Manchester United have opened talks with the Rugby Football League over a long-term deal to host the Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford – the clearest hint yet that they are pressing ahead with plans to build a new 100,000 stadium next door.
The RFL’s current staging agreement with United expires following next month’s Super League season finale, with Old Trafford having hosted all but one of the 26 previous Grand Finals. The 2020 final was moved to Hull’s KC Stadium by the RFL to cut costs when fans were banned during the second Covid lockdown.
RFL executives are understood to have initially proposed a one-year extension to cover next season’s Grand Final due to uncertainty over the future of Old Trafford, but during initial negotiations the club indicated a willingness to discuss a longer-term deal.
United are considering a number of different plans to redevelop Old Trafford, although the only one that would enable the Theatre of Dreams to continue being used during the construction process is building a new £2bn stadium on an adjacent site.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has set up an Old Trafford Regeneration Task Force, which is chaired by Lord Sebastian Coe and also includes Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and former United captain Gary Neville. The club had already engaged architects Populous to draw up plans before Ratcliffe’s £1.25bn investment earlier this year.
While Ratcliffe’s strong preference is to build a new stadium which he has already billed as a “Wembley of the North”, a decision has not been made, with City A.M. reporting last month that government funding will be required to make the Ineos founder’s vision a reality.
Building a new stadium would take between six and eight years, although United would be able to keep playing at Old Trafford during this period. The club’s willingness to consider a deal with the RFL that would commit them to keeping Old Trafford available suggests that this is their preferred option.
Ironically a new-build Old Trafford would ultimately lead to the RFL looking for a new home for the Grand Final, as a 100,000-seat stadium would be too big for a match that has attracted average attendances of around 60,000 over the last 10 years.
Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium is a more suitable longer-term venue, although the RFL has not spoken to the club about their next deal.