Manchester United are exploring a naming rights deal for their new stadium as part of a financially disciplined approach to the ambitious £2bn development.
Collette Roche, the club’s New Stadium Development chief executive, confirmed the intention at the unveiling of a draft masterplan for the wider Old Trafford area.
The 370-acre development is estimated to create 48,000 jobs and 15,000 new homes, with the 100,000-capacity stadium situated 350 yards from their current ground.
Roche was clear that the project must be financially grounded, emphasising the club’s guiding principle behind the entire development process.
“We’ve been really clear from the onset, this needs to be a sanity project, not a vanity project,” said Roche.
“I don’t know what the stadium will be called but we’ve been really vocal that we are going to potentially look at naming rights to the stadium.”
A naming rights deal would follow the models of Arsenal with Emirates and Manchester City with Etihad, both of which generated significant long-term revenue streams for their respective clubs.
Roche stressed the importance of generating income from alternative sources to keep ticket prices affordable and accessible for supporters.
“Everybody realises affordable, accessible ticket prices are really important. In order to do that, we need to generate revenue streams in other places,” she said.
United are carrying more than £1.3bn in debt, stemming from the Glazer family’s 2005 takeover, a revolving credit limit, and outstanding transfer payments, making financial creativity essential.
Concerns among supporters have grown following a refinancing move last month that added another $125m to the debt, with repayments alone now expected to rise to £50m per year.
Roche acknowledged that while no funding decisions have been made, the club retains multiple options, including debt, equity, shares, and external investment, with several parties already expressing interest.
“We’ve had a lot of approaches as you’d expect. A few people are saying, ‘I want to be part of this. Can I be part of this?'” said Roche.
For the first time, the masterplan confirmed the exact location of the new stadium, though the ‘circus tent’ design unveiled by minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in March 2025 was absent from the presentation.
Roche said the club would be consulting with designers Foster and Partners and engaging fans on exact designs over the coming months, with updates expected either at the end of 2026 or early 2027.
Roche pointed to the £50m upgrade of United’s Carrington training ground, delivered on time and under budget in August 2025, as evidence that the club can manage large-scale projects responsibly.
“People said you’re never going to do that — but we did,” said Roche.
Trafford Council leader Tom Ross, who appeared alongside Roche at the event, confirmed the project would continue regardless of the outcome of the Greater Manchester mayoral election on 30 July.
Roche was also emphatic that no public funds would be directed toward the construction of the stadium itself, insisting the club must finance that element independently.
“We, as a football club, need to stand on our own two feet. We need to pay for our stadium for a whole host of reasons,” she said.
