English Premier League football club Manchester City has revealed the “extensive works” it has carried out over the summer period in an effort to further enhance the fan experience at Etihad Stadium.
The work has been completed ahead of City’s first home Premier League match of the new season, against AFC Bournemouth tomorrow (Saturday). The club has conducted a complete redesign of an area of the South Stand concourse to create multiple spaces for fans to meet, eat and drink prior to kick-off.
The new concourse area will have varied seating and standing areas, multiple screens and a DJ booth that will play out music and set lists selected by fans, which will all form part of the matchday build-up.
In addition to creating new entertainment experiences, the concourse area will benefit from upgraded food and beverage stalls which will enable a quicker speed of service for fans ahead of kick-off and at half-time. Fans will also have the option of using new self-service vending machines giving them greater flexibility when selecting food. The new concourse areas will remain open after full-time for fans who wish to extend their matchday experience at the Etihad Stadium.
Alongside the concourse area, the club has launched a new bar in Level 2 of the East Stand. ‘Kits’ offers fans an opportunity to enjoy the match in a contemporary styled sports bar adorned with some of City’s best-known and popular shirts throughout the decades. For the first time, fans at the Etihad Stadium will also have the option of utilising the club’s all new self-service beer taps.
The upgrades come after it was revealed last week that City had restarted work on the potential further expansion of Etihad Stadium. Exploratory work has commenced on expanding the North Stand, TheStadiumBusiness.com understands.
The North Stand is currently the only remaining stand with two tiers at the Etihad Stadium following the addition of 6,000 extra seats and a third tier to the South Stand ahead of the 2015-16 season. This took stadium capacity to 53,400, with planning permission to expand the North Stand having been secured as part of this project.
Commenting on the new matchday experiences on offer at the Etihad Stadium, Danny Wilson, managing director of Manchester City Operations, said: “Ensuring that our fans have the best experience possible when they visit Manchester City continues to be our priority, and we are delighted to be introducing new developments to the Etihad Stadium to broaden the range of options available to fans on matchday.
“The enhanced stadium concourse area in the South Stand and the introduction of ‘Kits’ in the East Stand, together with existing offerings such as City Square, Manager’s Corner and The Ardwick, have all been designed with fans in mind, to provide them with tailored experiences and the best in entertainment to make their matchday extra special.”
Images: Manchester City
Share this