majority of Manchester United season ticket holders want to demolish Old Trafford in order to build a new stadium on the same site.
United‘s Ineos chiefs surveyed supporters in September as they look to finalise plans for their historic home.
The Red Devils distributed the survey to season ticket holders and club members and received more than 50,000 responses.
Man Utd have confirmed that 52 per cent of respondents are in favour of demolishing Old Trafford and building an entirely new stadium.
While 31 per cent would rather redevelop the current ground, and 17 per cent are unsure.
United’s season ticket holders were generally most in favour of building an entirely new ground.
The club’s older season ticket holders showed the strongest support for the plan, while younger supporters generally preferred the redevelopment idea.
In addition to the survey, United chiefs have also consulted their Fans’ Advisory Board.
The Red Devils had initially been expected to make a decision regarding their stadium by the end of this year.
But the final decision has now been delayed until 2025.
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“New Trafford” could be circular in shape with a 100,000-seat capacity and huge roof.
It’s said that the Old Trafford regeneration project could generate 92,000 jobs and more than 17,000 homes – in addition to increasing tourism by 1.8million each year.
Man Utd will fund the project themselves, although public money may be made available to cover related transport and infrastructure costs.
In addition to the recent survey, the Red Devils are holding a series of focus group meetings with fans.
Director of fan engagement Rick McGagh 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 final decision over the plans, which could cost as much as £2billion, may not be made until next spring.