Manchester set to become ‘global capital of football’, says Burnham
Manchester will become “the global capital of football” following a major regeneration project centred around a new Manchester United stadium, says the city’s mayor Andy Burnham.
The government and Trafford Council have pledged to support the wider revamp of the area, which is set for a transformation like that catalysed in Stratford by the London 2012 Olympics.
At the heart will be Manchester United’s stadium, with the club currently weighing up whether to revamp their current home, Old Trafford, or build a new £2bn 100,000-seater venue.
“It’s one of those rare projects that’s a win-win, the benefits will be felt far and wide,” Burnham told BBC Breakfast.
“On the east of Manchester, if you look at what’s happened there – and the Commonwealth Games helped that with public money at the time – Manchester City have taken that and poured so much investment in themselves to improve the east of Manchester.
“Imagine that being balanced on the west of Manchester with another major football campus. This, without a shadow of a doubt, will be the global capital of football in the rest of the 21st century.”
Ratcliffe made improving or replacing the dilapidated Old Trafford a priority after buying a minority stake in Manchester United just over a year ago.
The Ineos billionaire’s pleas for public money to build a “Wembley of the North” attracted criticism, with politicians unconvinced by the argument.
Government funding is highly unlikely to be used for the stadium but does now look likely to be granted to the wider regeneration project.
The treasury said on Saturday that chancellor Rachel Reeves was championing the masterplan as “a shining example” of the government’s plans to promote economic growth.
Ratcliffe said last year: “There’s this wider conversation with the community as to whether you could use a more ambitious project on site as a catalyst to regenerate that Old Trafford area.
“There’s a strong case for using a stadium to regenerate that area, like with the Olympics, like Seb Coe did with that part of east London quite successfully. [Manchester] City have done it and they’ve done quite a good job.”
Burnham is part of the Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force which is chaired by Lord Coe and features club representatives and former Manchester United defender Gary Neville.