Premier League champions Manchester City have revealed the new seating configuration for their North Stand as the plans to expand the stadium and surrounding Etihad Campus continue.
Initial work on the stadium expansion commenced earlier this year after the City Football Group’s (CFG) grand plans to turn the ground into a world-leading and year-round entertainment destination were finally approved back in July 2023.
Beyond just increasing the capacity of the stadium itself, the designs include a brand-new hotel, museum and club shop, sky bar and many other features, with all facets slated to be finished sometime in 2026.
However, it’s fair to say that the fans are most excited to see the crowd get even bigger and with a new seating configuration now revealed, the wheels are in finally motion.
As detailed in a full announcement, the new seating arrangements with the North Stand will soon see a new max total of 60,000 fans able to attend games at the Etihad.
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They go on to explain that once done, the expanded home end will feature a broad range of seating options, including a large rail-seating area and dedicated family zones.
An estimated 3,000 rail seats are scheduled to be installed as part of the expansion, “with the option of increasing this allocation ahead of opening should there be further demand”, the statement continues.
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Given how much clamour there has been for revisiting and/or furthering safe standing in the UK, this could prove to be a hugely popular decision, with plans to create rails eating at opposite ends of the pitch to generate “an electric atmosphere.”
The stadium as a whole has already been named among the best in the UK when it comes to the likes of stadium tours, but they’re also hoping to create “new pathways for the next generation of Manchester City fans to enjoy matches at the Etihad Stadium” with options such as a ringfenced section specifically for fans aged 21 and under.
But it goes much further than this too, with level one of the North Stand set to be bolstered with a range of new breakout spaces such as religious rooms and alcohol-free areas.
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City are yet to outline an estimated completion date for the new North Stand seating plan or which of the other aspects of the Etihad Campus expansion are being prioritised.
Nevertheless, the club has assured they will continue to speak with the fan base and official supporter groups on how best to use these new spaces.
Meanwhile, the red half of Manchester looks like it might be finally getting a clearer picture of what the ‘new Old Trafford‘ might look like as their own expansion plans are starting to move forward.
Details released of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners while Mayor
Emily Sergeant
Details of Andy Burnham’s meetings with Manchester City owners during his tenure as Mayor of Greater Manchester have been released.
In case you need bringing up to speed on the situation a little first, Manchester City was found guilty back in September all of its charges related to the Premier League’s financial rules over a nine-season period, and on top of that, was also found guilty of the majority of charges in relation to its failure to co-operate with the League’s investigation.
According to the Premier League, the independent Commission found that Manchester City had arranged so-called ‘sham’ commercial deals with a number of its sponsors.
These were part of a disguised funding scheme – with those sponsors only required to pay a portion of the relevant sponsorship fees.
The remainder was then funded by Abu Dhabi United Group Investment & Development Ltd (ADUG), which owned the club.
The Commission also concluded, as quoted by the Premier League, that the club had ‘made concerted efforts to stop and frustrate the Premier League investigation’.
Within the past week or so, it has since come to light that now-Prime Minister Andy Burnham had dealings with Manchester City during his tenure as Greater Manchester Mayor, and Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has now issued a public statement, giving details on the matter and what these ‘dealings’ entailed.
A spokesperson for GMCA confirmed that Burnham had a ‘formal meeting’ with Man City Chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, back in October 2021.
The statement reads in full: “In October 2021, Andy Burnham, in his role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, had a formal meeting with Khaldoon Al Mubarak at the UK Government’s Global Investment Summit arranged by the Department for International Trade.
“In his capacity as Mayor, he was a guest of Manchester City FC at home matches on a small number of occasions, including attending Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match in September 2019, where he met the Chairman informally in the stands. These have been declared in the usual way.
“Also during his time as Mayor, representatives of Greater Manchester sporting clubs would routinely join business delegations as part of Mayoral international visits.
“This included representatives from Manchester United travelling to Austin and Dublin, Lancashire Cricket Club joining a delegation to India, and Manchester City FC staff supporting visits to China and Japan.”
Featured Image – Lauren Hurley / Number 10 Downing Street (Press Image via Flickr)
Sport
Multiple arrests made for ‘tragedy chanting’ and police officer assault as Man City defeated Liverpool
Emily Sergeant
Multiple people were arrested over the weekend as Manchester City defeated Liverpool in a Premier League clash.
Merseyside Police have confirmed that a total of 10 people were arrested during the policing operation at Liverpool’s home ground of Anfield as they hosted Manchester City on Sunday 11 October.
One man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police constable, five were on suspicion of tragedy chanting, one on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly, two for affray, and one on suspicion of throwing items onto the pitch.
Police are now appealing to the public, and are particularly looking to speak to witnesses of the assault of the officer.
At around 6:35pm, as fans left the stadium, a police officer sustained a ‘serious facial injury’ during the arrest of a man on Anfield Road, and was subsequently taken to hospital for treatment but is now recovering at home.
Investigating officers are now conducting enquiries, speaking to witnesses, and analysing CCTV and camera phone footage.
Chief Inspector Leanne Hobin said it’s ‘extremely disappointing’ that an officer has sustained a serious injury while carrying out their duty.
“I hope the arrests send a clear message and act as a deterrent to others,” Chief Inspector Hobin continued. “Anyone who engages in this abhorrent behaviour risks ending up in custody and getting a criminal record.
“Despite the actions of a few, the overwhelming majority of the 60,000 fans in attendance behaved well and I want to thank them for their co-operation.”
Manchester City ended up defeated Liverpool 3-0 during the Premier League clash at Anfield.
Danny Jones -
26th September 2024 
