December 24 marks a year since Sir Jim Ratcliffe, chairman and founder of the petrochemical company INEOS, bought a minority stake in, and took sporting control of, Manchester United.
To mark the anniversary, The Athletic has spoken to multiple people to report on the impact Ratcliffe and INEOS have made at United over the past 12 months.
Today, Charlotte Harpur explores what it has meant for the United women’s team. Tomorrow, we go inside an extraordinary year on the men’s side of things.
A golden step tops the staircase to the Manchester United women’s team’s temporary offices at the club’s Carrington training ground. The wording on it reads: “2028 Women’s Super League winners”. An exciting prospect.
Directly in front of it is a photo of the United women’s team lifting the 2024 FA Cup trophy, and the phrase, “We are here to entertain, revolutionise, inspire and win” adorns the wall behind the step.
On the first flight of those stairs, each step leading you up towards that quote on the wall marks a point on the women’s team’s journey from the beginning (when the side was reformed in May 2018 after over a decade out of action) to the Under -16 Premier Girls’ Cup win this summer.
Filling the next flight are eight empty grey steps without any wording. They…
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