Manchester United has named the group planning a comprehensive reform of Old Trafford the “Rebirth Task Force”. Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s plan to demolish Old Trafford and build a “new home” for Manchester United has taken a step forward after his “Regeneration Taskforce” met for the first time.

British billionaire and INEOS petrochemicals group boss Sir Jim Ratcliffe assembled a “task force” last month to explore the club’s options, with United’s new co-owner keen to creating a “Wembley of the North”. Mirror Football (UK) reported that Sir Jim Ratcliffe considered renovating MU’s Old Trafford home ground, but ultimately decided it was best to demolish the stadium and build a completely new one.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his colleagues are determined to build a new stadium for Manchester United. PHOTO: MIRROR
The Red Devils’ biggest owners, the Glazers, are understood to have approved the project and Manchester United’s Old Trafford regeneration task force held an opening meeting on Monday to discuss the plan. .

Notably, the Mirror reported that World Athletics Federation President Lord Sebastian Coe is the head of the “task force”, in addition to Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and former MU captain Gary Neville.

And Coe has now given an update on the meeting as he wrote on social media: “Yesterday I chaired the first meeting of the Old Trafford Regeneration Taskforce, to start a conversation about how developing a world-class football stadium for the north of England could bring economic and social benefits to the region.

At the London 2012 Olympics, I saw first-hand how sport can be a powerful driver of urban regeneration and I am delighted to be involved in this project. This meeting marks the beginning of a multi-stakeholder process to explore options for the stadium and surrounding area.

We are at the beginning of this journey and it is too early to know where it will lead. But we will consult closely with fans and locals along the way and keep everyone informed of progress.”

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The first image from the meeting of the “Task Force to Regenerate” Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium. PHOTO: TWITTER COE
Speaking last month, Sir Jim Ratcliffe claimed that building a new stadium was a “once in a lifetime opportunity” for Manchester United. Britain’s richest billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe said: “This could be a major regeneration project for the Greater Manchester area, which has played an important role in British industrial history, but today needs have new investment sources to develop again.

The North West of England is home to more big football clubs than anywhere else in the world, but we don’t have stadiums on the scale of Wembley, Nou Camp or Bernabeu. We have been unable to change, which is why this task force is so important to help us seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity.”

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Sir Jim Ratcliffe stood in front of Old Trafford at a time when he was still in the process of buying shares in Manchester United. PHOTO: PA
Meanwhile, MU legend Gary Neville added: “Old Trafford has evolved throughout its history and it is clear that we are at a time when we must change again to ensure that Manchester United has a stadium A world-class dynamic befitting the world’s greatest club.

While I want the best for Manchester United, I also want the same for the surrounding community. Old Trafford must be a stadium that all of Greater Manchester can be proud of and a catalyst for sustainable, cohesive development in a region and city that has been neglected for too long.”