Manchester City progresses North Stand project

Manchester City has progressed its North Stand expansion project as the new steel structure was officially attached and bolted to the existing stadium.

The redevelopment and expansion project will see the club add a third tier to the North Stand, as well as installing a 3,000-capacity fan zone, a 400-bed hotel, a new club shop and a museum at the Etihad campus. The expansion, set to be completed during the 2025-26 season, will see the Etihad’s capacity increase from 53,400 to more than 60,000.

Upon completion, the new-look North Stand will sit opposite Co-op Live, the UK’s biggest indoor entertainment venue, which is a joint venture between City Football Group and Oak View Group.

Ed Dalton, the club’s director of infrastructure development, said: “It’s an exciting moment in our building programme for the new steel structure to be attached and bolted to the existing North Stand.

“Fans and visitors can see the extended upper tier progressing which really gives a sense of the scale of the expansion and how the inclusion of 3,000 new rail seats will add to the electric atmosphere on matchdays.”

The equivalent of 890 full time roles will be created during the completion of the North Stand project. The club is working with local partners and contractors to ensure residents are well placed to take advantage of new employment opportunities.

Etihad Stadium tour

To mark the installation of the steel structure, City invited a family with four generations of fans to the Etihad Stadium to hear exclusively from the project team and to find out more about the club’s plans. The four generations of City fans were also treated to a special visit from young City superstars Rico Lewis and Nico O’Reilly.

Attendees at this year’s TheStadiumBusiness Design & Development Summit 2024 can also find out more about the North Stand during the optional #TDS24 stadium tour programme. On Monday, December 2, those signed up will combine a visit to Everton FC’s new HQ offices and stadium sales centre on Merseyside, followed by an expert tour of Etihad Stadium.

City announced in April 2024 that the initial steel framework was in place for the new North Stand. The club received the final green light for the project in October 2023 after the first CGI renderings, drawn up by Populous, were released earlier in the year when the application was submitted.