English soccer giants Manchester United have appointed Collette Roche to a new role within the club to lead their new stadium project.
Roche will serve as chief executive for new stadium development, and the move formalizes her role in leading the club’s participation in the Old Trafford Regeneration planning.
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She steps into the position following last Friday’s official launch of the Old Trafford Regeneration Mayoral Development Corporation (OTR MDC) – which will oversee the project to build a new 100,000-seater stadium for Manchester United and regenerate the surrounding areas.
In the role, Roche will report to the Premier League side’s chief executive, Omar Berrada,, and represents the next step in the club's development plans.
Berrada said of the appointment: “Collette has done a fantastic job leading the club’s work to develop our ambition to build a new 100,000-seater stadium as part of the wider Old Trafford Regeneration.
“As we start to accelerate our plans, we are delighted that Collette will now be totally focused on working to deliver this hugely important project.”
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By GlobalDataIn November, the club launched the next phase of consultation with supporters on the plans to build a new stadium and leave their current Old Trafford home.
The existing stadium, which has been home to Manchester United for 115 years, will be demolished once construction is complete (projected to be 2030).
The club initially announced their new stadium plans in March last year, outlining a project to build the biggest stadium in the UK – a new £2 billion ($2.59 billion) venue close to Old Trafford.
Roche added: “Our aspiration is to create the best stadium in the world for the best team and fanbase in sport – guided by fans’ input throughout the design and development process. We are committed to taking a consultative approach, ensuring our plans are shaped by fans every step of the way.”
The wider regeneration of the surrounding Old Trafford area could see the creation of 92,000 jobs and 17,000 new homes in Greater Manchester.
Regeneration efforts will be led by a task force chaired by Lord Sebastian Coe.
While the UK government has already voiced its support for the project, the specifics of funding have not been addressed.
While the club have not revealed how the new stadium will be funded – they currently have debts of over £1 billion –Berrada said he is confident the project will attract investors.
If the plans go ahead, the new stadium will surpass London's Wembley, which is currently the biggest stadium in the UK – with a 90,000 capacity (and is home to England’s national soccer team) – in terms of overall capacity.
The club has estimated that building the new grounds on club-owned land adjacent to Old Trafford can be completed within half a decade, with architects Foster + Partners tasked with construction.
Meanwhile, sports media and marketing technology firm Playfly Sports has appointed industry veteran Chris Marinak as president.
He will oversee Playfly’s commercial operations, structured into three business divisions (media, sponsorship, and advisory and services).
Marinak will take up the newly created strategic role within the Playfly leadership team on March 2 and report to chief executive Craig Sloan.
On the appointment, Sloan said: “We are thrilled to appoint someone of Chris’s caliber at this point in Playfly’s growth trajectory. Chris has an impressive track record across the pro and college ecosystems, which I’m confident will further propel the work we do with and for our partners.
“Chris is a high-integrity individual with full commitment to results, which aligns with the culture and values that we uphold at Playfly. With Chris’s addition, we are well-positioned for our next phase of accelerated growth in such a dynamic industry, with the structure and leadership team fit for a modern sports organization.”
Most recently, Marinak was chief operations and strategy officer at Major League Baseball, where he had a 17-year tenure.
Playfly said his expertise will “supercharge commercial growth, scaling, and integrating tech into the company's services at a deeper level.”
Marinak stated: “The sports world is undergoing substantial changes, and Playfly operates at the center of it all. Playfly’s vision, platform, and leadership made this a natural next step for me.
“The company’s trajectory in only five years speaks for itself, and my goal is to keep pushing the envelope in terms of innovation using technology and data to enhance the experience of every fan across Playfly’s vast network of partners.”
