Etihad Stadium blue-chip facilities for fans

Article posted by Coliseum, April 20^th, 2023

Image: Manchester City

The Premier League club Manchester City F.C has announced that it has submitted a planning application to the Manchester City Council for the development of a best-in-class fan experience and year-round entertainment and leisure destination at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England (UK).

‘MANCHESTER CITY’ stated that this follows the conclusion of the club’s consultation held between February 28^th and March 26^th, where fans and the local community were invited to share their feedback on concepts and designs.

The Manchester City Football Club is an English football club based in Manchester (UK) that competes in the Premier League, the top division of the English football league system. It was founded in 1880 as St. Mark’s, then the Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894.

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The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England (UK), also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is the home of the Premier League club Manchester City F.C., with a domestic football capacity of 53,400, making it the sixth-largest football stadium in England and 10^th-largest in the United Kingdom.

The Manchester City Council is the local authority for Manchester, a City and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England (UK). Manchester is the sixth largest City in England by population. Its City Council is composed of 96 councilors, three for each of the 32 electoral wards of Manchester.

‘MANCHESTER CITY’ further stated that having reviewed all of the feedback submitted via the consultation questionnaire, the club confirmed that fans were in favor of the concepts and proposals presented.

Proposals include several connected all-weather facilities, fully integrated into the stadium, centered on an expanded North Stand with one larger, single upper tier above the existing lower tier, increasing capacity to over 60,000. Above the upper tier, a sky bar with views overlooking the pitch has been introduced, together with a stadium roof walk experience.

In line with the club’s initial designs, a covered City Square fan zone, with capacity for 3,000 people and a wide variety of food and drink outlets, a new club shop, museum, and a 400-bed hotel are also proposed.

Modest workspace for use by startups and medium-sized organizations looking to co-locate and collaborate with the club, the City Football Group (CFG) and the Etihad Campus partners also features in the planning submission.

Manchester (UK)-based the City Football Group Limited is a holding company that administers association football clubs. The group is owned by three organizations, of which 81 percent is majority-owned by the Abu Dhabi United Group, 18 percent by the American firm Silver Lake and one percent by the Chinese firms China Media Capital and CITIC Capital.

Viewed from the Joe Mercer Way, the hotel and food and drink outlets are situated on the left flank of the development with all other facilities contained within the right flank. The LED screens which are approximately four stories in height will also feature at the end of each flank.

The club’s proposals represent over £300m investment into East Manchester through a major construction project that would take up to three years to complete, offering 2,600 jobs prioritized for people from Greater Manchester.

Commenting on the submission of a planning application, Danny Wilson, Managing Director -Manchester City Operations, said, “Over several months we have been developing concepts and designs for a best-in-class fan experience and year-round entertainment and leisure destination at the Etihad Stadium and are delighted to have now submitted a planning application to the Manchester City Council. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank our fans and the local community for their participation in our recent consultation, not only for completing the questionnaire but sharing their detailed comments and feedback with us, all of which has been carefully reviewed and considered. As with all club developments, ensuring our local community benefit is a key priority and we believe these proposals will deliver long-term economic and social opportunities, building on the regeneration work delivered in East Manchester by the City Football Group since 2008.”

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