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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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:

 

‘Day of the Jackal’ author Frederick Forsyth dies at 86

Born in 1938, Forsyth served as a Royal Air Force pilot before becoming a journalist. He covered the attempted assassination of French President Charles de Gaulle, which inspired The Day of the Jackal.

Dozens of states sue to block the sale of 23andMe personal genetic data

States argue that biological samples, DNA data, health-related traits and medical records are too sensitive to be sold without each person's express, informed consent.

Smithsonian board to keep institution ‘free from political or partisan influence’

The Smithsonian has issued a statement supporting Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch following President Trump's claim that he fired the director of the National Portrait Gallery.

Drug deaths plummet among young Americans as fentanyl carnage eases

U.S. drug deaths dropped by roughly 40% last year among people under the age of 35. It's a welcome pivot for families and communities devastated by fentanyl.

Witness testifies about Sean Combs’ ‘hotel nights’: ‘I was repulsed’

The woman, who dated Combs, testified that she repeatedly told him she did not want to participate in the drug-fueled encounters with escorts he requested, but felt pressured to comply.

What happened when Lyndon Johnson federalized the National Guard

President Lyndon B. Johnson federalized the National Guard in 1965, calling on troops to protect civil rights advocates who were marching from Selma, Ala., to Montgomery.

More Front Page Coverage