AS they prepare to do battle on the pitch in tonight’s Carling Cup Semi Final, Manchester’s two footballing giants have come together in support of Lancashire County Cricket Club’s (LCCC) plans to redevelop Old Trafford cricket ground.

David Gill, Chief Executive of Manchester United, and Garry Cook, Chief Executive of Manchester City, have both written to Trafford Council backing the proposals. The £32m project would vastly improve the ground and the surrounding Trafford area, securing the future of international cricket at Old Trafford for decades to come.

David Gill said: “Old Trafford is the historic home of cricket in Lancashire, which is the best supported county in the country. Its tradition for staging world class sporting and other events is vital to the economic and cultural well-being not just of the borough, but of the city and the region as a whole. “I hope that the Council will seize this opportunity, as I fear that if it does not, the chance will not come around again for generations.”

Garry Cook said: “Manchester City Football Club fully endorses the planning application lodged by Lancashire County Cricket Club. I firmly believe the partnership development between Tesco and LCCC will further secure this historic venue as a premier local authority for world class sport.”

City and United have joined an extensive list of supporters who are backing the campaign, including Freddie Flintoff, Michael Vaughan, Richie Benaud, David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd, ICC President David Morgan, Justin Langer, Manchester United’s Paul Scholes and many more. The campaign website, oldtraffordashes.co.uk, now has over 3,300 pledges of support, with a deadline set for 5pm on Wednesday 20th January.

Without substantial redevelopment, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECC) has confirmed that after this year’s Test Match against Bangladesh there will be no more international cricket at Old Trafford. Research conducted for Yorkshire Forward and Yorkshire County Cricket Club into the 2009 Ashes Test Match demonstrated that Leeds benefited by over £1.2 million per day during August’s Headingley Ashes Test Match. During the three days of the test over 32,000 additional people visited the city, accounting for around £3.7 million additional spend in the local economy. If the Test Match had run for the full five days, the figure would have been nearer £6 million.

The Old Trafford proposals are part of an innovative sports-led regeneration strategy for a 50-acre mixed use neighbourhood. The plans include a Tesco store with approximately 100,000 sq ft retail sales floorspace providing over 500 jobs, half of which would be guaranteed for the local long-term unemployed.

The development will bring investment of at least £70 million into parts of Trafford which suffer from low levels of economic activity and employment.