Manchester United announces plans for a new $2.5 billion stadium
After more than a century, Manchester United has decided it’s time for some new digs.
The British soccer team’s leadership on Tuesday announced the plans for a new stadium that could hold 100,000 spectators.
The move from the historic Old Trafford into this proposed stadium would be groundbreaking in several ways — aside from literally, since the new stadium will be built right next to the existing site.
Three things to know:
- With its proposed capacity, the new venue would surpass London’s Wembley Stadium as the biggest in the United Kingdom and would top Old Trafford’s capacity of just over 74,000.
- There is no plan to renovate Old Trafford, which at 115 years old has struggled with a leaky roof and rodent sightings among other issues, and is planned for demolition.
- Among the new bits and bobs will be a solar energy and rainwater harvesting roof and a unique trident structure visible for 25 miles. It’s estimated to cost more than $2.5 billion according to the organization’s CEO, and will take five years to build.
Listen to NPR’s State of the World podcast for a human perspective on global stories in just a few minutes, every weekday.
Troubling times for Manchester Utd
The stadium announcement comes days after fans of the soccer club took to the streets to protest club leadership’s choices both on and off the field.
The team has racked up more than a billion dollars in debt alongside performance issues, and its American owners, the Glazer family, have yet to share how they plan to fund it.
Dive deeper with NPR:
- For a clearer picture on the woes of Manchester United, check out this piece from NPR’s Lauren Frayer.
- Want just the right amount of economics sent to your inbox weekly? Subscribe to the Planet Money newsletter.
Q&A: How lethal injection ‘hides the violence’ of executions, in the South and elsewhere
A new book explores the secretive, complicated history of lethal injection and its relationship to the death penalty.
GOP-led states are passing new restrictions for voters to get issues on the ballot
Two dozen states allow citizens to propose ballot measures. But Republican lawmakers in many of those states are now adding hurdles to those efforts, saying they want to combat fraud.
Cancer-causing chemicals are in many beauty products women use, a study finds
Soaps, lotions and shampoos were found to have formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing preservatives.
Economists warn Trump’s research cuts could have dire consequences for GDP
President Trump has proposed slashing federal scientific funding. Economists say the long-term consequences could be dire.
Glittering blue creatures are washing up on California beaches. Here’s why
Hundreds of thousands of Velella velella, more commonly known as by-the-wind-sailors, are drifting onto the coastline. Beachcombers say they look like "blue diamonds strewn across the beach."
Discovering a mom we never knew, in letters she saved from WWII soldiers
My sister and I recently unearthed a forgotten box of correspondence our mom received from servicemen she'd met at Red Cross dances in Rome near the end of the war. She would have been 100 this year.
