Etihad Stadium expansion has reached a construction milestone this November. The steel structure of the North Stand has been successfully attached and bolted to the North Stand.
Etihad Stadium expansion milestone – 2024
Manchester City Football Club received the approval for their £300M plan to upgrade the Etihad Stadium in June last year. The approval initiated an expansion project to increase the Premier League stadium’s capacity. The construction phase started in May of this year, with completion slated by the start of the 2025/2026 season. The current construction work at Etihad Stadium is focused on the revamp of the North Stand.
The Director of Infrastructure at Manchester City said that the work in progressing at a pace. He also remained optimistic of the development project, stating that they are, “looking forward to marking more milestones in the coming months…”
Expected changes to the North Stand
As part of the revamp process, the North Stand will have 7,900 new seats. This will increase the stadium’s capacity to around 62,000 when the project is complete for the 2025/2026 Premier League season. Alongside this will be a 3,000 capacity fan zone. Another marked improvement to the Etihad Stadium revamp is the 400-bed hotel.
The North Stand revamp will expand the upper tier, and this include a sky bar that will overlook the pitch. This will create a stadium roof walk experience. The fan zone accommodating 3,000 people as part of the upgraded Man City Stadium will also be covered.
Other changes to be expected once the project is complete is the new eight-story building housing the club shop and ticket office.
Additional attractions to mark Etihad Stadium’s milestone in the coming months will be a museum linking directly to the North Stand and an interactive visitor experience venue. This is expected to further enhance the Man City Stadium tour and experience.
An expansive 4,000m2 workspace will also occupy the four upper levels of the new structure.
North Stand expansion timeline
The application for the expansion was submitted in April 2023 following consultations between February and March. John Sisk & Son are the front-runners working on the expansion after initial plans with Laing O’Rourke fell through.
As aforementioned, the North Stand will be opened and be in use during the 2025/2026 football season.
The hotel, workspace and public realm works, including the City Square, are scheduled for completion by late 2026.
What the Etihad Stadium expansion means for the local community
The revamp project for the England football club will not only serve the club and its fans, but also boost the economy of the area, and foster community development.
This will also feature the creation of close to 900 full-time jobs as the construction activities for the North Stand expansion progresses.
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Changes expected as construction continues
A new walking route about 400m long around the compound will now be in use. This means, fans using the Joe Mercer way will walk to the North East of the Stadium, and North West area. Each will span around 250m and 150m respectively.
The Metrolink to the Stadium will remain unaffected; the same is true for the queue system after games have ended. The 1 hour closure of Holt Town and Velopark after matches have ended will still be in place.
The parking capacity in the Orange Car Park will also be reduced, while the spaces in the Blue and Green Car Park will remain unaffected. The reduced space in the Orange Car Park will necessitate those affected to book slots on a match-by-match basis.
The A and Z entrances will remain closed. The B and Y entrances will however remain operational as usual.
An alternative to the closed entrance A will be the turret that is the entrance C. This will mean the spiral up the North Stand level 2 will be used and not the stairs.
Entrance X will be the alternative to entrance Z. As entrance X is also a turret, its use will be similar to that of entrance C.
Assurances have been made by the England club that more staff will be available to ensure that fans and visitors have their way efficiently and smoothly as possible. Extra turnstiles have also been added to aid the movement of football fans while expansion work continues in the North Stand.
Outlook on the expansion project
Manchester City Operations Managing Director Danny Wilson expressed his excitement about the development during its plans approval last year. He has the following to say, “This development will not only enable the Club to enhance and expand its offering to fans and visitors on both match-days and non match-days”. “It will also create lasting long-term economic and social benefits for our local community”, he added.
This comprehensive Etihad Stadium expansion promises an exciting future to Manchester City fans, football fans, and the local community.
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