City not standing still as regen work SUPER CITY FINISH progresses on Etihad expansion

CITY are in the process of expanding the North Stand in their stadium as part of the plans to regenerate the ground.

- SIMON BAJKOWSKI

The Blues moved into the City of Manchester Stadium in 2003 after converting it from the athletics ground that had been built for hosting the Commonwealth Games a year earlier. They expanded the South Stand in 2015, adding 7,000 seats to take the capacity over 50,000.

Feasibility studies for the North Stand began in December 2022 as part of a project that will also see City Square revamped and a hotel built at that end of the ground as City look to turn it into a site that can be visited on more than just a matchday.

Here is all you need to know about the North Stand redevelopment.

WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THE NORTH STAND?

As part of a £300m investment into the area, around 8,000 seats are being installed at the top of the North Stand - adding an extra tier to take the capacity of the stadium to almost 62,000.

This would give City the fourth-largest stadium in the Premier League behind United, Spurs and West Ham, putting it ahead of Liverpool again after the recent expansion at Anfield. It would also put City above the 60,000 threshold that UEFA uses to consider venues for hosting the Champions League final.

"We don't stand still. We never stood still," said City chairman Khaldoon AI Mubarak.

"And now we're going to have a wonderful development around it that's going to just enhance the whole area, is going to be great for the fans."

HOW WILL IT CHANGE CITY?

The two main aims of expanding the North Stand are to improve the atmosphere and to increase matchday revenue. The Blues currently generate considerably less than Spurs, United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool owing to a larger proportion of season tickets, lower prices, and catering.