Premier League club Manchester United has “secured the majority of the land to build a new 100,000-seater stadium,” according to Steven Railston of the MANCHSTER EVENING NEWS. The club had been in talks with Freightliner to acquire land behind the Stretford End, but “talks had stalled.” The secured deal was for a different plot of land, which comprises a 25-acre triangle near Old Trafford. The land has been purchased from Indurent, a leading provider of industrial space. The club will “continue to work on acquiring the remaining land, which is not expected to be a problem.” ManU’s design work on the new stadium “had been paused while talks with Freightliner took place” (MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS, 6/22).
KEY FACTORS: In London, James Ducker noted the news comes at a time when MP of Makerfield Andy Burnham has confirmed he will run for the Labour leadership. Burnham has been a key driver behind the stadium project as Mayor of Greater Manchester and part of the Old Trafford Mayoral Development Corporation (OTRMDC). ManU “do not expect their stadium plans to be affected by Burnham’s departure as mayor, with sources hoping they have a key ally in government” (London TELEGRAPH, 6/22). At 100,000 capacity, ManU’s proposed new stadium will “rank as the second-biggest in Europe,” behind only Barcelona’s Camp Nou, which is being taken up to 105,000 after restoration. It will be the biggest in England, overtaking Wembley Stadium which has a capacity of 90,000. Old Trafford’s current capacity is 74,879 (SKYSPORTS.com, 6/22).
