Lessons from the Academya decade of transformation

TODAY, 10 years ago, I stood in East Manchester to open the City Football Academy.

- GEORGE OSBORNE CH

What was once 80 acres of contaminated, unviable industrial land had been transformed into a world-leading sporting and community facility - a true phoenix rising from the ashes of post-industrial decline.

This wasn't just a ribbon-cutting moment. It was a powerful new chapter in Manchester's Commonwealth Games legacy where ambition and investment capacity aligned with local leadership and national support to establish a blueprint for deep and long-term transformation.

The late Sir Howard Bernstein, Manchester's legendary former Chief Executive, perfectly captured the transformation when he said: "More people live here, more people work here, and more people are employed locally by the football club. Aspiration has improved, educational standards are rising, and people want to live here now." The CFA within the larger Etihad Campus demonstrates how partnerships and strategic investments can transform communities. Its purpose extends beyond nurturing worldclass football talent; it has restored East Manchester's economic and social significance by generating jobs, enabling housing investment, and bridging local and global connections.

At the heart of this story lies a partnership that is as unique as it is effective global investors, public servants, national agencies, and the been community pulling together. Dereliction and decline have replaced by cutting-edge infrastructure that now shapes the skyline.

Inside that infrastructure, Manchester City's 'street-to-stadium' ethos has turned grassroots participation into a pathway for local opportunity and world-class performance.