Nearly half of Manchester United supporters are against or unsure about Old Trafford being demolished as the club continues with plans to build a new world-class stadium.
Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is keen to spend up to £1billion creating a new state-of-the-art stadium in the area that will rival the best ones in the world. United have spent the past few months consulting supporters on the future of Old Trafford and more than 50% of them have voted to knock it down and build a new stadium instead.
Rick McGagh, director of fan engagement at United, said: “We are delighted that this survey received the most responses in the club’s history. It shows how important this work is, and to have this level of engagement at this stage is a really positive place to start.
“We know how important our home is to fans, and we need to listen to them and gain all their views and insights in order to develop the world-class stadium they deserve.
“We are able to view the results through different lenses to understand if our season ticket holders feel differently about anything than say our official members. And if younger fans have different views to older fans.
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“This insight is incredibly helpful and allows the project team to understand the differences as well as the commonality in our fanbase.”
More than 50,000 fans took part in the survey, which was distributed to season ticket holders, club members and executive club members in September. It had the highest engagement rate of any fan research conducted by the club.
The results showed that a new-build stadium at Old Trafford is the preference for the majority of fans who responded, with 52% declaring support for that option.
However, 31% of fans would prefer a redevelopment of the existing stadium, with a further 17% declaring themselves unsure.
A special task force set up to oversee the stadium plan and led by Lord Coe is expected to announce a final decision next summer.