Manchester United fans have had their say on whether the club should build a new stadium or stay at Old Trafford.
The future of Old Trafford has been a major talking point ever since Sir Jim Ratcliffe completed his minority takeover of Manchester United in December.
The British billionaire pledged to invest in infrastructure and talks are now ongoing around a potential new 100,000-capacity stadium.
Ineos and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are now faced with a historical decision – to stick or twist? A new stadium would cost £2bn but would provide the Red Devils with a state-of-the-art stadium which would generate £230m per season.
It has been suggested that Ratcliffe would prefer a new stadium, but it would be a highly controversial decision to leave Old Trafford. As part of their decision-making process, they sought the opinion of fans.
Results of Man United fan survey about Old Trafford
Manchester United distributed a survey to season ticket holders, United members, and executive club members in September and over 50,000 supporters had their say.
The club announced on Tuesday morning that more than 90 percent of supporters are positive about the ambition to deliver a world-class stadium.
However, the vote on whether that should include a new stadium altogether or a revamped Old Trafford was more split.
Results showed that 52 percent of those taking the survey were in favour of a new-build stadium, while 31 percent voted to refurbish Old Trafford. 17 percent declared themselves unsure.
| Build a new stadium | 52% |
| Refurbish Old Trafford | 31% |
| Unsure what to do | 17% |
Interestingly, data showed the strongest support for a new-build stadium to be among current season ticket holders.
Ineos have their green light to build £2bn Man United stadium
It seemed as though the new owners were always leaning towards building a new stadium but were apprehensive about upsetting fans.
However, the results from the fan survey have now given Ineos the encouragement they needed to move ahead with the plans.
Club legends have also been in favour of a new-build with Gary Neville supporting a “super stadium”, while Paul Scholes is in favour of knocking Old Trafford down.
Ineos assembled a taskforce to assess United’s stadium options, and initially a decision was expected in late 2024.
However, as reported by The Telegraph, United have now delayed their decision until next summer.
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