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Lord Coe, chairman of the Mayoral Development Corporation that is spearheading the construction of a new stadium for Manchester United and the regeneration of the surrounding area, has shared his exciting vision.
Big update
Last month, United announced that they had secured 25 acres of land, where their proposed 100,000-seater stadium will sit.
The land was acquired from industrial company Indurent.
Then last week, the Red Devils confirmed that the new ground will be located approximately 350 metres to the north-west of Old Trafford’s existing site. It stands between Wharfside Way, Europa Way and John Gilbert Way.
These latest plans represent a shift from the initial concepts unveiled back in March of last year, which proposed building United’s new stadium on Freightliner-owned land just to the west of Old Trafford. Talks with Freightliner collapsed due to a significant difference in valuation of the land.
Freightliner were asking for around £400m for the plot, a price that far exceeded United’s estimated valuation of roughly £50m.
Collette Roche, United’s chief executive overseeing the new stadium project, assured that the build will not interfere with team schedules or the matchday experience.
Lord Coe sat down with the BBC to articulate his vision for the project, which is gradually moving toward fruition.
Ambitious plan
He told the news outlet that there was “no point in letting [the stadium] sit alone without the massive legacy benefits you can get.”
Lord Coe explained that he is “enthused by the thought that there’s going to be a world-class, iconic football stadium.” He added, “I love football and sport changes lives, particularly of young people.”
“We’re going to create cohesive, inclusive and engaging communities for people. And we’re going to improve educational attainment and health outcomes and create 15,000 homes in the first wave. I’m excited by that.”
Lord Coe compared it to how the Montjuic area of Barcelona was transformed by the 1992 Olympics.
“Nobody ever travelled to (that area). It was derelict wharf land. Now it’s a new city inside an old one. London was a good example of that. So, for the catalytic impact of having sport sitting at the heart of the project, first of all, people understand that.”
“People love sport and they love sport here in a way that few other parts of the world really get. Secondly, there’s always a timeline involved with sports. The stadium needs to be constructed, and you’ve got events you want to put into it.”
“That brings a sort of an intellectual rigour to the other parts of the project as well.”
United are next in action next weekend when they kick off pre-season against Wrexham.
Featured image Christopher Furlong via Getty Images
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