Manchester City commit £300 MILLION to major Etihad Stadium improvements

Premier League champions Manchester City are set to spend £300 million on improvements to the Etihad Stadium, it has been reported.

Commitments to further improving their east Manchester home comes despite some concerns from supporters over the Premier League’s charges placed on the Etihad club over alleged financial rule breaches.

The understanding in various quarters is that Manchester City will throw everything they have to beat the Premier League, as those within the football club hold a belief of ‘business as usual’, both on and off the pitch.

On the pitch, City continue to compete strongly on three fronts this season, with the Premier League, Champions League, and FA Cup all in the sights of Pep Guardiola and his first-team playing squad.

Away from the pitch, and alongside the City Football Group’s continued plans to expand their network of global clubs, Manchester City are ploughing on with plans to further deliver the ultimate matchday experience for their Etihad Stadium supporters.

A bumper new update on the situation has offered insight into the financial commitments from City’s owners, as well as the exciting new offerings that could be in place as soon as 2025.

That is courtesy of a new report from Jack Gaughan of the Mail, who states that Manchester City are set to invest £300 million into improving one end of the Etihad Stadium, with plans centred around the addition of 7,700 seats to the second tier of the existing North Stand.

EXCL: Manchester City's £300m splurge to get Etihad Stadium on a par with rivals | @Jack_Gaughan https://t.co/rwk6Jf4UZ8

— MailOnline Sport (@MailSport) March 29, 2023

Expansion to their east Manchester home is expected to take the Etihad Stadium up to third place in the ranking of the Premier League’s largest stadia by capacity – behind the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and Manchester United’s Old Trafford.

City’s £300 million is also set to cover further improvements to fan experience, with the club plotting the constructions of an on-site hotel, a covered fan park, a brand new club megastore, as well as a museum.

City intend to also provide further bars and eateries around the stadium as part of their overhaul, while the fan park is set to cater for 3,000 people. The Club estimate that the project in its entirety will create 2,600 jobs, with priority given to local applicants.

The #ManCity Rebuild. [via @MailSport] pic.twitter.com/0CBw0gaLdl

— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) March 29, 2023

The Mail further highlight that the latest round of works on the Etihad Campus site is expected to take Manchester City’s overall spend on the area – including previous stadium improvements, the City Football Academy training ground and community centres – to £1 billion.

Should Manchester City be granted planning permission – in what will be the next stage for the venture, then the Club expect work to start this November and hope the expanded capacity will be active for the start of the 2025/26 season.

Manchester City stated in their initial press release that “the construction period would be carefully planned around the football season to minimise the potential for disruption”. Other construction work is expected to finish 12 months after the expanded stadium.

Jack Gaughan of the Mail also provides insight into the feasibility studies undertaken, where Manchester City supporters voiced that they wanted improved transport on a single-track Metrolink network.

It is further revealed that some fans requested sit-down restaurants available to those who have not purchased hospitality tickets – an aspect of Manchester City’s matchday experiences that have been drastically revamped over the past five years.

Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium was originally constructed to host the 2002 Commonwealth Games, and has since staged the 2008 UEFA Cup final, England football international matches, as well as a number of summer music concerts during the off-season.

Since July 2011, the formerly-known City of Manchester Stadium was renamed as the Etihad Stadium – sponsored by Etihad Airways, who reportedly beat competition from the likes of Ferrostaal and Aabar to gain the stadium naming rights.

In an initial ten-year sponsorship deal, the agreement included naming rights in addition to the entirety of the complex that now stands today, featuring Manchester City’s City Football Academy training hub adjacent to the arena.