MANCHESTER United Football Club has embarked on a £50 million project to modernise the men's first team building at Carrington Training Complex, which houses the training ground and the academy headquarters of the club. With the aim to create a high-performance collaborative environment for players and staff, the renovation by Foster + Partners is expected to last through the 2024/2025 season and will focus on all areas of the building. The initial focus of the new building will be on the gym, medical, nutrition and recovery areas, with a design emphasis on creating more space for collaboration and innovation among players and staff. Temporary adaptations will be made to the rest of the Carrington site to ensure players and staff from all the teams can continue to operate successfully next season.

 This latest phase of development at Carrington follows the opening of the £10m state-of-the-art women’s and academy building last summer – meaning more than £60m will have been invested in creating a truly integrated facility for the entire football department over the past two years. The men’s, women’s and academy teams will remain at Carrington during the renovation. The men will have to be rehoused at some stage, and if they were to take the women’s and academy facilities, those teams would have to be moved. The design The architectural practice behind the work is led by Manchester-born Lord Norman Foster’s company, Foster + Partners, which has a rich history of designing pioneering football stadiums and arenas.

 This includes the reshaping of Wembley Stadium and the design of the Lusail Stadium in Qatar – the centrepiece of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Renders released by Foster + Partners show sandy-hued, open-plan spaces illuminated by floor-to-ceiling glazing and panoramic views of the pitches. The design includes use of natural materials and neutral colours, with areas filled with potted plants. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, co-owner of Manchester United, said: ‘We want to create a world class environment for our teams to win.

‘Our aim is to modernise and revitalise the building as a catalyst for future footballing success, creating spaces that inspire a culture of collaboration, unity and belonging’

When we conducted a thorough review of the Carrington training facilities and met with our men’s first team players, it was clear the standards had fallen below some of our peers. This project will ensure Manchester United’s training ground is once more renovated to the highest standards.’ Lord Foster expressed delight at leading the renewal of the building. Born in Reddish in 1935, he enthused about the project, stating that the design embodied the spirit that exemplifies both Manchester as a city and Manchester United as a football team. ‘Our aim is to modernise and revitalise the building as a catalyst for future footballing success, creating spaces that inspire a culture of collaboration, unity and belonging,’ he said. ‘As a proud Mancunian, it is a particular honour for me to see Foster + Partners given this responsibility, and we will ensure that our design captures the spirit of industry, grit and ambition that exemplifies both Manchester and Manchester United.’  www.fosterandpartners.com