Featured image credit: Manchester City
Premier League football club Manchester City has announced a construction milestone for the Etihad Stadium expansion project, with the initial steel framework now in place.
The £300m (€350m/$374m) project will increase the capacity of the stadium from the current 53,400 to 61,968 during the 2025-26 season. City received the final green light for the project in October.
The project is centred around an expanded North Stand with one larger, single upper tier above the existing lower tier. The club released the first CGI renderings of the plans, drawn up by Populous, in April 2023 when it submitted its planning application.
City announced today (Thursday) that the first steelwork recently arrived and is now in place. The club said the installation of the first steelwork marks a “significant” phase in the evolution of the wider Etihad Campus, which also features the Co-op Live arena opening next week.
The Etihad Stadium expansion will also see City develop a 3,000-capacity fan zone, a 400-bed hotel, a new club shop and a museum. Above the upper tier of the expanded stand there will be a sky bar and a stadium roof walk providing unique views of the pitch and the Manchester skyline.
During the construction phase alone, the equivalent of 890 full-time roles will be delivered and City is working with partners and contractors to ensure local residents are well placed to take advantage of the roles.
Upon completion, the new North Stand will sit opposite Co-op Live, which will open on Tuesday with a Peter Kay gig. With a capacity of 23,500, Co-op Live will be the largest arena in the UK.
Danny Wilson, managing director of operations at City, said: “It’s been an exciting few months with the arrival and installation of the first steels and fantastic to see the development and progress of the build in recent weeks.
“This project has been designed with our fans at its heart and demonstrates our commitment to create one of the most memorable fan experiences in world sport. Fans will have the opportunity to extend their match day by joining us at the new covered fan zone, visiting the museum, or staying at the hotel.”
The North Stand is currently the only remaining Etihad Stadium stand with two tiers, following the addition of 6,000 extra seats and a third tier to the South Stand ahead of the 2015-16 season.
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