Roche's Old Trafford Regeneration update

Speaking to co-host Helen Evans in a special episode of Inside Carrington, Roche discusses the state of play with land assembly, investment and fan engagement. 

Collette also confirms plans remain the same as those announced 12 months ago.

PROGRESS REPORT

In our podcast, out at 19:00 GMT, Collette says the club is working behind the scenes on a number of important areas and news is hopefully coming soon.

“We've made a lot of progress over the last 12 months but to be fair a lot of it has been behind the scenes so people might not have seen that.

“First and foremost, on the land assembly, we want to make sure we get the best possible position for the stadium, one which has got plenty of land around it to put the right facilities in place, one that is connected and offers a great matchday experience. I have been spending a lot of time talking to all of the local land owners to understand where that needs to be and we are progressing that really, really well. I am hoping to be able to share some positive news on that front in the next few months. 

“The second area that we've done a lot in is around investment and I am delighted to say we've had a lot of interest. There's a lot of people and organisations that want to invest, not just in the stadium but also in the wider stadium district. Those conversations are naturally going to be behind closed doors. 

“And the third part but arguably the most important work we have been doing is really laying the foundations and relationships with the people that are going to make things happen. So primarily it's the local authorities, it's working with the newly established Mayoral Development Corporation. 

“That's chaired by Lord Seb Coe and he's got tremendous experience in sports-led regeneration projects with the work he did for London 2012. It's supported by Andy Burnham, our mayor who thinks it's going to bring amazing benefits for the city region, and also by Tom Ross, who is our leader here in Trafford. 

“They're a really important group of people, they are the ones who are going to help us with the planning, make sure we have got the infrastructure around the stadium to be able to get in and out efficiently and effectively, but also the ones that will remove any obstacles that we come up against as we go through this build, to make sure that we can deliver the benefits for the greater good."

SAME PLANS, SAME VISION

Asked if plans are the same as those announced in March 2025, Collette continues: “Yeah, absolutely. It's the same ambition, same vision, we want to build a stadium that's befitting of our past but also fit for the future. 

“We want to make that we keep what's important. The special memories that people have had, not just for our fans but for our players, so we need to create a new stadium that retains that essence, the matchday routines, the emotion, the intimidating atmosphere for the away fans and make sure that we build something really, really special. And we think we can do that through a 100,000-seater stadium. Because we're so blessed, we've got a season-ticking waiting list, so we think it's our duty and our desire to give them the opportunity to come and witness what we know will be a fantastic experience in our new stadium.”

WHAT IS THE TIMELINE?

Quizzed on when the stadium might be ready, Roche is clear in her assessment: “I think when we launched the idea of a new stadium 12 months ago, we did say it would take between four and five years for construction and that's right. 

“But I think people read that as we might have the stadium ready for 2030. But as you know with a stadium build as complex as the one we are going to enter into, it does take one or two years to get ready for construction, to get the land assembled, the gets the funds in place and to get the planning permission, so that's the part we are doing right now. We have not named a date for opening but we are on track.”

THE ROLE OF FAN ENGAGEMENT

“We did a survey not so long ago. We had 80,000 responses and they told us about the matchday routines, what's special and what they do when they come to the stadium. And so we've been using all of that information and insight to inform the design for the new stadium, inform how people get here, what facilities we need around, what the atmosphere needs to be, how affordable the tickets need to be. All of that has fed into the process, and the fans are going to be so important to coming on this journey with us.

“With any stadium, football is nothing without fans. We sit here don't we, every match and we hear the roar, we get the goosebumps and we scream when the goals are scored. Fans make it and you know more than anyone, our players tell me it's really important that atmosphere that lifts them up and that's what gets results. We want to make sure we build this stadium with them, not for them. And therefore even the survey was just the start of the conversation. I'm really looking forward to spending more time with them over the coming years as we start to develop what the new home looks like.”

HEAR MORE ON INSIDE CARRINGTON

Our latest podcast will be released at 19:00 GMT on Tuesday, across the club’s official platforms and all of your favourite podcast providers.