Football Dynasty
Chapter 249: The Decision and Old Trafford!

Chapter 249: The Decision and Old Trafford!

After the 1989 Hillsborough Disaster, the Taylor Report (1990) mandated all-seater stadiums in the top leagues. As a result, clubs were under pressure to modernize or rebuild their stadiums to comply with new safety regulations. This became a key consideration for most club owners at the time.

The first priority was regulatory and safety compliance. Stadium designs had to meet Taylor Report guidelines, including fire safety, crowd control, emergency exits, and all-seater arrangements.

Next was the matter of location. Easy access to public transport—especially rail and bus—was critical, as most fans still relied heavily on these. Richard also had to consider the trade-offs between suburban and city-centre locations. Thankfully, the Eastlands area was still largely undeveloped, as it had been an old industrial zone.

While this made it unattractive to most developers—due to poor infrastructure and lack of government support—it was particularly appealing to Richard because of the abundance of available land and the low cost.

"Do you think spending £1 billion on the land alone isn’t excessive—especially when that doesn’t even include the cost of the stadium?"

Miss Heysen couldn’t help but ask, seeing how Richard stubbornly refused any help from Manchester Council regarding the new stadium project.

Richard shook his head. If the Coucil joined the development, it would mean the stadium would either be Government-Owned or a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). What Richard wanted was full control—over the usage, branding, naming rights, scheduling, and of course, all stadium-related revenue.

Yes, for most people, it was excessive—perhaps even outrageously so. But for Richard, who understood the long-term value and what this stadium could become in the future, money was not the issue.

He had no interest in decisions being filtered through multiple parties. Experience had taught him well. Back when he was still a part-owner and City was managed by the late Swales and Francis Lee, he had learned a lot of hard lessons.

"Don’t worry about that. While City can’t cover the full cost, Maddox Capital definitely can," he said firmly.

He could set up a long-term lease scheme where, later on, Maddox Capital could support and share responsibilities for the cost, revenue, and development.

Next is the two final design.

Arup group and JSK Architekci.

After Arup Group’s City of Manchester Stadium design was rejected, they unexpectedly submitted another proposal—still hoping to secure the billion-pound project.

This new design featured a "Bioframe" concept, with a geodesic dome roof covering much of the seating area. The structure allowed natural light to reach the pitch while offering partial protection from the elements.

Not only that—the exterior of the stadium was covered in thousands of programmable LED lights, capable of displaying a variety of patterns and images. It wasn’t as flashy or refined as GMP’s design, but it had a bold character of its own.

"This is good," Richard admitted, glancing over the plans. "But the proposed capacity is only 27,000. Even Maine Road holds more than that."

Miss Heysen nodded, then asked, "How many are you aiming for with the new stadium?"

Richard leaned back slightly, his eyes narrowing in thought. "At least 50,000 to start," he said. "But it needs to be scalable—something we can expand to 75,000, maybe even 80,000, if the demand is there."

Because City isn’t just building for today—they’re building for what this club could become.

Unexpectedly, the stadium proposed by Arup turned out to be the cheapest among the three, with an estimated cost of only £140–150 million—significantly lower than the other two designs.

"Let’s move on to the fourth," Richard said as he picked up the last envelope that Miss Heysen had brought in.

Unexpectedly, it wasn’t the stadium itself that caught Richard’s attention in the fourth design—it was the roof technology.

"Holy sh—" Richard muttered to himself as he leaned closer, eyes fixed on the stadium’s roof.

A retractable roof.

Partially transparent, the structure was made of fibreglass coated with Teflon. This material was not only resistant to rain and the sun’s heat, but could also withstand up to 18 cm of wet snow and resisted creasing. The technology came from the German company Hightex GmbH, with the textile membrane manufactured in Bangkok by Asia Membrane Co. Ltd.

The proposal included an impressive level of detail regarding the roof system—its engineering, performance, and maintenance specifications were all carefully outlined.

"Interesting," Richard murmured, raising an eyebrow as he noticed something unusual in the proposal packet.

They had even included a VHS tape—a demonstration of the roof in action.

Miss Heysen fetched a player from the cabinet in the corner of the room. After a few seconds of static and the mechanical whir of the tape loading, the screen flickered to life. Both of them leaned in, watching intently.

The footage showed a sleek stadium slowly transforming. The massive roof—made of translucent fibreglass panels—glided open and closed in a smooth, mechanical arc. It was quiet, almost graceful. Like watching a steel flower bloom in time-lapse.

A caption appeared on the screen:

Roof operation time: approximately 20 minutes.

Functionality limited to temperatures above 5°C.

Cannot be operated during rainfall.

Looking at the four stadium designs laid out in front of him, Richard felt a headache coming on. Each one was well-designed, with its own pros and cons, making him hesitate.

First Design – GMP Architekten: £290 million

Second Design – Hokkaido Ballpark Concept: £485 million

Third Design – JSK Architekci: £430 million

Fourth Design – Arup Group: £150 million

Just as Richard was about to make his decision, the door to his office was knocked on once again—and then Marina Granovskaia appeared. She stopped short when she saw Miss Heyseen standing inside. Meanwhile, Richard scratched the back of his head, visibly frustrated.

"Am I disturbing something?" she asked.

"No, nothing at all—come in," both Richard and Miss Heysen answered in unison.

Like it or not, they knew they had to ask Marina for help in solving the mystery of which stadium design to choose.

Marina walked over to the table and looked at the four envelopes laid out. She was speechless for a moment. Then she looked up and asked, "By the way, the bus to Old Trafford will be leaving soon. Aren’t you coming to watch the derby?"

Only then did Richard realize how much time had passed during his discussion with Miss Heysen. "Crap!" he exclaimed, slapping his forehead.

Who would miss the most important match of the season for Manchester City?

Once again, they were going head-to-head with Manchester United in the Premier League. And after the way City had been completely humiliated last time, they wanted revenge—and nothing less than a win would do.

Richard quickly gathered the envelopes and turned to Miss Heysen.

"I’ll let you know my decision tomorrow."

Since it was Old Trafford they were talking about, no one dared to complain.

A Saturday afternoon derby under grey skies, packed stands, and all eyes glued to the pitch—this was football heritage at its purest.

This was Manchester United’s home turf, and tradition still ruled here. TV broadcasters loved the time slot. Old-school fans saw it as sacred. And for Manchester City, this was enemy territory.

Well... at least City treated it like a battle against their ultimate nemesis. As for United fans?

As the sky blue bus approached the outskirts of Old Trafford, the streets were overflowing with people. Crowds thronged every corner, fans in red Manchester United jerseys taking photos, chatting, eating, and laughing.

They looked completely relaxed—unbothered by who their opponent was. There was no tension, no anxiety. Just the casual confidence of a fanbase used to winning.

To them, Manchester City wasn’t a rival—they were a distraction.

Their smiles said it all: "We’re Manchester. You’re not."

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