Man Utd 'consider selling naming rights' to Old Trafford

Manchester United are 'considering' selling naming rights to a refurbished or new Old Trafford in a bid to raise capital needed to fund the project.

One of Sir Jim Ratcliffe's big ambitions for the club since completing a partial takeover has been creating a 'Wembley of the north', even calling for the support of public money.

United remain laden with debt as a lasting legacy of the Glazer family's controversial leveraged buyout in 2005, while the club have also recently seen local rivals Manchester City raise the bar in terms of revenue levels among Premier League sides.

The Athletic has reported that while no decisions have been made, 'exploratory talks' have been held with Bank of America and others to weigh up fundraising options. One is selling naming rights, hoped to be worth 'tens of millions of pounds'. Alternatively, a deal could bring in a named partner, but the Old Trafford name itself would remain untainted – like 'Wembley Stadium, connected by EE'.

The idea of 'tainting' Old Trafford with a named sponsor is likely to the biggest issue for fans. Old Trafford has stood alone for 114 years, where newer stadiums like the Emirates or Etihad have been known by their sponsor names for most or all of their respective short lives. There was more of an outcry when Barcelona sold the naming rights for Camp Nou to Spotify in 2022.

In elite-level North American sports, sponsor-named stadiums and arenas are almost universal.

Another option to increase revenue is raising ticket prices, having first been presented during the review into strategic alternatives ordered by the Glazer family in 2022. That is unlikely to go down well with fans, many of whom already feel they are being priced out of matchdays.

Old Trafford has been a sore spot for United for some time. Other than the odd lick of paint and minor refurbishment, the world famous stadium has not been subject to any major projects since 2006 – already signed off prior to the Glazer takeover. The roof has leaked for years and heavy rainfall during last month's Premier League clash with Arsenal saw water cascade through the stands.

Beyond major refurbishment, which is made challenging by the long unresolved issue with the railway line that runs across the back of the Sir Bobby Charlton Stand, Old Trafford could be knocked down altogether and rebuilt from the ground up on the same site – more in line with how Tottenham Hotspur handled their stadium construction and departure from the old White Hart Lane.

In March, United committed to remaining at the current Old Trafford site, rather than upping sticks to somewhere new, with the creation of the 'Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force'. Lord Coe, chair of the organising committee for the 2012 Olympics in London, will lead it, with Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and former club captain Gary Neville also involved.

Ratcliffe's vision is regeneration for the wider Old Trafford area, similar to how Manchester City's development of the Etihad Campus has been a shot in the arm for the local area in east Manchester.

United are also embarking on a project to redevelop facilities at their Carrington training ground, although news that the women's team will be temporarily moved out of their newly opened purpose-built facility to accommodate the men has been met with understandable backlash.

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