‘Excited’ – Manchester United fans are split on new stadium but all agree on one thing

There is magic along Sir Matt Busby Way as Old Trafford draws closer, though the stadium’s scale only becomes apparent as fans walk onto the forecourt, where the United Trinity statue stands.

The statues of George Best, Denis Law and Sir Bobby Charlton look toward the venue where they rose to legendary status. It’s that history and tradition which means some Manchester United fans do not want to move to a new stadium.

“If it were up to me, we’d just stay where we are and just spend a bit of money doing it up, sort of thing,” Ed Ferguson, a season ticket holder in the Stretford End, told the Manchester Evening News.

“The impact on ticket prices is probably the biggest factor for me. We’ve seen examples before with, you know, Arsenal and other clubs where they’ve built a fancy new stadium and the ticket prices have exploded.

“There’s no reason to believe that wouldn’t be the same with United. Once we’ve moved, how much is it going to cost? That’s going to influence whether I renew it in the future. There is probably a limit for me.

“It also ties into the matchday experience as well. Walking down Warwick Road, you’ve got the big stadium on the left. Just that walk and that view. You know, you’ve got all the chippies that have been there forever.

“It’s just going to be a completely different matchday experience. History is a big part of it. I don’t trust the club knows how to translate that into a new stadium. I just don’t think they understand that part of it.”

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The MEN contacted United supporters for their views following the club’s announcement of the acquisition of a 25-acre plot of land located approximately 350 metres north-west of Old Trafford

United now own the majority of land required to build a 100,000-seater and can push ahead with their plans, which is good news for fans who believe the move is the right decision, and an exciting opportunity for the club.

“I’m fully for it as long as it is done with the right input from fans, and things like fan culture, atmosphere, and affordability are sort of key to the project,” Andrew Kilduff, co-founder of Stretford End Flags, said.

“I think most people’s big concern is, can they afford to go? That isn’t just an issue for a new build stadium, it’s an issue for football going forward, you know, affordability. But you’re hoping that, with an extra 25,000 seats and what a new stadium is going to bring, there’s an affordability aspect in there.

“I hope they can keep the ticket prices down, particularly in the areas behind the goal, the areas where you want the atmosphere, so they’re affordable for kids. It will be tough to fill 100,000 against Burton in the League Cup on a Tuesday night, so pricing has to be right.

“I joked about maybe the Rovers (Coronation Street’s famous pub from the soap filmed in Media City) being the nearest pub to where the new stadium would be. We could end up with a stadium that could be on Salford Quays itself, depending on what other land they build on.

“I think from a sort of iconic point of view, having the ship canal on one side and the Bridgewater Canal on the other, gives you something a little bit different and something you can work with.

“Somebody said (Sir Jim) Ratcliffe likes the idea of it being visible on the waterfront. You could have your hotels opening and restaurants opening up onto the water as well.”

John Baron, who has been going to Old Trafford since 1984, is another fan who is in favour of moving stadium, but also fears he will be priced out of going to games. “When I went to my first game, programmes were like 30p, and it cost a couple of quid to get in,” he said.

“I’m not expecting that, but I am concerned about being priced out. Otherwise, I’m broadly in favour of the new stadium. I think the club needs it to grow, it needs it to replace what sadly has become a very ageing and out-of-date structure with Old Trafford.

“I had a season ticket for about 20 years. I come across with the Leeds-Bradford branch of the Man United Supporters Club, and in the last few seasons, I’ve only been able to get across maybe half a dozen times a season.

“I must admit, I have taken to going with my son to watch non-league football here in Leeds. And the reasons why I’ve done that are because we’ve priced out in terms of going regularly now, as it is at £66 a game.”

Baron added: “The position of the ground doesn’t really come into my thinking. It’s going to be five minutes away from where it is. If it were five miles away, I’d be concerned, but the small walk doesn’t really bother me.

“It’s a relief [United securing land] to be honest with you because when you don’t hear about anything happening for so long, you start to worry that maybe nothing’s going to happen.

“I’m looking forward to them making some progress and actually creating a world-class stadium. The idea of having a canopy above it, and kind of covering, you know, the outside of the ground, I thought it was actually quite a neat idea.

“I’m hoping that the concept art didn’t really do it justice. I think the reality of it could be quite impactful. I like the idea of essentially having a United District where you’ve got all your museums, shops, cafes, and other buildings and facilities around the site. I’m genuinely excited to see that.”

The proposed canopy would be visible from the outskirts of Liverpool. The three rods are intended to symbolise the trident from United’s crest, and lead architect Norman Foster said it was a nod to the club’s industrial history.

The canopy design split opinion, but Kilduff of Stretford End Flags believes it could look impressive. “I go to the Middle East quite a bit, and I stay at the racetrack at Abu Dhabi in the hotel there, and it’s done almost the same,” he said.

“It looks really good. It can glow up and there are messages that can be LED, but trying to get that as a visual is very hard to do, and I think maybe the height of what they’ve put these sorts of three-structure pillars in makes it look a little bit more circus-like than what they would hope.

“I think the overall concept of it, where you’ve got an area around the stadium where it’s going to be undercover, is good. It would give somewhere dry to stand around, have a pint and have some entertainment.”

Kam Hosseini, a season ticket holder who also attends away games, feels conflicted about the move. “I started off very much against it, then as time has gone on, I’ve warmed to it a little bit, just because of the information I’ve heard about it, like more revenue for the club,” he said.

“I adore Old Trafford, I would love to stay there if possible, but there comes a point where some things you have to let go of. If it were down to me, I would love to stay at Old Trafford, but I’ve come around to the fact that is not going to happen, and I accepted that in my head.

“It would be silly not to think that it’s going to hit supporters’ pockets in some way. I think that’s inevitable. It would be good if they were clear about how it will affect supporters.

“Communication is key. The one thing I will give to Ineos and the new regime is that communication has been a lot better. It’s not been perfect, but it’s been way better than what we’ve been used to.

“They’ve got to get this right. With the new site they’ve acquired, they somehow must incorporate bits around Old Trafford into it, places like Busby Way. I don’t know how it will be done, but I feel like they’ve got to, they’ve got to keep that link. For me, that’s imperative.

“They must keep the original fan culture and the places that people go. Whilst obviously there’s going to be new aspects to it, I feel like they’ve got to try and incorporate that. How they do it, I don’t know, but I think that’s key when it comes to new stadiums.”

Alexander Donics is a United fan who is a native New Yorker. He has followed the club since 1998. “There weren’t too many teams that were actually being broadcast on TV from the Premier League back then,” he said.

“Due to United’s string of success, they were one of the teams that were frequently on TV, and that’s how I started to follow United. And it’s just been a team that I’ve followed since then, through all the ups and downs.

“I probably spend too much time thinking about it, to be honest, but that’s why I want to have this conversation with you, because I am a passionate supporter. When I was last there, it was for the Arsenal match at Old Trafford with Erik ten Hag in charge. I was having conversations with other supporters, many of who were lifelong season ticket holders, and I would say the majority of those fans said ‘it’s time to change this’ because there’s no denying that the stadium is in poor shape.

“It’s also tough to compete as a business with that stadium, so that’s kind of the rational side of the argument, but I’m legitimately torn on the move.”

Donics is a lifelong New York Yankees fan, and the baseball team moved to a new stadium in 2009. “I can tell you that the new stadium, as amazing as it is, lacks that sense of nostalgia and that sense of history that the old stadium had,” he said.

“I suspect that the same will be true when United move. There’s so much history in that stadium that even if it was replaced with a world-class stadium, which I’m sure they’ll be able to do, something will be missing.

“Once it’s gone, you can’t get it back. So it really is something that, as a fan, I’m on the fence about. If you’ve seen the team succeed on the pitch or on the field, those memories can’t be replaced.

“I spent a lot of time growing up going to Yankee Stadium and, you know, I’ll never get that back, right? The new stadium, as much as I like it, don’t get me wrong it’s a great stadium, it’s just that chapter of my kind of sports affinity has been closed.

“The team tried to do a good job at replicating the look and feel of old Yankee Stadium. There are certainly some design elements they tried to honour. And that’s great, but it still feels a little bit cold.”

Donics added: “The biggest risk that I see is that United prioritise the development of the stadium over the next five to eight years, and don’t reinvest in the team. As fans, we want to see United win the Premier League and compete for the Champions League.

“It feels like the club is making the stadium the priority. I think we can all get on board with the business rationale for it, but until we start to see the results on the pitch and an ownership team that, you know, is reinvesting in the squad, moving stadium will feel like a pure money grab.”