View source for City of Manchester Stadium

{{short description|Football stadium in Manchester, England}}
{{redirect|Etihad Stadium|the stadium in Melbourne formerly known as Etihad Stadium|Docklands Stadium|the stadium in New York City|Etihad Park (New York City)}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2014}}
{{Featured article}}
{{Infobox venue
<!-- PLEASE READ THIS IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING CHANGING THE "stadium name" PARAMETER BELOW: The stadium is commonly referred to as the Etihad. It is normal Wikipedia practice to use names that require no parenthetical disambiguation and/or have long-standing prior use as article titles, but to display the most current name (such as a sponsorship name) in the Infobox – see "article renaming" discussion on Talk Page for further details.-->
| name = City of Manchester Stadium<br /><small>Etihad Stadium</small>
| nickname = "''The Etihad''"
| logo_image = [[File:Etihad Stadium logo.svg|250px|class=skin-invert]]
| image = [[File:City of Manchester Stadium 2023 cropped.jpg|250px]]
| caption = City of Manchester Stadium (2023)<p>'''[[UEFA stadium categories|UEFA]]''' {{rating|4|4}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Etihad Stadium - Stadiums {{!}} Paris Saint-Germain |url=https://billetterie.psg.fr/en/stadiums/etihad-stadium |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240619093342/https://billetterie.psg.fr/en/stadiums/etihad-stadium |archive-date=2024-06-19 |access-date=2024-06-19 |website=[[Paris Saint-Germain F.C.]]}}</ref></p>
| address = Ashton New Road
| location = [[Etihad Campus]]<br/>[[Manchester]], [[England]]<br/>[[Postcodes in the United Kingdom|M11 3FF]]
| mapframe = 
| fullname = City of Manchester Stadium
| public_transit = {{rint|manchester}} [[Etihad Campus tram stop|Etihad Campus]]<br/>{{rint|manchester}} [[Velopark tram stop|Velopark]]
| owner = [[Manchester City Council]]
| operator = [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]]
| suites = 70
| seating_capacity = 52,900 (Temporary) – Domestic football<ref name="cap2021">{{cite web |title=Man City Website 2021 |url=https://www.mancity.com/etihad-stadium/visiting-the-etihad-stadium|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200406145850/https://www.mancity.com/etihad-stadium/visiting-the-etihad-stadium |archive-date=6 April 2020 }}</ref><br/>60,000 – Music concerts<br/>{{small|41,000 ([[2002 Commonwealth Games]])}}
| record_attendance = {{formatnum: 54,693}} (Manchester City vs Leicester City, 6 Feb 2016)
| dimensions = {{convert|105|x|68|m|yd|1}}<ref name="cap2021"/>
| surface = [[Desso GrassMaster]]
| broke_ground = {{start date and age|1999|12|12}}
| opened = 25 July 2002 <small>(as [[athletics (sport)|athletics]] stadium)</small><br/>10 August 2003 <small>(as [[association football|football]] stadium)</small>
| renovated = 2002–2003 <small>(conversion)</small>
| expanded = 2014–2015 <small>(47,400 to 55,100 seats)</small><br>2023–2026 <small>(55,100 to 61,470 seats)</small>
| construction_cost = £112 million <small>(athletics stadium)</small><br/>£22 million <small>(football conversion)</small><br/>£20 million <small>(football fit-out)</small>
| architect = [[Arup Group|Arup]] <small>(stadium design)</small><br/>[[KSS Design Group]] <small>(interior fitout)</small><br/>[[Populous (company)|Populous]] <small>(stadium expansion)</small>
| structural_engineer = [[Arup Group|Arup]]
| general_contractor = [[John Laing plc|Laing Construction Ltd.]] <small>(initial construction)</small>, [[Laing O'Rourke]] <small>(stadium conversion & later expansion)</small>
| main_contractors = [[Severfield|Watson Steel Ltd]] <small>(initial steelwork construction)</small>
| tenants = [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] (2003–present)<br />{{Unbulleted list|item1_style=background-color:#ccc;|'''Major sporting events hosted'''|[[2002 Commonwealth Games]]|[[2004 FA Summer Tournament]]|[[UEFA Women's Euro 2005]]|[[2008 UEFA Cup final]]|[[2015 Rugby World Cup|2015 Rugby Union World Cup]]|[[Super League]] [[Magic Weekend]] [[Super League XVII|2012]], [[Super League XVII|2013]], [[Super League XIX|2014]]|[[UEFA Euro 2028]]|''Also see:'' '''[[#Concerts|Major concert events hosted]]'''}}
| website = [http://www.mancity.com/ticket-information/visiting-the-campus/visiting-the-etihad-stadium Etihad Stadium]
}}
The '''City of Manchester Stadium''', currently known as '''Etihad Stadium''' for sponsorship reasons,<ref name="renaming">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/14080388|title=Manchester City strike deal to rename Eastlands|work=BBC Sport|date=8 July 2011|access-date=13 November 2011}}</ref> is the home of [[Premier League]] club [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]], with a domestic football capacity of 53,600,<ref name="cap2021"/> making it the [[List of English football stadia by capacity|7th-largest]] football stadium in [[England]] and [[List of stadiums in the United Kingdom by capacity|11th-largest]] in the [[United Kingdom]].<ref name="PL max capacity"/>

Built to host the [[2002 Commonwealth Games]],<ref name="RIBA"/> the stadium has since staged the [[2008 UEFA Cup final]],<ref name="UEFA final"/> [[England national football team|England football internationals]],<ref name="3Lions"/> [[rugby league]] matches,<ref name="MagicWE"/> a [[boxing]] world title fight,<ref name="UEFA final"/><ref name="boxing"/> the England [[rugby union]] team's final group match of the [[2015 Rugby World Cup]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2015/oct/10/england-uruguay-rugby-world-cup-2015-live|title=England v Uruguay: Rugby World Cup 2015 – as it happened|first=Dan|last=Lucas|newspaper=The Guardian|date=10 October 2015|via=www.theguardian.com}}</ref> and summer music concerts during the [[Season (sports)#Off-season|football off-season]].

The stadium, originally proposed as an athletics arena in [[Manchester bid for the 2000 Summer Olympics|Manchester's bid]] for the [[2000 Summer Olympics]],<ref name="orig design">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/262415.stm |title=Manchester 'may sue IOC' |work=BBC News |date=25 January 1999 |access-date=11 November 2011}}</ref> was converted after the 2002 Commonwealth Games from a 38,000 capacity arena to a 48,000 seat football stadium at a cost to the city council of £22&nbsp;million and to Manchester City of £20&nbsp;million.<ref name="conversion"/><ref name="naming rights">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/oct/04/manchester-city-council-stadium-naming-rights? |title=Manchester City to pay council £2m a year for stadium naming rights |last=Conn |first=David |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |date=4 October 2011 |access-date=12 November 2011}}</ref> [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]] agreed to lease the stadium from [[Manchester City Council]] and moved there from [[Maine Road]] in the summer of 2003.<ref name="2003move"/>

The stadium was built by [[John Laing plc|Laing Construction]] at a cost of £112 million<ref name="doubled rent">{{cite news |url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-sport/football/article-23996972-manchester-model-shows-how-west-ham-can-be-settled-tenants.do |title=Manchester model shows how West Ham can be settled tenants |newspaper=London Evening Standard |date=11 October 2011 |access-date=12 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111012075828/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-sport/football/article-23996972-manchester-model-shows-how-west-ham-can-be-settled-tenants.do |archive-date=12 October 2011}}</ref> and was designed and engineered by [[Arup Group|Arup]],<ref name="naming rights"/> whose design incorporated a cable-stayed roof structure and supported entirely by twelve exterior masts and cables.<ref name="tension"/> The stadium design has received much praise and many accolades, including an award from the [[Royal Institute of British Architects]] in 2004 for its innovative inclusive building design and a [[Structural Awards#2003|special award in 2003]] from the [[Institution of Structural Engineers]] for its unique structural design.<ref name="RIBA">{{cite web |title=City of Manchester Stadium wins Inclusive Design Award |url=http://www.architecture.com/RIBA/Contactus/NewsAndPress/NewsArchive2002-2012/AwardsNews/Press/2004/CityOfManchesterStadiumWinsTheRIBA.aspx |work=RIBA |year=2004 |access-date=20 June 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620205016/http://www.architecture.com/RIBA/Contactus/NewsAndPress/NewsArchive2002-2012/AwardsNews/Press/2004/CityOfManchesterStadiumWinsTheRIBA.aspx |archive-date=20 June 2015}}</ref><ref name="ArupAwards"/>

In August 2015, a 7,000-seat third tier on the South Stand was completed, in time for the start of the [[2015–16 Manchester City F.C. season|2015–16 football season]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Manchester City seek stadium expansion to hold 61,000 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-24489940 |work=BBC News |location=Manchester |date=11 October 2013 |access-date=29 December 2013}}</ref> A £300 million redevelopment programme of the existing North Stand entailing the construction of a new hotel with 400 rooms, covered fan park for 3,000 people and increased net capacity to approximately 61,000 commenced in July 2023 and is projected to be completed by the end of 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Man City reveals Populous-designed stadium expansion proposals |url=https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/populous-and-manchester-city-fc-reveal-stadium-expansion-proposals |work=Architects Journal |date=14 March 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Manchester City to appoint contractor for £300m stadium plans |url=https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/buildings/manchester-city-to-appoint-contractor-for-300m-stadium-plans-02-03-2023/ |work=Construction News |date=2 March 2023 |accessdate=2023-04-08}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Design and Access Statement |url=https://pa.manchester.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=RTAU4IBCJ1C00 |publisher=Manchester City Council|date=18 April 2023}}</ref>

==History==

===Background===
{{see also|Bids for the 1996 Summer Olympics|Bids for the 2000 Summer Olympics|2002 Commonwealth Games}}
Plans to build a new stadium in Manchester were formulated before 1989 as part of the city's bid to host the [[1996 Summer Olympics]]. Manchester City Council submitted a bid that included a design for an 80,000-capacity stadium on a [[greenfield land|greenfield]] site west of Manchester city centre. The bid failed and [[Atlanta]] hosted the Games. Four years later the city council bid to host the [[2000 Summer Olympics]], but this time focusing on a [[brownfield land|brownfield]] site {{convert|1.6|km}} east of the city centre on derelict land that was the site of [[Bradford Colliery]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://oxfordarchaeology.com/professional-services/case-studies/28-archaeology-urban-development/101-archaeology-eastlands-manchester |title=Project: Eastlands' industrial past |work=oxford archaeology: exploring the human journey |publisher=Oxford Archaeology |year=2010 |access-date=11 June 2015 |archive-date=27 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160827225121/http://oxfordarchaeology.com/professional-services/case-studies/28-archaeology-urban-development/101-archaeology-eastlands-manchester |url-status=dead }}</ref> known colloquially as Eastlands. The council's shift in focus was driven by emerging government legislation on [[urban renewal]], promising vital support funding for such projects; the government became involved in funding the purchase and clearance of the Eastlands site in 1992.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.arup.com/_assets/_download/download71.pdf |title=Designing the City of Manchester Stadium |journal=The Arup Journal |date=January 2003 |access-date=14 June 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327124708/http://www.arup.com/_assets/_download/download71.pdf |archive-date=27 March 2014}}</ref>

For the February 1993 bid the city council submitted another 80,000-capacity stadium design<ref name="orig design"/> produced by design consultants [[Arup Group|Arup]], the firm that helped select the Eastlands site. On 23 September 1993, the games were awarded to Sydney, but the following year Manchester submitted the same scheme design to the [[Millennium Commission]] as a "Millennium Stadium", only to have this proposal rejected. Undeterred, Manchester City Council subsequently bid to host the [[2002 Commonwealth Games]], once again proposing the same site along with downsized stadium plans derived from the 2000 Olympics bid, and this time were successful. In 1996, this same planned stadium competed with [[Wembley Stadium]] to gain funding to become the new [[national stadium]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/city-of-manchester-stadium-the-wembley-rescuers-1132001.html |title=City of Manchester Stadium: The Wembley rescuers |last=Hubbard |first=Alan |newspaper=The Independent |location=London |date=12 December 1999 |access-date=14 November 2011 |archive-date=29 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429070122/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/city-of-manchester-stadium-the-wembley-rescuers-1132001.html |url-status=live }}</ref> but the money was used to redevelop Wembley.

After successful athletics events at the Commonwealth Games, conversion into a football venue was criticised by athletics figures such as [[Jonathan Edwards (triple jumper)|Jonathan Edwards]] and [[Sebastian Coe]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/commonwealthgames2002/hi/features/newsid_2164000/2164264.stm|title=Athletics' stadium claim is pipe dream|last=Bonnet|first=Rob|work=BBC Sport|date=31 July 2002|access-date=19 November 2011|archive-date=21 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021195223/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/commonwealthgames2002/hi/features/newsid_2164000/2164264.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> as, at the time, the United Kingdom still lacked plans for a large athletics venue due to the capability of installing an athletics track having been dropped from the designs for a rebuilt Wembley Stadium. Had either of the two larger stadium proposals developed by Arup been agreed for funding, then Manchester would have had a venue capable of being adapted to hosting large-scale athletics events through the use of [[movable seating]].

Sport England wished to avoid creating a [[white elephant]], so they insisted that the City Council agree to undertake and fund extensive work to convert the venue from a track-and-field arena to a football stadium, thereby ensuring its long-term financial viability. Sport England hoped either Manchester City Council or Manchester City F.C. would provide the extra £50&nbsp;million required to convert the stadium to a 65,000-seater athletics and footballing venue with movable seating.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/city-of-manchester-stadium-the-wembley-rescuers-1132001.html |title=City of Manchester Stadium: The Wembley rescuers |last=Hubbard |first=Alan |work=The Independent |location=London |date=12 December 1999 |access-date=7 January 2008 |archive-date=29 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429070122/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/city-of-manchester-stadium-the-wembley-rescuers-1132001.html |url-status=live }}</ref> However, Manchester City Council did not have the money to facilitate movable seating and Manchester City F.C. were lukewarm about the idea.<ref name="foundation stone"/> Stadium architects Arup believed history demonstrated that maintaining a rarely used athletics track often does not work with football – and cited examples such as the [[Stadio delle Alpi]] and the [[Olympiastadion (Munich)|Olympic Stadium]] with both [[Juventus FC|Juventus]] and [[FC Bayern Munich|Bayern Munich]] moving to new stadiums less than 40 years after inheriting them.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2007/nov/07/stadiumisnowhiteelephantb |title=Stadium is no white elephant but future is just a guess |last=Patel |first=Dipesh |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |date=7 November 2007 |access-date=18 August 2011 |archive-date=6 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006030304/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2007/nov/07/stadiumisnowhiteelephantb |url-status=live }}</ref>

===2002 Commonwealth Games===
{{See also|2002 Commonwealth Games}}
[[File:Manchester Olympic bid 2000.jpg|thumb|[[Architectural model|Model]] of 80,000-seat stadium used in the [[Bids for the 2000 Summer Olympics]]. The proposed stadium was a larger design, with more access ramps and masts.]]
The stadium's foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister [[Tony Blair]] in December 1999,<ref name="foundation stone">{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/city-of-manchester-stadium-the-wembley-rescuers-1132001.html |title=City of Manchester Stadium: The Wembley rescuers |last=Hubbard |first=Alan |work=The Independent |location=London |date=12 December 1999 |access-date=7 January 2008 |archive-date=29 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429070122/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/city-of-manchester-stadium-the-wembley-rescuers-1132001.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and construction began in January 2000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cae.org.uk/casemanchester.html |title=City of Manchester Stadium |publisher=Centre for Accessible Environments |access-date=22 July 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060925222755/http://www.cae.org.uk/casemanchester.html |archive-date=25 September 2006 }}</ref> The stadium was designed by [[Arup Group|Arup]] and constructed by [[John Laing plc|Laing Construction]] at a cost of approximately £112&nbsp;million,<ref name="naming rights"/><ref name="doubled rent"/> £77&nbsp;million of which was provided by [[Sport England]], with the remainder funded by Manchester City Council.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gameslegacy.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi/30 |title=City of Manchester Stadium |publisher=Commonwealth Games Legacy |access-date=27 August 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071125161344/http://www.gameslegacy.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi/30 |archive-date=25 November 2007 }}</ref> For the Commonwealth Games, the stadium featured a single lower tier of seating running around three sides of the athletics track, and second tiers to the two sides, with an open-air temporary stand at the northern end; initially providing a seating capacity for the Games of 38,000, subsequently extended to 41,000 through the installation of additional temporary trackside seating along the east and south stands.<ref name="questionofsport">{{cite web |url=http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/home/a-question-of-sport/175036.article |title=A question of sport |last=Taylor |first=David |work=The Architects Journal |date=16 May 2002 |access-date=11 June 2012 |archive-date=25 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130625100602/http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/home/a-question-of-sport/175036.article |url-status=live }}</ref>

The first public event at the stadium was the opening ceremony of the 2002 Commonwealth Games on 25 July 2002. Among the dignitaries present was [[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]] who made a speech, delivered to her in an [[2002 Commonwealth Games#Queen.27s Jubilee Baton Relay|electronic baton]], and 'declared the Commonwealth Games open'.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/Speechesandarticles/2002/TextofTheQueensspeechattheopeningoftheCommonwealth.aspx |title=Opening ceremony of the 17th Commonwealth Games, Manchester, 25 July 2002 |publisher=The Royal Household |date=25 July 2002 |access-date=22 August 2011 |archive-date=4 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110804103846/https://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/Speechesandarticles/2002/TextofTheQueensspeechattheopeningoftheCommonwealth.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> During the following ten days of competition, the stadium hosted the [[track and field]] events and all the [[rugby sevens]] matches. Sixteen new Commonwealth Games track and field<ref group="nb">The term "track and field" normally excludes "road race" athletics events (e.g. men's [[50 kilometres race walk|50 km race walk]], women's [[marathon]], etc.) from the other "athletics" sport events. 'Road race' events may terminate in an athletics stadium but are not usually considered as having been staged there. Furthermore, race walking events were removed from the Commonwealth Games program after the 2010 Games. Although [[paraplegic]] athletics events are normally now included under the term 'track and field', two EAD records have been excluded from the tally of 16 stated in the article as they are often omitted from externally sourced lists of past Games records and thus become a frequent cause of confusion when included in such totals.</ref> records (six men's and ten women's) were set in the stadium.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.commonwealth-of-nations.org/xstandard/470-471.pdf |title=Commonwealth Games Athletics Records |work=commonwealth-of-nations.org |publisher=Commonwealth of Nations |location=London |access-date=13 June 2015 |archive-date=23 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923205707/http://www.commonwealth-of-nations.org/xstandard/470-471.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Prior to the [[2012 Summer Olympics]] held in London, the 2002 Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be staged in the United Kingdom, eclipsing the earlier London [[1948 Summer Olympics]] in numbers of teams and competing athletes (3,679),<ref name="Herald"/> and it was the world's first multi-sport tournament to include a limited number of full medal events for elite athletes with a disability (EAD).<ref name="Herald"/><ref>{{cite web |title=City of Manchester Stadium wins Inclusive Design Award |url=http://www.architecture.com/RIBA/Contactus/NewsAndPress/NewsArchive2002-2012/AwardsNews/Press/2004/CityOfManchesterStadiumWinsTheRIBA.aspx |work=RIBA |year=2004 |access-date=23 June 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620205016/http://www.architecture.com/RIBA/Contactus/NewsAndPress/NewsArchive2002-2012/AwardsNews/Press/2004/CityOfManchesterStadiumWinsTheRIBA.aspx |archive-date=20 June 2015}}</ref> In terms of number of participating nations, it is still the largest Commonwealth Games in history, featuring 72 nations competing in 281 events across seventeen (fourteen individual and three team) sports.<ref name="Herald">{{cite news |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/commonwealth-games/cwg-legacy/a-history-of-the-commonwealth-games.1392986059 |title=A history of the Commonwealth Games |newspaper=The Herald |location=Glasgow |date=21 February 2014 |access-date=14 June 2015 |archive-date=15 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140515002227/http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/commonwealth-games/cwg-legacy/a-history-of-the-commonwealth-games.1392986059 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Stadium conversion===
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| caption1         = '''2002'''<br/>The 2002 Commonwealth Games was set out in a horseshoe configuration with two tiers of seats.
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| caption2         = '''2003–2015'''<br/>During conversion, the athletics track was excavated and the stadium pitch level lowered to create a lower tier.
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| caption3         = '''2015–present'''<br/>A third tier was added to the south stand in 2015.
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Sections of the track were removed and relaid at other athletics venues,<ref name="leg">{{cite news |last=Conn |first=David |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2006/oct/11/Olympics2012.politics |title=No cut-price Olympic legacy for football's fat cats |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London |date=10 October 2006 |access-date=19 November 2011 |archive-date=26 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140926020027/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2006/oct/11/Olympics2012.politics |url-status=live }}</ref> and the internal ground level was lowered to make way for an additional tier of seating, on terracing already constructed then buried for the original configuration. The three temporary stands with a total capacity of 16,000 were dismantled, and replaced with a permanent structure of similar design to the existing one at the southern end. This work took nearly a year to complete<ref name="transform"/> and added 23,000 permanent seats, increasing the capacity of the converted stadium by 7,000<ref>Note: 7,000 = capacity after conversion (48,000) less capacity for the Games (officially 38,000 but expanded to 41,000) = number of new permanent seats added (23,000) less the number of temporary seats dismantled (16,000). All capacity numbers used are rounded to 2 S.F.</ref> to approximately 48,000.<ref name="conversion">{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/city-of-manchester-stadium-the-wembley-rescuers-1132001.html |title=City of Manchester Stadium: The Wembley rescuers |last=Hubbard |first=Alan |work=The Independent |location=London |date=12 December 1999 |access-date=7 January 2008 |archive-date=29 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429070122/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/city-of-manchester-stadium-the-wembley-rescuers-1132001.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Manchester City F.C. moved to the ground in time for the start of the [[2003–04 FA Premier League|2003–04 season]].<ref name="2003move">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-13444981 |title=Maine Road: The community Manchester City left behind |last=Bhatti |first=Pav |work=BBC News |location=Manchester |date=21 May 2011 |access-date=23 June 2015 |archive-date=20 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820093526/http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-13444981 |url-status=live }}</ref> The total cost of this conversion was in excess of £40&nbsp;million, with the track, pitch and seating conversion being funded by the city council at a cost of £22&nbsp;million;<ref name="naming rights"/><ref name="doubled rent"/> and the installation of bars, restaurants and corporate entertainment areas throughout the stadium being funded by the football club at a cost of £20&nbsp;million.<ref name="naming rights"/><ref name="doubled rent"/> The Games had made a small operating surplus, and Sport England agreed that this could be reinvested in converting the athletics warm-up track adjacent to the main stadium into the 6,000 seat [[Manchester Regional Arena]] at a cost of £3.5&nbsp;million.

===Stadium expansion===
The stadium is owned by Manchester City Council and leased by the football club on a 'fully repairing' basis. All operating, maintenance and future capital costs are borne by the club, who consequently receive all revenues from stadium users. The 2008 takeover prompted suggestions that the football club—one of the wealthiest in the world—could buy the stadium outright.<ref>{{cite news|last=Qureshi|first=Yakub|url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/p/1065021|title=The new football powerhouse|work=Manchester Evening News|date=2 September 2008|access-date=4 September 2008|archive-date=12 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130112211627/http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/sport/football/manchester_city/s/1065021_the_new_football_powerhouse|url-status=dead}}</ref> Manchester City signed an agreement with Manchester City Council in March 2010 to allow a £1&nbsp;billion redevelopment led by architect [[Rafael Viñoly]].<ref name="Viñoly">{{cite web |url=http://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/news/manchester-city-fc-submits-plans-for-etihad-campus/ |title=Manchester City FC submits plans for Etihad Campus |publisher=Place North West |location=Manchester |date=19 September 2011 |access-date=10 June 2015 |archive-date=12 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612000113/http://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/news/manchester-city-fc-submits-plans-for-etihad-campus/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

During the 2010 closed season the football pitch and hospitality areas were renovated, with a £1&nbsp;million investment being made in the playing surface so that it is better able to tolerate concerts and other events without damage.<ref name="upgrade">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10183705 |title=Manchester City in £1.5m corporate facilities upgrade |work=BBC News |location=Manchester |date=28 May 2010 |access-date=10 October 2010 |archive-date=25 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925133253/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10183705 |url-status=live }}</ref> In October 2010, Manchester City renegotiated the stadium lease, obtaining the naming rights to the stadium in return for agreeing to now pay the City Council an annual fixed sum of £3&nbsp;million where previously it had only paid half of the ticket sales revenue from match attendances exceeding 35,000.<ref name="new lease"/> This new agreement occurred as part of a standard five-year review of the original lease and it amounts to an approximate £1&nbsp;million annual increase in council revenues from the stadium.<ref name="new lease">{{cite news |last=Keegan |first=Mike |title=Manchester City give council an extra £1m |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1338690_manchester_city_give_council_an_extra_1m |work=Manchester Evening News |date=2 October 2010 |access-date=10 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101005052646/http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1338690_manchester_city_give_council_an_extra_1m |archive-date=5 October 2010}}</ref>
During 2011–14, the club sold all 36,000 of its allocated season tickets each season<ref name="season tickets">{{cite web |url=http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2011/08/15/Franchises/Arsenal-EPL-side.aspx |title=Key business issues facing EPL franchises |work=SportsBusiness Journal |publisher=Street and Smith's Sports Group |date=15–21 August 2011 |access-date=21 November 2011 |archive-date=26 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926001246/http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2011/08/15/Franchises/Arsenal-EPL-side.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> and experienced an average match attendance that is very close to its maximum seating capacity (see table in subsequent section). Consequently, during the [[2014–15 Manchester City F.C. season|2014–15 season]], an expansion of the stadium was undertaken. The South Stand was extended with the addition of a third tier which, in conjunction with an additional three rows of pitch side seating, increased stadium capacity to approximately 55,000.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Man City's soaring new stand to boost Etihad atmosphere |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/pictured-man-citys-soaring-new-8900745 |publisher=Manchester Evening News |last=Brennan |first=Stuart |date=23 March 2015 |access-date=2 June 2015 |archive-date=3 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150603051042/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/pictured-man-citys-soaring-new-8900745 |url-status=live }}</ref> Construction commenced on the South Stand in April 2014 and was completed by the start of the 2015–16 season.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brennan |first=Stuart |title=Man City's soaring new stand to boost Etihad atmosphere |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/pictured-man-citys-soaring-new-8900745 |work=Manchester Evening News |date=23 March 2015 |access-date=2 June 2015 |archive-date=3 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150603051042/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/pictured-man-citys-soaring-new-8900745 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Future plans===
A final phase of expansion, which received planning approval at the same time as the others, will add a matching third tier of seats to the North Stand. In November 2018, the club consulted with season ticket holders on possible alternative configurations for this expansion, including proposals for a still larger two-tier North Stand without executive boxes or corporate hospitality lounges, and possibly with areas convertible to [[safe standing]]. The full length of the second tiers in the East and West stands will then be reconfigured as premium seating associated with new hospitality bar areas. This final phase will bring the stadium's total seating capacity up to approximately 62,000, making the Etihad Stadium the nation's fourth largest capacity club ground, after [[Old Trafford]], the [[London Stadium]] and the [[Tottenham Hotspur Stadium]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://talksport.com/football/453575/manchester-city-fans-safe-standing-etihad-stadium/|title=Manchester City ask fans about a potential safe-standing section in an expanded Etihad Stadium|date=29 November 2018|publisher=talkSPORT|access-date=10 April 2019|archive-date=5 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181205003916/https://talksport.com/football/453575/manchester-city-fans-safe-standing-etihad-stadium/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Eventually, a £300&nbsp;million redevelopment programme of the existing North Stand was approved in April 2023. It entails the construction of a new hotel, covered fan park for 6,000 people and increased net capacity to 61,474 (allowing for seats blocked off for fan separation), with construction expected to commence in 2023 and be completed by the summer of 2025. The second tier at the north end of the stadium will be extended with a further 7,900 seats; while a 'Skybar', linked to the hotel and with premium seating for 450, will surmount the whole.<ref name="Architects Journal">{{Cite web |title=Man City reveals Populous-designed stadium expansion proposals |url=https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/populous-and-manchester-city-fc-reveal-stadium-expansion-proposals |work=Architects Journal |date=14 March 2023 |access-date=14 March 2023 |archive-date=14 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314133511/https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/populous-and-manchester-city-fc-reveal-stadium-expansion-proposals |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Construction News">{{Cite web |title=Manchester City to appoint contractor for £300m stadium plans |url=https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/buildings/manchester-city-to-appoint-contractor-for-300m-stadium-plans-02-03-2023/ |work=Construction News |date=2 March 2023 |accessdate=2023-04-08 |archive-date=8 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408190620/https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/buildings/manchester-city-to-appoint-contractor-for-300m-stadium-plans-02-03-2023/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Design and Access Statement">{{Cite web |title=Design and Access Statement |url=https://pa.manchester.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=RTAU4IBCJ1C00 |publisher=Manchester City Council |date=18 April 2023 |access-date=10 May 2023 |archive-date=10 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510213942/https://pa.manchester.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=documents&keyVal=RTAU4IBCJ1C00 |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{clear}}

==Architecture==
{{Quote box |quote = It's the roller-coaster roof, visible from miles around, that is the big giveaway. It has a similar lightweight canopy that swoops up and down over the stands in one almost continuous wave. Held up by nothing more than thread-like cables, this is structural gymnastics of the most exhilarating kind, vastly superior to the clunky steel trusses that conventionally support stadium roofs. |source = Martin Spring, ''[[Building (magazine)|Building]]'' magazine (2002)<ref>{{cite web |title=City of Manchester Stadium |url=http://www.building.co.uk/city-of-manchester-stadium/1017728.article |work=Building |publisher=UBM Built Environment |issue=16 |year=2002 |access-date=3 December 2013 |archive-date=3 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203194748/http://www.building.co.uk/city-of-manchester-stadium/1017728.article |url-status=live }}</ref> |width = 30% |qalign = left}}
{{Quote box
| quote = The stadium's roof, with its masts and cable stays, gives the stadium a striking appearance. Apart from the innovative roof design, which made economical use of materials, the stadium is notable for its attention to such details as crowd comfort, ease of access (via those eight great spirals that flank the stadium), and provision for a diverse audience
| source = Sir [[John Armitt]], Civil Engineer (2016)<ref>{{cite web |title=How Old Trafford and the Etihad Stadium became world-famous sporting arenas and helped make Manchester |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/nostalgia/old-trafford-etihad-stadium-history-11895567 |work=Manchester Evening News |date=16 September 2016 |access-date=4 January 2018 |archive-date=6 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180106063516/http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/nostalgia/old-trafford-etihad-stadium-history-11895567 |url-status=live }}</ref>
| width = 30%
| qalign = left
}}
[[File:Etihad Stadium - The ground 2015.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Rear view of the South Stand in 2015. Two sets of masts and steel cabling separately suspend the new South Stand roof and the catenary cable, supporting roofs on the other three sides.|alt=A grey stadium exterior with glass fronting. Adjoining it is a spiral walkway made of concrete, rising almost to the full height of the structure.]]
When planning the development, Manchester City Council required a sustainable landmark structure that would be an icon for the regeneration of the once heavily industrialised site surrounding Bradford Colliery, as well as providing spectators with good sightlines in an "atmospheric" arena.<ref name="transform">{{cite journal |url=http://www.arup.com/_assets/_download/download153.PDF |title=Transforming the City of Manchester Stadium |journal=The Arup Journal |date=February 2003 |access-date=20 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330074151/http://www.arup.com/_assets/_download/download153.PDF |archive-date=30 March 2012}}</ref> Arup designed the stadium to be "an intimate, even intimidating, gladiatorial arena embodying the atmosphere of a football club" with the pitch six metres below ground level, a feature of Roman gladiatorial arenas and [[amphitheatre]]s.<ref name="transform"/> The attention to detail, often absent in stadium design, has been remarked upon, including the cigar-shaped roof supports with blue lighting beacons, sculpted rainwater gutters, poly-carbonate perimeter roof edging and openable louvres to aid pitch grass growth with similarities also made to [[high-tech architecture]].<ref name="questionofsport"/>

===Roof design===
The [[Toroid (geometry)|toroidal]]-shaped stadium roof is held together by a tensioned system, which has been described as "ground-breaking" by ''[[British Constructional Steelwork Association|New Steel Construction]]'' magazine.<ref name="tension"/> The stadium's architectural focal point is the sweeping roof and support masts which are separate from the concrete bowl.<ref name="tension"/> A catenary cable is situated around the inner perimeter of the roof structure which is tied to the masts via forestay cables. Backstay cables and corner ties from the masts are connected to the ground to support the structure.<ref name="tension"/> With the expansion of the South Stand in 2015 to accommodate a third tier of seating, the original south end roof was dismantled; but with the southern masts and corner ties remaining, so as to continue to tie the catenary cable which now runs below the new roof. The new higher South Stand roof is a separate structure, with its own set of braced masts and cables; and it is expected that a counterpart arrangement will be adopted for the proposed North Stand expansion.

Cables are attached to the 12 masts circling the stadium with rafters and [[purlin]]s for additional rigid support.<ref name="tension"/> The cigar-shaped masts double as visual features, with the highest at {{convert|70|m}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://msc.aisc.org/globalassets/modern-steel/archives/2003/12/2003v12_building_tension.pdf |title=Building Tension |first=Martin & King, Mike |last=Simpson |work=msc.aisc.org |publisher=Modern Steel Construction |date=December 2003 |access-date=11 June 2015 |archive-date=12 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612133809/http://msc.aisc.org/globalassets/modern-steel/archives/2003/12/2003v12_building_tension.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Access to the upper tiers of seats is provided by eight circular ramps with conical roofs resembling turrets above which eight of the twelve masts rise up providing the support structure for the roof.<ref name="ArupAwards"/>

The roof of the south, east and west stands built for the athletics stadium configuration was supported by the cable net system. The temporary open stand at the north end was built around the masts and tie down cables that would ultimately support the roof of the North Stand.<ref name="tension"/> After the games the track and field were excavated. The temporary bleachers at the north end were removed and the North Stand and lower tier of seats constructed on the prepared excavation. The North Stand roof was completed by adding rafters, purlins and cladding.<ref name="tension">{{cite web |url=http://msc.aisc.org/globalassets/modern-steel/archives/2003/12/2003v12_building_tension.pdf |title=Building Tension |first=Martin & King, Mike |last=Simpson |work=msc.aisc.org |publisher=Modern Steel Construction |date=December 2003 |access-date=11 June 2015 |archive-date=12 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612133809/http://msc.aisc.org/globalassets/modern-steel/archives/2003/12/2003v12_building_tension.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Facilities and pitch===
The stadium has facilities for players and match officials in a basement area below the west stand, which also contains a kitchen providing meals for up to 6,000 people on match days, press rooms, ground staff storage, and a prison cell.<ref name="transform"/> The stadium also has conference facilities and is licensed for [[Civil marriage|marriage ceremonies]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.countybrides.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/16_Wedding-Booklet_Screen.pdf |title=Borrowed & Blue – Weddings at the City of Manchester Stadium |work=countybrides.com |publisher=CoMS Conference & Events / Manchester City Football Club |access-date=12 June 2015 |archive-date=14 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150614015140/http://www.countybrides.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/16_Wedding-Booklet_Screen.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Fitting out of the hospitality suites, kitchens, offices, and concourse concessions was accomplished by [[KSS Design Group|KSS Architects]], and included the installation of the communications cabling and automatic access control system.<ref name="transform"/>

The stadium's interior comprises a continuous oval bowl, with three tiers of seating at the sides, and two tiers at each end. Entry by patrons is gained by [[contactless smart card]] rather than traditional staffed [[turnstile]]s. The system can admit up to 1,200 people per minute through all entrances.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://h71028.www7.hp.com/ERC/downloads/5982-4314EN.pdf |title=Manchester City kicks off innovative smartcard services and sponsorships with wireless, RF-enabled Intelligent Stadium |publisher=Hewlett-Packard |date=February 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060209195715/http://h71028.www7.hp.com/ERC/downloads/5982-4314EN.pdf |archive-date=9 February 2006 |access-date=27 August 2006}}</ref> A service tunnel under the stadium provides access for emergency vehicles and the visiting team's [[coach (vehicle)|coach]] to enter the stadium directly. Once inside the stadium patrons have access to six [[theme restaurant|themed restaurants]], two of which have views of the pitch, and there are 70 [[luxury box|executive boxes]]<ref name="stadium stats"/> above the second tier of seating in the north, west and east stands. The stadium is equipped with stand-by generators should there be an electrical mains failure. These are capable of keeping the stadium electrics running as well as the floodlights at 800 [[lux]], the minimum level stipulated by FIFA to continue to broadcast live football.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Designing the City of Manchester Stadium |url=http://www.getyourkitsout.com/designing%20the%20COMSTAD.pdf |work=Arup Journal |access-date=11 October 2017 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064636/http://www.getyourkitsout.com/designing%20the%20COMSTAD.pdf |url-status=usurped }}</ref>

To create the optimum grass playing surface in the stadium bowl, the roof was designed to maximise sunlight by using a ten-metre band of translucent polycarbonate at its periphery.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.arup.com/_assets/_download/download71.pdf |title=Designing the City of Manchester Stadium |journal=The Arup Journal |date=January 2003 |access-date=14 June 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327124708/http://www.arup.com/_assets/_download/download71.pdf |archive-date=27 March 2014}}</ref> Additionally, each of the corners of the stadium without seating have perforated walls with moveable [[:louver|louvres]] that can be adjusted to provide ventilation of the grass and general airflow through the stadium.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.arup.com/_assets/_download/download71.pdf |title=Designing the City of Manchester Stadium |journal=The Arup Journal |date=January 2003 |access-date=14 June 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327124708/http://www.arup.com/_assets/_download/download71.pdf |archive-date=27 March 2014}}</ref> Drainage and under-pitch heating were installed to provide optimum growing conditions for the grass.<ref name="transform"/> The [[Association football pitch|pitch]] has a UEFA standard dimension of {{convert|105|by|68|m|yd}}.<ref name="stadium stats">{{cite web |url=https://www.mancity.com/News/American-Pre-season-tour/2011/Dublin-Super-Cup-Stadium-comparisons |title=Dublin Super Cup: Aviva Stadium v CoMS |last=Clayton |first=David |publisher=Manchester City F.C. |date=24 June 2011 |access-date=4 July 2011 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and is covered with natural grass reinforced by [[artificial turf|artificial fibres]] made by [[Desso GrassMaster|Desso]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=226750 |title=UEFA Cup Final on Special Pitch |publisher=PR Newswire Europe Ltd. |date=8 May 2008 |access-date=22 November 2011}}</ref> The field of play is lit by 218 2000-watt floodlights, consuming a total of 436,000 watts.<ref name="Mad for it">{{cite web |url=http://www.pitchcare.com/magazine/uefa-cup-final-venue.html |title=UEFA Cup Final Venue (Mad for it) |last=Reynolds |first=John |work=Pitchcare |publisher=(Maxwell Amenity Ltd.) |pages=14–18 |date=14 May 2008 |access-date=27 August 2009 |archive-date=15 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715085340/http://www.pitchcare.com/magazine/uefa-cup-final-venue.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The grass playing surface is recognised as being one of the best in English football, and has been nominated five times in the last nine seasons for best Premier League pitch, an accolade it won in 2010–11<ref>{{cite news |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/sport/football/manchester_city/s/1419701_pitch-perfect-manchester-city-groundstaff-win-premier-league-award |title=Pitch perfect: Manchester City groundstaff win Premier League award |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |date=4 May 2011 |access-date=25 August 2011 |archive-date=7 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110507083941/http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/sport/football/manchester_city/s/1419701_pitch-perfect-manchester-city-groundstaff-win-premier-league-award |url-status=dead }}</ref> among other awards.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mancity.com/News/Club-news/Archive/2010/November/City-groundstaff-win-prestigious-award/1290786900 |title=Top award for City groundstaff |last=Mulholland |first=Paul |work=Manchester City Football Club |date=26 November 2010 |access-date=11 June 2015 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
{{clear}}

==Names==
[[File:Joe Mercer Way - Etihad.jpg|thumb|right|Panorama of the stadium's north end as viewed from southern approach along Joe Mercer Way]]
The stadium was named the City of Manchester Stadium by Manchester City Council before construction began in December 1999,<ref name="foundation stone"/> but has a number of commonly used alternatives. City of Manchester Stadium is abbreviated to CoMS{{Pronunciation needed|date=January 2024}} when written and spoken. Eastlands refers to the site and the stadium before they were named SportCity and CoMS respectively, and remains in common usage<ref name="renaming" /> for both the stadium and the whole complex, as does SportCity but with less frequency.<ref name="all 4 names">{{cite news|url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/p/227642|title=Why Blues must cash in on name game|last=Bailey|first=Chris|newspaper=Manchester Evening News|date=8 November 2006|access-date=22 April 2008|archive-date=14 January 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130114014850/http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/sport/football/manchester_city/s/227642_why_blues_must_cash_in_on_name_game|url-status=dead}}</ref> The stadium was also officially referred to as Manchester City Stadium for the [[2015 Rugby World Cup]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Manchester City Stadium |work=England Rugby Travel |url=https://www.englandrugbytravel.com/stadium-guide/manchester/ |access-date=22 August 2020 |archive-date=19 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919193351/https://www.englandrugbytravel.com/stadium-guide/manchester/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The football club, under its new ownership, renegotiated its 250-year lease with the city council in October 2010, gaining the naming rights<ref name="naming rights"/> in return for a substantial increase in rent.<ref name="doubled rent"/><ref name="new lease"/> The stadium was renamed the Etihad Stadium by the club in July 2011 as part of a ten-year agreement with the team kit sponsors [[Etihad Airways]].<ref name="renaming"/> The agreement encompasses sponsorship of the stadium's name,<ref name="Manchester City Football Club">{{cite web|url=https://www.mancity.com/citytv/behind-the-scenes/2011/07/08/city-and-etihad-an-historic-day-for-the-club/1447543781380|title=City and Etihad: An histotic day for the club|format=web video|publisher=Manchester City F.C.|date=8 July 2011|access-date=16 November 2011|archive-date=7 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207031553/https://www.mancity.com/citytv/behind-the-scenes/2011/07/08/city-and-etihad-an-historic-day-for-the-club/1447543781380|url-status=live}}</ref> extends the team kit sponsorship for ten years,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/jul/08/manchester-city-stadium-etihad-airways|title=Manchester City confirm stadium renaming in Etihad Airways agreement|last=Gardner|first=Alan|work=The Guardian|date=8 July 2011|access-date=22 August 2011|archive-date=8 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150708112907/http://www.theguardian.com/football/2011/jul/08/manchester-city-stadium-etihad-airways|url-status=live}}</ref> and relocated the club's youth academy and training facilities to the City Football Academy<ref name="CFA"/> onto the [[Etihad Campus]] development across the road from the stadium.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/manchester-city/8729541/Manchester-City-taken-to-a-whole-new-level-with-Sheikh-Mansours-1-billion-investment.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/manchester-city/8729541/Manchester-City-taken-to-a-whole-new-level-with-Sheikh-Mansours-1-billion-investment.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |title=Manchester City taken to a whole new level with Sheikh Mansour's £1&nbsp;billion investment |last=Ogden |first=Mark |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=London |date=29 August 2011 |access-date=31 August 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

[[File:City of Manchester Stadium - geograph.org.uk - 1639286.jpg|thumb|left|Main entrance to Colin Bell Stand on the west side of the stadium]]
Despite being a continuous oval bowl, each side of the stadium is named in the manner of a traditional football ground. All sides were initially named by compass direction (North Stand and South Stand for the ends, East Stand and West Stand for the sides).<ref name="James">{{cite book |last=James |first=Gary |title=Manchester City&nbsp;– The Complete Record |publisher=Breedon Books Publishing |location=Derby |date=Jan 2006 |isbn=978-1-85983-512-8 |pages=103–105}}</ref> In February 2004, after a vote by fans, the West Stand was renamed the [[Colin Bell (footballer, born 1946)|Colin Bell]] Stand in honour of the former player.<ref name="Bell">{{cite news |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/sport/football/manchester_city/s/72/72911_city_stand_by_bell.html |title=City stand by Bell |last=Spencer |first=Pete |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |date=13 November 2003 |access-date=20 November 2011 |archive-date=15 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110415222444/http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/sport/football/manchester_city/s/72/72911_city_stand_by_bell.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The vote was almost cancelled (and the stand instead named after [[Joe Mercer]]) due to suspicions it had been hijacked by rival fans who wished to dub the renamed stand The Bell End. However, core supporters of the club made it clear they still wished the stand named after their hero.<ref name="Bell"/> The East Stand is unofficially known by fans as [[the Kippax]] as a tribute to the very vocal east stand at the club's [[Maine Road]] ground.<ref name="James"/>

The North Stand is the only part of the stadium built after the Commonwealth Games, during the stadium's conversion. The temporary unroofed north stand it replaced had been dubbed the New [[Gene Kelly]] Stand by supporters, a reference to the unroofed corner between the Kippax and the North Stand at the club's former Maine Road home, because, being exposed to the elements, they frequently found themselves "[[Singin' in the Rain|singing in the rain]]".<ref name="The Etihad Stadium">{{cite web |url=http://bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/Club/TheEtihadStadium.aspx |title=The Etihad Stadium |work=Bluemoon |location=Manchester |last1=James |first1=Gary |last2=Turner |first2=Ric |access-date=17 June 2015 |archive-date=13 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613070446/http://bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/Club/TheEtihadStadium.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref> Commencing season 2010–11, seating in the North Stand has been restricted to only supporters accompanied by children, resulting in this end of the ground now being commonly referred to as the Family Stand. Although the North Stand has never been officially renamed and is still frequently referenced that way,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mcfc.com/The-Club/Stadium-Expansion/Expansion-Process |title=The stadium expansion |work=Manchester City F.C. |access-date=2 June 2015 |archive-date=24 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324132923/http://mcfc.com/The-Club/Stadium-Expansion/Expansion-Process |url-status=dead }}</ref> most external ticketing offices and stadium guides,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://footballtripper.com/city-of-manchester-stadium-guide/ |title=The Etihad |work=footballtripper.com |date=16 August 2014 |publisher=Football Tripper |access-date=17 June 2015 |archive-date=17 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617123706/http://footballtripper.com/city-of-manchester-stadium-guide/ |url-status=live }}</ref> in addition to the club itself,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mancity.com/~/media/Files/Terms/1314%20Visiting%20Supporter%20Information |title=Visiting Supporter Information – 2013–14 Season |format=PDF |work=Manchester City F.C. |access-date=17 June 2015}}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> now preferentially label and refer to this section of the ground as the Family Stand when discussing seating and ticket sales. Supporters initially dubbed the South Stand the Scoreboard End (the former name of the North Stand at Maine Road), and it houses the majority of City's more vocal fans. Supporters of visiting teams are also normally allocated seats in this stand, as it has ready access from the visitor supporter coach park.<ref name="The Etihad Stadium"/> From 2003 to 2006, the South Stand was renamed the [[Key 103]] Stand for sponsorship reasons, though this was largely ignored by regular patrons. The November 2018 consultation exercise on further expansion options envisages the North Stand then becoming the Home End, with no corporate hospitality areas, a greatly extended second tier, "affordable" ticket prices and possible areas capable of conversion to safe standing. The singing area would then be in the North Stand, and the Family Stand would be relocated elsewhere in the Stadium.
{{clear}}

==SportCity==
[[File:City of Manchester stadium Bang 1.JPG|thumb|right|[[Sportcity|SportCity]] with City of Manchester Stadium (left) and [[Manchester Velodrome]] (right)]]
The stadium is the centrepiece of [[Sportcity|SportCity]], which includes several other nationally important sporting venues. Adjacent to the stadium is the [[Manchester Regional Arena]], which served as a warm-up track during the Commonwealth Games and is now a 6,178-capacity venue that hosts national athletics trials,<ref>{{cite book |last=Inglis |first=Simon |title=Played in Manchester |publisher=English Heritage |location=London |year=2004 |isbn=1-873592-78-7}}</ref> but has previously also hosted the home games of both the Manchester City [[Manchester City W.F.C.|women's team]] and the club's [[Manchester City F.C. EDS and Academy|under-21 reserve team]]. The Regional Arena has regularly hosted the [[Amateur Athletic Association|AAA Championships]] and [[Paralympic World Cup]], and is currently the home ground of amateur [[rugby league]] side Manchester Rangers.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.loverugbyleague.com/news_17164-manchester-rangers-hint-at-professional-future-after-eastlands-move.html |title=Manchester Rangers hint at professional future after Eastlands move |work=Love Rugby League |date=25 February 2015 |access-date=19 June 2015 |archive-date=26 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626123456/http://www.loverugbyleague.com/news_17164-manchester-rangers-hint-at-professional-future-after-eastlands-move.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[National Squash Centre]] and the [[National Cycling Centre]], which includes both the [[Manchester Velodrome]] and the [[National Indoor BMX Arena]], are all a short distance from the stadium. The Squash Centre, which has hosted the [[British National Squash Championships]] since 2003 was added to the SportCity complex for the Commonwealth Games along with CoMS. The Velodrome, another showpiece venue used to stage all the [[track cycling]] events for the Games, was already in place and had been home to [[British Cycling]], the governing body for cycling in Britain, since it was built in 1994,<ref name="cycling"/> as part of Manchester's unsuccessful 2000 Olympics bid.<ref name="2000 bid"/> Prior to the completion of the [[Lee Valley VeloPark]] for the 2012 Summer Olympics, the Velodrome had been the only indoor Olympic-standard track in the United Kingdom.<ref name="2000 bid">{{cite news |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/fast-track-to-glory-how-manchester-692611 |title=Fast track to glory: How Manchester Velodrome forged Britain's Olympic gold rush |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |first=David |last=Ottewell |date=8 August 2012 |access-date=20 June 2015 |archive-date=20 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620091111/http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/fast-track-to-glory-how-manchester-692611 |url-status=live }}</ref> The collocated BMX Arena houses the United Kingdom's only permanent indoor [[BMX racing#Track features|BMX track]] and provides seating for up 2,000 spectators.<ref name="cycling">{{cite web |title=About |url=http://www.nationalcyclingcentre.com/about/ |work=National Cycling Centre |access-date=19 June 2015 |archive-date=28 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150628130639/http://www.nationalcyclingcentre.com/about/ |url-status=live }}</ref> It was added to the National Cycling Centre at SportCity in 2011.

Other major sporting and sport-related venues located in SportCity in the immediate vicinity of the Etihad Stadium, all legacies of the 2002 Commonwealth Games are the [[English Institute of Sport]], west of the stadium, adjacent to the southwest corner of the Regional Arena;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eis2win.com/pages/About_EIS.aspx |title=EIS: About |work=eis2win.com |publisher=English Institute of Sport |access-date=23 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623143504/http://www.eis2win.com/pages/About_EIS.aspx |archive-date=23 June 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> the Manchester Regional Tennis Centre, adjacent to the north end of the stadium;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manchester.gov.uk/directory_record/90971/manchester_regional_tennis_centre/category/307/find_a_leisure_centre |title=Manchester Regional Tennis Centre |work=manchester.gov.uk |publisher=Manchester City Council |access-date=23 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623143842/http://www.manchester.gov.uk/directory_record/90971/manchester_regional_tennis_centre/category/307/find_a_leisure_centre |archive-date=23 June 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the Manchester Tennis & Football Centre, also adjacent to the stadium, which is operated and administered by the [[Manchester Sport and Leisure Trust]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.manchestersportandleisure.org/sites/default/files/centres/MTFC%20Centre%20Information.pdf |title=Manchester Tennis & Football Centre |work=manchestersportandleisure.org |publisher=Manchester Sport & Leisure Trust |access-date=23 June 2015 |archive-date=23 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723164113/http://www.manchestersportandleisure.org/sites/default/files/centres/MTFC%20Centre%20Information.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Public sculpture===
[[File:Stop the world, I want to get off^ - geograph.org.uk - 732233.jpg|thumb|right|Colin Spofforth's giant bronze sculpture, ''The Runner'', at SportCity]]
Between 11 March (Commonwealth Day) and 10 August 2002, as part of the preparations for the upcoming Commonwealth Games and to celebrate Her Majesty the Queen's Golden Jubilee, a national Spirit of Friendship Festival was organised.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/2002/festival/events.shtml |title=Spirit of Friendship Festival Events |work=BBC News |date=March 2002 |access-date=24 June 2015 |archive-date=24 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224002222/http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/2002/festival/events.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> On 9 July, a few weeks before the Games began, a sculpture outside the new national headquarters of the English Institute of Sport at SportCity was unveiled by the middle-distance runner [[Steve Cram]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/2002/news/072002/10/sculpture.shtml |title='The Runner' Unveiled |work=BBC News |date=10 July 2002 |access-date=24 June 2015 |archive-date=29 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029162802/http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/2002/news/072002/10/sculpture.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> This sculpture, commissioned in late 2001, was created in a little over eight weeks by Altrincham-based artist, Colin Spofforth, who had submitted to Manchester City Council his idea for a heroic-sized sculpture of a sprinter as a means of celebrating the beauty, power and determination of the competing athletes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.colinspofforth.com/the_runner.htm |title=Figurative Sculpture – The Runner |publisher=Colin Spofforth Studio |access-date=24 June 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304120646/http://www.colinspofforth.com/the_runner.htm |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref> Reaching thirty feet high, weighing seven tonnes, and titled ''The Runner'', this unique larger-than-life bronze statue of a male sprinter surmounting a bronze globe was, at the time, the United Kingdom's largest sporting sculpture.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://m2002.thecgf.com/Games_News/News/default.asp?id=213 |title=30ft bronze sculpture unveiled by Steve Cram |work=m2002.thecgf.com |publisher=Commonwealth Games Federation |date=9 July 2002 |access-date=24 June 2015 |archive-date=18 September 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060918233602/http://m2002.thecgf.com/Games_News/News/default.asp?id=213 |url-status=live }}</ref> It depicts the very moment the runner leaves the blocks once the starter's gun has fired.

From 2005 to 2009 a [[Thomas Heatherwick]] sculpture, ''[[B of the Bang]]'', was situated to the southeast of the stadium at the junction of Ashton New Road and Alan Turing Way. Built after the Commonwealth Games to commemorate them, it was the tallest sculpture in the United Kingdom. However, numerous structural problems led to the 184&nbsp;ft. sculpture being dismantled in 2009 for safety reasons.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/7999570.stm |title=Work starts on Bang dismantling |work=BBC News |date=15 April 2009 |access-date=15 April 2009 |archive-date=18 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090418194023/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/7999570.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2014, money recovered by the Manchester City Council as a result of lengthy legal battles consequent to this debacle was used to fund a new £341,000 public sculpture [[#Community outreach/urban regeneration|a few hundred yards further south]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/new-public-art-for-beswick-7224983 |title=Cheque, mate? 'B of the Bang' cash pays for £341,000 giant chess pieces coming to Beswick |first=Charlotte |last=Cox |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |date=5 June 2014 |access-date=5 June 2015 |archive-date=12 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150612065911/http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/new-public-art-for-beswick-7224983 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Across 2021 and 2022, Manchester City unveiled outside the stadium three statues designed by [[Andy Scott (sculptor)|Andy Scott]] of players crucial to the team's first Premier League title in [[2011–12 Premier League|2011–12]]. First came a pair of defender [[Vincent Kompany]] and striker [[David Silva]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mancity.com/news/mens/man-city-unveil-statues-vincent-kompany-david-silva-63765724|title=City unveil statues of Kompany and Silva to the world |publisher=[[Manchester City FC]]|date=28 August 2021|accessdate=30 December 2022}}</ref> and one year later one of striker [[Sergio Agüero]] recreating his celebration after scoring the "[[Manchester City F.C. 3–2 Queens Park Rangers F.C.|93:20]]" goal.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mancity.com/news/mens/manchester-city-unveil-sergio-aguero-statue-63788013|title=City unveil Sergio Aguero statue on the anniversary of 93:20 |publisher=[[Manchester City FC]]|date=13 May 2022|accessdate=30 December 2022}}</ref>
{{clear}}

==Stadium firsts==
[[File:Manchester City pitch invasion.JPG|thumb|right|[[Pitch invasion]] after Manchester City's [[Manchester City F.C. 3–2 Queens Park Rangers F.C.|3–2]] Premier League title victory over [[Queens Park Rangers F.C.|Queens Park Rangers]] in 2012]]
The first public football match at the stadium was a [[Exhibition game|friendly]] between Manchester City and [[FC Barcelona|Barcelona]] on 10 August 2003. Manchester City won the game 2–1, with [[Nicolas Anelka]] scoring the first ever [[Association football pitch#Goals|goal]] in the stadium.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/man_city/3139231.stm|title=Man City vanquish Barca|work=BBC Sport|date=10 August 2003|access-date=17 November 2011|archive-date=20 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230320182952/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/man_city/3139231.stm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/photo_galleries/3140197.stm|title=Man City v Barcelona photos|work=BBC Sport|date=10 August 2003|access-date=17 November 2011|archive-date=9 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409025247/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/photo_galleries/3140197.stm|url-status=live}}</ref>

The first competitive match followed four days later, a [[2003–04 UEFA Cup|UEFA Cup]] match between Manchester City and [[Welsh Premier League]] side [[The New Saints F.C.|Total Network Solutions]], which City won 5–0 with [[Trevor Sinclair]] scoring the first competitive goal in the stadium.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/3147659.stm|title=Man City off to a flyer|work=BBC Sport|date=14 August 2003|access-date=17 November 2011|archive-date=15 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115063155/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/3147659.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Having started the Premier League season with an away match, Manchester City's first home league fixture in the new stadium was on 23 August,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2410112/Premiership-round-up.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/2410112/Premiership-round-up.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |title=Premiership round-up |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=London |date=23 August 2003| access-date=30 January 2010}}{{cbignore}}</ref> a game drawn 1–1 with [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]], with Pompey's [[Yakubu (footballer)|Yakubu]] scoring the first league goal in the stadium, and [[David Sommeil]] being the first City player to score here in the league.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/3152271.stm |title=Sommeil saves City |work=BBC Sport |date=23 August 2003 |access-date=24 May 2015 |archive-date=10 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610065823/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/3152271.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

2011–12 saw the Etihad Stadium play host to the setting of a number of new club and Premier League footballing records, such as the club becoming the first ever team to win 11 of its opening 12 games in a Premier League season,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mancity.com/news/team-news/archive/2011/november/blues-rewriting-record-books |title=Blues re-writing history books |last=Clayton |first=David |publisher=Manchester City F.C. |date=21 November 2011 |access-date=23 May 2015 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and going on to remain unbeaten at the Etihad Stadium in all 19 of the Premier League games played there. The club's record of 55 home points out of a possible 57 at the stadium is a joint best Premier League record,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mancity.com/~/media/Files/Annual%20Report/Annual%20report%201112%20FINAL.pdf |title=Manchester City Annual Report 2011–12 |date=28 September 2012 |access-date=25 June 2015 |work=Manchester City Football Club |quote=Manchester City was unbeaten at home in the Premier League all season. Our home record of 18 wins, 1 draw and no losses is a joint-best Premier League record. (top of page 12) }}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and the club's record of twenty consecutive home wins at the stadium (going back to the end of the previous season) also set a new Premier League record in March 2012.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/17363120 |title=Man City 2–1 Chelsea |work=BBC Sport |first=Phil |last=McNulty |date=21 March 2012 |access-date=25 June 2015 |archive-date=20 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150820195145/http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/17363120 |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Uefa Cup Final 2008.jpg|thumb|left|Action from the [[2008 UEFA Cup final]]]]
The record football attendance at the stadium not involving its host team Manchester City is 43,878,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uefa.org/MultimediaFiles/Download/Publications/uefaorg/Publications/01/44/79/90/1447990_DOWNLOAD.pdf |title=UEFA Europa League Statistics Handbook – Knockout Phase 2009/2010 |date=January 2010 |access-date=9 June 2015 |work=UEFA |quote=14.05.08 Manchester FC Zenit St. Petersburg–Rangers FC 2–0 Peter Fröjdfeldt (Swe) 43 878 ''(bottom of page 108) and'' Attendance: 43,878 ''(bottom half of page 120)'' |archive-date=10 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610051058/http://www.uefa.org/MultimediaFiles/Download/Publications/uefaorg/Publications/01/44/79/90/1447990_DOWNLOAD.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> which was set at the [[2008 UEFA Cup final]] game between [[FC Zenit Saint Petersburg|Zenit Saint Petersburg]] and [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]] on 14 May 2008.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/7393752.stm |title=Zenit St Petersburg 2–0 Rangers |first=Clive |last=Lindsay |work=BBC Sport |date=14 May 2008 |access-date=9 June 2015 |archive-date=28 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101128193416/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/7393752.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> As is customary for such games, the then 47,715 maximum physical capacity<ref name="2008 capacity"/> of the stadium had been reduced by UEFA to around 44,000 for this final.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://soccerlens.com/uefa-cup-final-2008-is-manchester-ready/7389/ |title=UEFA Cup Final 2008 – Is Manchester Ready? |work=Soccerlens.com – Football Blog |date=13 May 2008 |access-date=9 June 2015 |archive-date=10 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610051118/http://soccerlens.com/uefa-cup-final-2008-is-manchester-ready/7389/ |url-status=live }}</ref> However, neither limit would have been able to accommodate the vast number of supporters of the Scottish club, estimated to be in excess of 130,000,<ref name="MCC riot report">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/7456386.stm |title=Uefa Cup violence 'started early' |work=BBC News |date=16 June 2008 |access-date=9 June 2015 |archive-date=10 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610050939/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/manchester/7456386.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> that travelled down from Glasgow to Manchester on the day of the game, despite the club's official ticket allocation being just 13,000 and police requests for fans without tickets to stay home. This order of magnitude mismatch between the numbers of travelling fans and those holding tickets ultimately led to a serious [[2008 UEFA Cup final riots|public disorder incident]] in the centre of the city now inextricably associated with this final, despite the fact that the 44,000 or so crowd who watched the game inside the stadium were perfectly well-behaved.<ref name="MCC riot report"/>

==Reception==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; margin-left:1em; float:right;"
|+ '''Average Premier League attendances'''
! style="width:65px;"| Season
! style="width:67px;"| Stadium capacity
! style="width:75px;"| Average attendance
! style="width:20px;"| % of capacity
! style="width:85px;"| Ranking within the Premier League
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| [[2003–04 FA Premier League|2003–04]]
| 47,726<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/Club/TheEtihadStadium.aspx |title=The Etihad Stadium |work=Bluemoon |location=Manchester |last1=James |first1=Gary |last2=Turner |first2=Ric |access-date=16 June 2015 |archive-date=13 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613070446/http://bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/Club/TheEtihadStadium.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>
| 46,834
| 98.1%
| [https://www.worldfootball.net/competition/co91/se3170/attendance/ 3rd highest]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| [[2004–05 FA Premier League|2004–05]]
| 47,726<ref name="official max capacity"/>
| 45,192
| 94.7%
| [https://www.worldfootball.net/competition/co91/se3804/attendance/ 3rd highest]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| [[2005–06 FA Premier League|2005–06]]
| 47,726<ref name="official max capacity"/>
| 42,856
| 89.8%
| [https://www.worldfootball.net/competition/co91/se4051/attendance/ 4th highest]
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |[[2006–07 FA Premier League|2006–07]]
| 47,726<ref name="official max capacity">{{cite web|url=https://www.mancity.com/default.sps?pagegid={20E7C2B7-4832-46D1-B772-AB8CCA2FD0D5} |title=MCFC Stadium History |work=Manchester City F.C. |date=8 February 2008 |access-date=18 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080208223557/https://www.mancity.com/default.sps?pagegid=%7B20E7C2B7-4832-46D1-B772-AB8CCA2FD0D5%7D |archive-date=8 February 2008 }}</ref>
| 39,997
| 83.8%
|[https://www.worldfootball.net/competition/co91/se4411/attendance/ 6th highest]
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |[[2007–08 Premier League|2007–08]]
| 47,715<ref name="2008 capacity">{{cite web |url=http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/handbooks/premier-league-handbook-2007-08.pdf |title=Premier League Handbook Season 2007/08 |date=1 August 2007 |access-date=19 May 2015 |work=[[Premier League]] |quote=Ground Capacity at start of the Season: 47,715 (middle of page 23) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924091349/http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/handbooks/premier-league-handbook-2007-08.pdf |archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref>
| 42,126
| 88.3%
|[https://www.worldfootball.net/competition/co91/se5111/attendance/ 6th highest]
|-
| style="text-align:center;" |[[2008–09 Premier League|2008–09]]
| 47,405<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/handbooks/premier-league-handbook-2008-09.pdf |title=Premier League Handbook Season 2008/09 |date=1 August 2008 |access-date=19 May 2015 |work=[[Premier League]] |quote=Ground Capacity at start of the Season: 47,405 (middle of page 21) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924091901/http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/handbooks/premier-league-handbook-2008-09.pdf |archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref>
| 42,900
| 90.5%
|[https://www.worldfootball.net/competition/co91/se91/attendance/ 5th highest]
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | [[2009–10 Premier League|2009–10]]
| 47,405<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/handbooks/premier-league-handbook-2009-10.pdf |title=Premier League Handbook Season 2009/10 |date=1 August 2009 |access-date=19 May 2015 |work=[[Premier League]] |quote=Ground Capacity at start of the Season: 47,405 (middle of page 25) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924092519/http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/handbooks/premier-league-handbook-2009-10.pdf |archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref>
| 45,513
| 95.4%
| [https://www.worldfootball.net/competition/co91/se1418/attendance/ 3rd highest]
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | [[2010–11 Premier League|2010–11]]
| 47,405<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/handbooks/premier-league-handbook-2010-11.pdf |title=Premier League Handbook Season 2010/11 |date=1 August 2010 |access-date=19 May 2015 |work=[[Premier League]] |quote=Ground Capacity at start of the Season: 47,405 (middle of page 23) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924093112/http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/handbooks/premier-league-handbook-2010-11.pdf |archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref>
| 45,905
| 96.8%
| [https://www.worldfootball.net/competition/co91/se2437/attendance/ 4th highest]
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | [[2011–12 Premier League|2011–12]]
| 47,405<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/handbooks/premier-league-handbook-2011-12.pdf |title=Premier League Handbook Season 2011/12 |date=27 November 2011 |access-date=19 May 2015 |work=[[Premier League]] |quote=Ground Capacity at start of the Season: 47,405 (middle of page 19) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111204003035/http://www2.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/handbooks/premier-league-handbook-2011-12.pdf |archive-date=4 December 2011 }}</ref>
| 47,045
| 99.2%
| [https://www.worldfootball.net/competition/co91/se7119/attendance/ 4th highest]
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | [[2012–13 Premier League|2012–13]]
| 47,405<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/handbooks/premier-league-handbook-2012-2013.pdf |title=Premier League Handbook Season 2012/13 |date=7 November 2012 |access-date=19 May 2015 |work=[[Premier League]] |quote=Ground Capacity at start of the Season: 47,405 (middle of page 15) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130314070653/http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/handbooks/premier-league-handbook-2012-2013.pdf |archive-date=14 March 2013 }}</ref>
| 46,974
| 99.1%
| [https://www.worldfootball.net/competition/co91/se9032/attendance/ 4th highest]
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | [[2013–14 Premier League|2013–14]]
| 47,405<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/handbooks/premier-league-handbook-2013-14.pdf |title=Premier League Handbook Season 2013/14 |date=12 August 2013 |access-date=19 May 2015 |work=[[Premier League]] |quote=Ground Capacity at start of the Season: 47,405 (top of page 21) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140122060849/http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/handbooks/premier-league-handbook-2013-14.pdf |archive-date=22 January 2014 |df=dmy }}</ref>
| 47,080
| 99.3%
| [https://www.worldfootball.net/competition/co91/se11979/attendance/ 4th highest]
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | [[2014–15 Premier League|2014–15]]
| 46,708<ref group="nb">Reduced capacity due to South Stand expansion. Construction work phasing meant the maximum capacity varied over the course of the season.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/handbooks/premier-league-handbook-2014-15.pdf |title=Premier League Handbook Season 2014/15 |date=16 August 2014 |access-date=19 May 2015 |work=[[Premier League]] |quote=Ground Capacity at start of the Season: 46,708 (top of page 21) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820004527/http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/handbooks/premier-league-handbook-2014-15.pdf |archive-date=20 August 2014 |df=dmy }}</ref>
| 45,365
| 97.1%
| [https://www.worldfootball.net/competition/co91/se15390/attendance/ 4th highest]
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | [[2015–16 Premier League|2015–16]]
| 55,097<ref group="nb">Increased capacity due to completion of third tier on South Stand.</ref><ref name="PL max capacity">{{cite web|url=http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/handbooks/premier-league-handbook-2015-16.pdf |title=Premier League Handbook Season 2015/16 |date=8 August 2015 |access-date=10 August 2015 |work=[[Premier League]] |quote=Ground Capacity at start of the Season: 55,097 (estimated) (top of page 19) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906045556/http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/handbooks/premier-league-handbook-2015-16.pdf |archive-date=6 September 2015 |df=dmy }}</ref>
| 54,041
| 98.1%
| [https://www.worldfootball.net/competition/co91/se18350/attendance/ 3rd highest]
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | [[2016–17 Premier League|2016–17]]
| 55,097<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://pulse-static-files.s3.amazonaws.com/premierleague/document/2016/08/09/b81992f4-cf2a-4c5e-a9c1-155169074163/2016-17_Premier_League_Handbook.pdf|title=Premier League Handbook 2016/17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812115722/http://pulse-static-files.s3.amazonaws.com/premierleague/document/2016/08/09/b81992f4-cf2a-4c5e-a9c1-155169074163/2016-17_Premier_League_Handbook.pdf|archive-date=2016-08-12}}</ref>
| 54,019
| 98.0%
| [https://www.worldfootball.net/competition/co91/se20827/attendance/ 4th highest]
|-
|[[2017–18 Premier League|2017–18]]
|55,017<ref group="nb">Capacity reduced by 80 seats since 2017/18 season</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pulse-static-files.s3.amazonaws.com/premierleague/document/2017/08/11/c494a26e-b573-41e4-bcd2-daf0ca76a00d/PL_Handbook_2017-18_Digital-4-.pdf|title=Premier League Handbook 2017/18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180218073513/https://pulse-static-files.s3.amazonaws.com/premierleague/document/2017/08/11/c494a26e-b573-41e4-bcd2-daf0ca76a00d/PL_Handbook_2017-18_Digital-4-.pdf|archive-date=2018-02-18}}</ref>
|53,812
|97.8%
|[https://www.worldfootball.net/competition/co91/se23911/attendance/ 5th highest]
|-
|[[2018–19 Premier League|2018–19]]
|55,017<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pulse-static-files.s3.amazonaws.com/premierleague/document/2018/07/30/8944eb84-6450-4f80-8f46-64c6e2e1b929/PL_Handbook-2018-19.pdf|title=Premier League Handbook 2018/19|access-date=20 January 2020|archive-date=4 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104172715/https://pulse-static-files.s3.amazonaws.com/premierleague/document/2018/07/30/8944eb84-6450-4f80-8f46-64c6e2e1b929/PL_Handbook-2018-19.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
|54,130
|98.4%
|[https://www.worldfootball.net/competition/co91/se28514/attendance/ 5th highest]
|-
|[[2019–20 Premier League|2019–20]]
|55,017<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://premierleague-static-files.s3.amazonaws.com/premierleague/document/2019/08/23/c8a5b4b5-7f29-43b5-9317-aae04d407c18/2019-20-PL-Handbook-220819.pdf|title=Premier League Handbook 2019/20|access-date=20 January 2020|archive-date=23 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190823210421/https://premierleague-static-files.s3.amazonaws.com/premierleague/document/2019/08/23/c8a5b4b5-7f29-43b5-9317-aae04d407c18/2019-20-PL-Handbook-220819.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
|54,391<ref group="nb">As of 20 January 2020</ref>
|98.9%
|[https://www.worldfootball.net/competition/co91/se31730/attendance/ 5th highest]
|}

The 2002 Commonwealth Games were deemed a success<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/commonwealthgames2002/hi/athletics/newsid_2164000/2164952.stm |title=The best Britain has seen |last=Cram |first=Steve |work=BBC Sport |date=1 August 2002 |access-date=20 November 2011 |archive-date=6 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406231853/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/commonwealthgames2002/hi/athletics/newsid_2164000/2164952.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> and the stadium gained critical acclaim for its atmosphere and architectural design.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/commonwealthgames2002/hi/features/newsid_2155000/2155555.stm |title=Stadium is star of the Games |last=Henderson |first=Charlie |work=BBC Sport |date=28 July 2002 |access-date=20 November 2011 |archive-date=3 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903202204/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport3/commonwealthgames2002/hi/features/newsid_2155000/2155555.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> It has won a number of design awards, including the 2004 [[Royal Institute of British Architects]] Inclusive Design Award for inclusive building design,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3750102.stm |title=Building prize for 'icon Gherkin' |work=BBC News |date=16 October 2004 |access-date=7 January 2008 |quote=Other winners at this year's ceremony included the City of Manchester stadium, designed by Arup Associates. It won the RIBA Inclusive Design Award for great design in a safe and convenient environment. |archive-date=26 April 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090426093215/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3750102.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> the 2003 [[Institution of Structural Engineers]] Structural Special Award,<ref name="ArupAwards"/> and in 2002 a BCI Major Project high commendation was awarded by the [[British Construction Industry Awards|British Construction Industry]].<ref name="ArupAwards">{{cite web |url=http://www.arupassociates.com/en/projects/commonwealthcity-manchester-stadium/ |title=Etihad Stadium, Manchester – Awards |work=Arup Associates |access-date=10 June 2015 |archive-date=14 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150514160337/http://www.arupassociates.com/en/projects/commonwealthcity-manchester-stadium/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In July 2014, the stadium was declared one of the United Kingdom's five most iconic structures by the [[Construction Industry Training Board]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/etihad-stadium-most-recognisable-structure-7368859 |title=Etihad Stadium hits a winner as it's named one of England's top landmarks |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |first=Karen |last=Britton |date=3 July 2014 |access-date=15 June 2015 |quote=The people who built Manchester City's home are set to be honoured at a special ceremony after it is included in a list of the country's most recognisable structures. |archive-date=18 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618074946/http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/etihad-stadium-most-recognisable-structure-7368859 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 2003, initial reception by Manchester City supporters was polarised, with some lukewarm about moving from [[Maine Road]] which had a reputation for being one of English football's most atmospheric grounds, whilst others were enthusiastic about the bigger stadium and move back to East Manchester where the club was formed. Since 2010, the club has boasted more than 36,000 season ticket holders<ref>{{cite news |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/sport/football/manchester_city/s/1302042_fans_are_buzzing_as_city_ticket_sales_rise |title=Fans are buzzing as City ticket sales rise |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |date=17 July 2010 |access-date=20 November 2011 |quote=Sales of the Seasoncards ... have already passed the total of 33,000 sold last summer. It is the highest tally for seven seasons, since a club-record 36,000 were sold for the first campaign at Eastlands in 2003/04. |archive-date=22 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100722050014/http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/sport/football/manchester_city/s/1302042_fans_are_buzzing_as_city_ticket_sales_rise |url-status=dead }}</ref> each season, which is more than the 35,150 maximum capacity of Maine Road just before the club moved homes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/History/Stadia/Stadium.aspx?id=7 |title=Maine Road |work=Bluemoon |location=Manchester |last1=James |first1=Gary |last2=Turner |first2=Ric |access-date=17 June 2015 |quote=2002 – 35,150 ''(under'' MAINE ROAD PROGRESSIVE CAPACITY ''at end of article)'' |archive-date=17 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150617102519/http://bluemoon-mcfc.co.uk/History/Stadia/Stadium.aspx?id=7 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In a 2007 Premier League survey of fans of each club, the proportion of Manchester City fans assessing their sight lines as 'very good' was the second highest in the Premier League, after the [[Emirates Stadium]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/fan-surveys/national-fan-survey-2006-07.pdf |title=Premier League Fan Survey – 2006/07 season |work=Premier League |year=2007 |access-date=16 June 2015 |quote=Arsenal did have sight line problems at Highbury ... but their switch to the state-of-the-art Emirates eclipses even the new Eastlands home of Manchester City. (bottom of page 26 / top of page 27) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924090337/http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/fan-surveys/national-fan-survey-2006-07.pdf |archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref> Opposition fans have generally given positive feedback, with CoMS coming second to [[Old Trafford]] in a 2005 poll to find the United Kingdom's favourite football ground.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/humber/4206582.stm |title=City has 'best' football stadium |work=BBC News |date=2 September 2005 |access-date=21 November 2011 |archive-date=11 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211141031/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/humber/4206582.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2010, the City of Manchester Stadium was the third most visited stadium after Old Trafford and [[Anfield]] by overseas visitors.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14589604 |title=Premier League lures overseas visitors to UK |work=BBC News |location=Business |date=19 August 2011 |access-date=22 August 2011 |archive-date=21 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110821110845/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14589604 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the early years of Manchester City's tenure, the stadium suffered from a poor atmosphere, a common problem with newly-opened stadia when compared with traditional football grounds such as Maine Road. In the 2007 Premier League survey, the proportion of Manchester City fans assessing match atmosphere as 'very good' was the second lowest in the Premier League, better only than Middlesbrough's Riverside stadium.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/fan-surveys/national-fan-survey-2006-07.pdf |title=Premier League Fan Survey – 2006/07 season |work=Premier League |year=2007 |access-date=16 June 2015 |quote=Better stadium facilities do not always result in improved atmosphere. Switching from their old home at Maine Road has not had a positive impact on the match atmosphere ratings of Manchester City nor the Riverside Stadium for Middlesbrough – while likewise Arsenal's stunning new home has not brought a markedly improved matchday atmosphere as far as supporters are concerned. (middle of page 27) |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924090337/http://www.premierleague.com/content/dam/premierleague/site-content/News/publications/fan-surveys/national-fan-survey-2006-07.pdf |archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref> The more recent expansion of capacity has been designed with improved atmosphere as a specific objective.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Man City's soaring new stand to boost Etihad atmosphere |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/pictured-man-citys-soaring-new-8900745 |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |last=Brennan |first=Stuart |date=23 March 2015 |access-date=2 June 2015 |quote=The 1894 Group, which aims to improve the atmosphere at the Etihad Stadium, is working with the club ... in a bid to re-create the formidable noise the Kippax used to generate at Maine Road. |archive-date=3 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150603051042/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/pictured-man-citys-soaring-new-8900745 |url-status=live }}</ref> Though not based on facts, the stadium is nicknamed 'Emptyhad' by rival fans in reference to poor game-day attendance and atmosphere.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pep Guardiola: 'Stick to coaching', fans tell Man City boss after he asks more supporters to attend games |url=https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11679/12409963/pep-guardiola-stick-to-coaching-fans-tell-man-city-boss-after-he-asks-more-supporters-to-attend-games |archive-url=https://archive.today/20210916215448/https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11679/12409963/pep-guardiola-stick-to-coaching-fans-tell-man-city-boss-after-he-asks-more-supporters-to-attend-games |date=16 Sep 2021 |archive-date=16 September 2021 |last=Thomas |first=Lyall}}</ref>

In October 2014, the club received two national VisitFootball awards for the quality of its customer care of Premier League fans visiting the Etihad Stadium during the previous season.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mcfcsupportersclub.co.uk/2014/10/city-win-visitfootball-awards/ |title=City win VisitFootball Club of the Year and Warmest Welcome! |work=Manchester City F.C. Supporters Club |date=14 October 2014 |access-date=19 May 2015 |quote=Manchester City Football Club is to receive two awards for the quality of their customer care to Premier League fans last season. The VisitFootball Awards are part of a national scheme that is improving standards of fan experience at football stadia. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150520235947/http://mcfcsupportersclub.co.uk/2014/10/city-win-visitfootball-awards/ |archive-date=20 May 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> VisitFootball, a joint venture between the Premier League and the national tourism board's VisitEngland, has been assessing the care that patrons receive at football grounds since August 2010, and presents annual awards for those clubs who deliver outstanding customer service. Manchester City had been one of the first four clubs to receive an inaugural VisitFootball award in 2011,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/news/news/2012-13/oct/four-clubs-receive-visitfootball-awards.html |title=Four clubs receive inaugural VisitFootball awards |work=[[Premier League]] |date=16 October 2012 |access-date=19 May 2015 |quote=Arsenal, Fulham, Liverpool and Manchester City first clubs to scoop VisitFootball Awards. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150605063750/http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/news/news/2012-13/oct/four-clubs-receive-visitfootball-awards.html |archive-date=5 June 2015}}</ref> but in 2014 it was the recipient of both the Club of the Year and Warmest Welcome awards. According to the panel of experts from the football and customer service industries that assess the services and facilities provided at each of the twenty Premier League club stadia, "Manchester City are the gold standard in providing fans with the best matchday experience."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/city-stadium-expansion-more-cut-7935773 |title=City stadium expansion: more cut price tickets could be available |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |date=19 August 2011 |access-date=15 October 2014 |quote=Put simply, Manchester City are the gold standard in providing fans with the best matchday experience. |archive-date=18 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018190358/http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/city-stadium-expansion-more-cut-7935773 |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{clear}}

==Etihad Campus==
[[File:Etihad Stadium from bridge in 2015.jpg|thumb|right|Etihad Stadium, viewed in March 2015 from the new SuisseGas Bridge]]

===Etihad Campus and CFA===
{{Main|Etihad Campus}}

In July 2011, the venue was renamed the Etihad Stadium, sponsored by [[Etihad Airways]]<ref name="Manchester City Football Club"/> who fought off competition from [[Ferrostaal]] and [[International Petroleum Investment Company|Aabar]] to gain the stadium naming rights.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.goal.com/en-india/news/2292/editorials/2011/05/13/2484212/manchester-city-close-to-finalising-record-stadium-naming-rights- |title=Manchester City Close to Finalising Record Stadium Naming Rights Deal with Abu Dhabi-Owned Sponsor |work=Goal |publisher=PERFORM Media Sales |date=13 May 2011 |access-date=22 August 2011 |archive-date=16 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110516161343/http://www.goal.com/en-india/news/2292/editorials/2011/05/13/2484212/manchester-city-close-to-finalising-record-stadium-naming-rights- |url-status=live }}</ref> The lucrative 10-year sponsorship deal included not just the naming rights to the stadium itself but to the whole [[Etihad Campus]], a £200&nbsp;million complex of football-related facilities into which it would be incorporated.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchester-city-put-new-sports-8404415 |title=Manchester City to put new sports village on map with giant signs visible from above |last=Williams |first=Jennifer |work=Manchester Evening News |date=8 January 2015 |access-date=31 May 2015 |archive-date=15 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150615040944/http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchester-city-put-new-sports-8404415 |url-status=live }}</ref> In mid-September 2011, development plans were duly announced for a new state-of-the-art youth academy and training facility, now known as the [[Etihad Campus#Phase 1 - City Football Academy (2014)|City Football Academy]] (CFA)<ref name="CFA">{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wabNqKx8FqA |title=City Football Academy: Fly-through |work=MCFC media release web video on YouTube |publisher=Manchester City F.C. & Rafael Viñoly Architects |date=14 September 2012 |access-date=3 June 2015 |archive-date=5 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150605020135/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wabNqKx8FqA |url-status=live }}</ref> to be built on derelict land adjacent to the stadium and which would include a [[Academy Stadium|7,000-capacity mini-stadium]] plus 15 additional outdoor football pitches, six swimming pools and three gyms.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1459000_video-and-picture-gallery-how-manchester-citys-training-village-will-look- |title=Video and picture gallery: How Manchester City's training village will look |last=Linton |first=Deborah |work=Manchester Evening News |date=19 September 2011 |access-date=16 November 2011 |archive-date=10 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111210194904/http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1459000_video-and-picture-gallery-how-manchester-citys-training-village-will-look- |url-status=dead }}</ref> The planned CFA facility was not only to become the new home base of the Manchester City [[Manchester City F.C.#Players|first team squad]], [[Manchester City F.C. EDS and Academy#Elite Development Squad|reserve (under-21 youth) team squad]], and all of the [[Manchester City F.C. EDS and Academy#Academy|Academy younger age group squads]], but also the new home of the prior loosely affiliated Manchester City Ladies team<ref>{{cite web |url=http://quaysnews.net/Manchester_City_The_future_of_womens_football-30358.html |title=Manchester City: The future of women's football? |last=Lambert |first=Callum |work=quaysnews.net |publisher=University of Salford |date=9 April 2015 |access-date=3 June 2015 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150615120505/http://quaysnews.net/Manchester_City_The_future_of_womens_football-30358.html |archive-date=15 June 2015}}</ref> (which was re-branded in 2012 as [[Manchester City W.F.C.|Manchester City Women's F.C.]] and more formally merged into the Manchester City family of affiliated football teams).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://quaysnews.net/Manchester_City_The_future_of_womens_football-30358.html |title=Manchester City: The future of women's football? |last=Lambert |first=Callum |work=quaysnews.net |publisher=University of Salford |location=Manchester |date=9 April 2015 |access-date=3 June 2015 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150615120505/http://quaysnews.net/Manchester_City_The_future_of_womens_football-30358.html |archive-date=15 June 2015}}</ref> Also fully integrated into the new CFA facility would be the parent club's world headquarters.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mcfc.com/citytv/Features/2014/December/City-Football-Academy-history |title=City Football Academy: History |work=Manchester City F.C. |date=8 December 2014 |access-date=31 May 2015 |archive-date=15 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150615025411/http://www.mcfc.com/citytv/Features/2014/December/City-Football-Academy-history |url-status=live }}</ref>

At the beginning of March 2014, the structural framework for a new pedestrian walkway/footbridge over the junction of Alan Turing Way and Ashton New Road connecting the CFA with the Etihad Stadium was lowered into place.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/new-bridge-manchester-citys-etihad-6762232 |title=Pictures and Video: New bridge at Manchester City's Etihad campus lowered into place |last=Coyle |first=Simon |work=Manchester Evening News |date=2 March 2014 |access-date=31 May 2015 |archive-date=15 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150615025548/http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/new-bridge-manchester-citys-etihad-6762232 |url-status=live }}</ref> With sponsor Suisse Power & Gas SA having subsequently secured the naming rights,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/manchester_city_confirm_new_swiss_link |title=Manchester City confirm new Swiss link |work=SportsProMedia |location=London |date=26 November 2014 |access-date=4 June 2015 |archive-date=16 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150616001038/http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/manchester_city_confirm_new_swiss_link |url-status=live }}</ref> the completed SuisseGas Bridge was officially opened and turned over to Manchester City Council for general public access on 26 November 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mcfc.com/News/Club-news/2014/November/Local-workers-open-MCFC-community-bridge |title=Official opening of the community bridge connecting the Etihad Stadium to the soon-to-be-opened City Football Academy. |work=Manchester City F.C. |date=26 November 2014 |access-date=4 June 2015 |archive-date=15 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150615021735/http://www.mcfc.com/News/Club-news/2014/November/Local-workers-open-MCFC-community-bridge |url-status=live }}</ref> Twelve days later, the [[Chancellor of the Exchequer]], [[George Osborne]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11679/9597595/premier-league-chancellor-george-osbourne-opens-manchester-city-academy |title=Premier League: Chancellor George Osbourne [''sic'']<!-- Should be "Osborne" --> opens Manchester City Academy |work=Sky Sports |date=8 December 2014 |access-date=4 June 2015 |archive-date=8 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208150047/http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11679/9597595/premier-league-chancellor-george-osbourne-opens-manchester-city-academy |url-status=live }}</ref> presided over the official opening of the CFA.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rbtKilke1U | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211031/6rbtKilke1U| archive-date=2021-10-31 |title=City Football Academy Opens |work=Manchester City F.C. |date=8 December 2014 |access-date=5 June 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

===Community outreach/urban regeneration===
As part of Manchester City's commitment to community outreach in their redevelopment plans for the areas of East Manchester adjacent to the Etihad Stadium, other urban regeneration plans incorporated into the overall Etihad Campus development project include the new £43&nbsp;million Beswick Community Hub,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nwconstructionhub.org/assets/documents/case-studies/Beswick_5.pdf |title=Beswick Community Hub |publisher=North West Construction Hub |date=2013 |access-date=31 May 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150601175517/http://nwconstructionhub.org/assets/documents/case-studies/Beswick_5.pdf |archive-date=1 June 2015}}</ref> that includes [[Connell Sixth Form College]];<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchester-city-college-students-achieving-8482384 |title='Manchester City' college has students achieving their goals and heading for top of the table |last=Fitzgerald |first=Todd |work=Manchester Evening News |date=20 January 2015 |access-date=31 May 2015 |archive-date=2 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150602094603/http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/manchester-city-college-students-achieving-8482384 |url-status=live }}</ref> a [[Etihad Campus#Phase 3 – Leisure attraction|community leisure centre]] (with swimming pool, dance studio, health and fitness gym, rugby pitch, and grass sports pitches);<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/beswicks-new-9m-leisure-centre-8028690 |title=Beswick's new £9m leisure centre makes a splash as it opens its doors to the public |last=Williams |first=Jennifer |work=Manchester Evening News |date=31 October 2014 |access-date=31 May 2015 |archive-date=1 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150601235921/http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/beswicks-new-9m-leisure-centre-8028690 |url-status=live }}</ref> and a planned Manchester Institute of Health and Performance.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/new-18m-sports-science-institute-8589136 |title=New £18m sports science institute at Manchester City's Etihad complex is given go-ahead |last=Williams |first=Jennifer |work=Manchester Evening News |date=5 February 2015 |access-date=31 May 2015 |archive-date=1 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150601235910/http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/new-18m-sports-science-institute-8589136 |url-status=live }}</ref> On 26 November 2014, the same day the SuisseGas Bridge was officially opened, a "globally admired" grouping of stainless steel sculptures,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-30209457 |title=Dad's Halo Effect: 'Globally admired' Ryan Gander work revealed |work=BBC News |location=Manchester |date=26 November 2014 |access-date=5 June 2015 |archive-date=26 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326171236/http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-30209457 |url-status=live }}</ref> consisting of three towering metallic chess pieces called ''Dad's Halo Effect'' by its internationally acclaimed creator, Ryan Gander, was likewise unveiled to the public.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/nov/26/manchester-beswick-ryan-gander-art-sculpture-chess-industrial-past |title=Manchester's industrial past honoured by stainless steel chess sculptures |location=London |work=The Guardian |date=26 November 2014 |access-date=5 June 2015 |archive-date=21 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150521194637/http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/nov/26/manchester-beswick-ryan-gander-art-sculpture-chess-industrial-past |url-status=live }}</ref> Commissioned by the Manchester City Council to represent both the past industrial and current sporting heritage of this area of east Manchester, the public artwork is located in front of the Connell Sixth Form College, close to the central circus of the Beswick Community Hub,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/watch-artwork-centrepiece-beswicks-multi-million-8182152 |title=Watch: Artwork centrepiece to Beswick's multi-million pound regeneration unveiled |first=Jennifer |last=Williams |work=Manchester Evening News |date=26 November 2014 |access-date=5 June 2015 |archive-date=2 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150602042321/http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/arts-culture-news/watch-artwork-centrepiece-beswicks-multi-million-8182152 |url-status=live }}</ref> and only a few hundred yards south from where the area's last public sculpture, ''B of the Bang'', had been situated.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.mancunianmatters.co.uk/content/291171855-dad%E2%80%99s-halo-effect-b-bang-fiasco-must-not-put-manchester-public-art |title=Dad's Halo Effect: B of the Bang fiasco 'must not put Manchester off public art' |last=Puttick |first=Kate |work=Mancunian Matters |date=29 November 2014 |access-date=5 June 2015 |archive-date=23 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623142930/http://www.mancunianmatters.co.uk/content/291171855-dad%E2%80%99s-halo-effect-b-bang-fiasco-must-not-put-manchester-public-art |url-status=live }}</ref>
{{clear}}

==Transport==
{{Multiple image
| image1      = Etihad Campus Metrolink station 2023.jpg
| image2      = 3037 - Etihad Campus.jpg
| caption2    = Tram departing the outbound platform of the tram stop
| total_width = 500
| caption1    = Entrance of the [[Etihad Campus tram stop]]
}}

The stadium is 2.5&nbsp;km east of [[Manchester city centre]]. [[Manchester Piccadilly station|Manchester Piccadilly railway station]], which serves mainline trains, is a 20-minute walk away along a well-lit, signposted route that is supervised by stewards close to the ground. Piccadilly station also has a [[Manchester Metrolink|Metrolink]] tram stop (in the undercroft); from which regular trams along the [[East Manchester Line]] to [[Ashton-under-Lyne tram stop|Ashton-under-Lyne]] serve the stadium and Etihad Campus, with enhanced service frequencies and doubled tram units on matchdays. The [[Etihad Campus tram stop]] close to [[Joe Mercer]] Way to the immediate north of the stadium opened in February 2013, and handles several thousand travellers each matchday; spectators travelling by tram from Manchester city centre being able to board services at [[Piccadilly Gardens tram stop|Piccadilly Gardens]], the journey taking approximately 10 minutes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metrolink.co.uk/futuremetrolink/Pages/east-manchester-line.aspx |title=Metrolink – East Manchester line |publisher=Transport for Greater Manchester |access-date=19 May 2013 |archive-date=18 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130518225603/http://www.metrolink.co.uk/futuremetrolink/Pages/east-manchester-line.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[Velopark tram stop]] also opened in February 2013 and provides access to the southeastern approach to the stadium, as well as closer access to other areas of SportCity such as the [[Manchester Velodrome]] and the City Football Academy.<ref>{{cite news |title=Metrolink from Manchester to Droylsden to open in February |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-20632140 |work=BBC News |date=6 December 2012 |access-date=17 December 2012 |archive-date=10 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121210132209/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-20632140 |url-status=live }}</ref>

There are many bus routes from the city centre and all other directions which stop at, or close to, SportCity. On match and event days special bus services from the city centre serve the stadium.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.footballgroundguide.com/leagues/england/premier-league/etihad-stadium-manchester-city-fc.html |title=Manchester City – Etihad Stadium (see under "By Train and Metrolink" tab) |work=Football Ground Guide |date=25 May 2015 |access-date=10 June 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150611050708/http://www.footballgroundguide.com/leagues/england/premier-league/etihad-stadium-manchester-city-fc.html |archive-date=11 June 2015}}</ref> The site has 2,000&nbsp;parking spaces, with another 8,000&nbsp;spaces in the surrounding area provided by local businesses and schools.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.footballgroundguide.com/leagues/england/premier-league/etihad-stadium-manchester-city-fc.html |title=Manchester City – Etihad Stadium (see under "Directions and Car Parking" tab) |work=Football Ground Guide |date=25 May 2015 |access-date=10 June 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150611050708/http://www.footballgroundguide.com/leagues/england/premier-league/etihad-stadium-manchester-city-fc.html |archive-date=11 June 2015}}</ref>
{{clear}}

==Other uses==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; margin-left:1em; float:right;"
|+ '''Concerts at Eastlands'''
! style="width:60px;"| Summer
! style="width:240px;"| Artist
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2004<ref name="greatest hits"/>
| [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2005<ref name="greatest hits"/>
| [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]], [[U2]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2006<ref name="greatest hits"/>
| [[Take That]], [[Bon Jovi]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2007<ref name="greatest hits"/>
| [[George Michael]], [[Rod Stewart]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2008<ref name="greatest hits"/>
| [[Foo Fighters]], Bon Jovi
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2009<ref name="greatest hits"/><br />2010<ref name="greatest hits"/>
| ''None – due to concerns<br />over [[Association football pitch|pitch erosion]]''<ref name="concreturn"/>
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2011<ref name="greatest hits"/>
| Take That, [[Pet Shop Boys]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2012<ref name="greatest hits"/>
| [[Coldplay]], [[Bruce Springsteen]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2013<ref name="greatest hits"/>
| [[Muse (band)|Muse]], Bon Jovi, <br />[[Robbie Williams]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2014
| [[One Direction]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2015
| ''None – due to South Stand expansion''
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2016
| [[AC/DC]], [[The Stone Roses]], Coldplay, Bruce Springsteen
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2017
| Robbie Williams, Take That<ref group="nb">Take That were originally scheduled to play three concerts at the [[Manchester Arena]] on 26, 27 and 28 May 2017. However following the [[Manchester Arena bombing]] on 22 May, the Arena temporarily closed for four months. The three concerts were subsumed into one and held at the Etihad Stadium on 18 June.</ref>
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2018
| [[Taylor Swift]], [[Ed Sheeran]], Foo Fighters, [[Beyoncé]] & [[Jay-Z]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2019
| [[Metallica]], [[Spice Girls]], Muse
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2022
| [[Liam Gallagher]], Ed Sheeran
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2023
| [[Coldplay]], [[The Weeknd]]
|-
| style="text-align:center;"| 2024<br />2025
| ''None – due to North Stand development''
|- 
| style="text-align:center;"| 2026 
| Take That, Oasis, [[Playboi Carti]], The Weeknd
|}

[[File:Coms concert.jpg|thumb|right|Side view of Take That on stage]]
[[File:Hatton lazcano city of manchester.jpg|thumb|right|Boxing ring at Hatton's title fight]]
Under the terms of its lease, the stadium is able to host non-football events such as concerts, boxing and rugby fixtures at Manchester City's prerogative.<ref>{{cite web |title=Concerts – Hospitality |url=https://www.mancity.com/ticket-information |publisher=Manchester City F.C. |date=May 2008 |access-date=28 October 2010 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Manchester City applied for a permanent entertainment licence in 2012 in a bid to expand the number of non-footballing events at the stadium.<ref>{{cite news |title=Manchester City bid for entertainment licence to bring more concerts to Etihad stadium |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1491937_manchester-city-bid-for-entertainment-licence-to-bring-more-concerts-to-etihad-stadium |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |date=21 April 2012 |access-date=3 May 2012 |archive-date=1 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501092535/http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1491937_manchester-city-bid-for-entertainment-licence-to-bring-more-concerts-to-etihad-stadium |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Concerts===
Outside the football season, the stadium hosts annual summer concerts, and is one of the United Kingdom's largest music venues, having a maximum capacity of 60,000 for performances.<ref name="largest">{{cite news |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/74/74454_blues_stadium_is_top_rock_venue.html |title=Blues stadium is top rock venue |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |date=29 November 2003 |access-date=20 August 2011 |archive-date=12 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112195706/http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/74/74454_blues_stadium_is_top_rock_venue.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was the largest stadium concert venue in England before the new [[Wembley Stadium]] was built.<ref name="largest"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://h71028.www7.hp.com/ERC/downloads/5982-4314EN.pdf |title=Manchester City kicks off innovative smartcard services and sponsorships with wireless, RF-enabled Intelligent Stadium |publisher=Hewlett-Packard |date=February 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060209195715/http://h71028.www7.hp.com/ERC/downloads/5982-4314EN.pdf |archive-date=9 February 2006 |access-date=21 November 2011 }}</ref>

The first concert was a performance by the [[Red Hot Chili Peppers]] supported by [[James Brown]] in 2004.<ref name="concreturn">{{cite news |url=http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1242933_concerts_are_back_at_citys_stadium |title=Concerts are back at City's stadium |last=Linton |first=Deborah |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |date=15 June 2010 |access-date=29 October 2010 |archive-date=12 November 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112161510/http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1242933_concerts_are_back_at_citys_stadium |url-status=dead }}</ref> An [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]] concert at the ground was featured on the DVD, ''[[Lord Don't Slow Me Down]]'' and the band's concert in 2005 set the attendance record of 60,000.<ref name="UEFA final"/> [[Take That]] released a DVD of their 2006 performance at the stadium, ''[[Take That: The Ultimate Tour]]''.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/articles/2006/10/20/231106_take_that_feature.shtml |title=Take That – The Ultimate Tour |last=Long |first=Chris |work=BBC Manchester |date=22 November 2006 |access-date=11 August 2009 |archive-date=30 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071230234601/http://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/articles/2006/10/20/231106_take_that_feature.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> Other artists who have played the stadium are [[U2]],<ref name="concreturn"/> [[Beyoncé]], [[Jay-Z]], [[George Michael]],<ref name="greatest hits"/> [[Rod Stewart]],<ref name="concreturn"/> [[Foo Fighters]],<ref name="concreturn"/> [[Pet Shop Boys]],<ref name="greatest hits"/> [[Manic Street Preachers]],<ref name="concreturn"/> [[Bastille (band)|Bastille]], [[Dizzee Rascal]], [[The Futureheads]], the [[Sugababes]], [[Taylor Swift]], [[Metallica]], [[Sophie Ellis-Bextor]], [[Coldplay]],<ref name="greatest hits"/> [[Bruce Springsteen]],<ref name="greatest hits"/> [[Muse (band)|Muse]],<ref name="greatest hits"/> [[Bon Jovi]]<ref name="greatest hits"/> (three times), [[Robbie Williams]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mancity.com/News/Club-news/2013/June/Robbie-Williams-concert-gallery-article/1368786780 |title=Robbie Williams concert: In pictures |work=Manchester City F.C. |date=19 June 2013 |access-date=10 June 2015 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> [[One Direction]],<ref>{{cite news |title=One Direction to play Etihad Stadium in Manchester next year |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/music/one-direction-play-etihad-stadium-3861901 |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |date=17 May 2013 |access-date=17 May 2013 |archive-date=15 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140415145130/http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/music/one-direction-play-etihad-stadium-3861901 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[The Stone Roses]] and the [[Spice Girls]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fitzpatrick |first1=Katie |title=Review: Spice Girls at the Etihad Stadium |url=https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/review-spice-girls-etihad-stadium-16351380 |website=Manchester Evening News |date=29 May 2019 |access-date=9 June 2019 |archive-date=9 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190609092754/https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/review-spice-girls-etihad-stadium-16351380 |url-status=live }}</ref> It also hosted [[Liam Gallagher]] for his homecoming gig in 2022. Canadian artist [[the Weeknd]] performed there as part of his [[After Hours til Dawn Stadium Tour]] in 2023, and is set to re-perform here in 2026 as part of his co-headlining tour extension with [[Playboi Carti]]. 

Concerts and boxing matches eventually took their toll on the pitch. In 2008, late post-concert pitch renovation, combined with an early start to the football season, led to the pitch not being ready for the first home fixture,<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/man_city/7445562.stm |title=Oakwell to host Man City Uefa tie |work=BBC Sport |date=20 June 2008 |access-date=21 November 2011 |archive-date=29 November 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129222043/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/man_city/7445562.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> causing the club to play its [[UEFA Europa League|UEFA Cup]] first round qualifying match at [[Barnsley F.C.|Barnsley]]'s [[Oakwell|Oakwell Stadium]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mancity.com/news/club-news/2008/07/01/city-for-faroes/1447547972171 |title=City face Faroe Isles opposition in UEFA Cup |work=Manchester City F.C. |date=20 June 2008 |access-date=10 June 2015 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> and a [[Moratorium (law)|moratorium]] to be imposed on the staging of non-football events at Eastlands. In May 2010, the club invested in a new pitch<ref name="upgrade"/><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mancity.com/Video/Features/Work-starts-on-CoMS-pitch |title=Work begins on CoMS pitch |work=Manchester City F.C. |date=21 May 2010 |access-date=29 October 2010 }}{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}}</ref> and summer concerts resumed in 2011 when Take That<ref name="greatest hits">{{cite web |url=http://www.mcfc.com/news/club-news/2013/june/10-years-at-the-etihad-concerts-gallery-article |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130617020336/http://www.mcfc.com/News/Club-news/2013/June/10-Years-at-the-Etihad-Concerts-Gallery-article |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 June 2013 |title=Etihad Ten: Greatest Hits Collection |work=Manchester City F.C. |date=13 June 2013 |access-date=10 June 2015 }}</ref> played eight nights, with ticket sales totalling approximately 400,000.

===Other football events===
The City of Manchester Stadium has hosted several major football matches in addition to Manchester City's home fixtures. It became the fiftieth stadium to host an England international football match when the [[England national football team|English]] and [[Japan national football team|Japanese]] national teams played on 1 June 2004.<ref name="3Lions">{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/euro_2004/england/3764139.stm |title=England 1-1 Japan |work=BBC Sport |date=1 June 2004 |access-date=23 June 2015 |archive-date=23 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623120449/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/euro_2004/england/3764139.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> In June 2005, the stadium hosted [[England women's national football team|England]]'s opening game in the [[2005 UEFA Women's Championship|UEFA Women's Championship]], setting an attendance record of 29,092 for the competition.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uefa.com/womenseuro/history/season=2005/index.html |title=2005: Official approval for EURO success |publisher=UEFA |year=2005 |access-date=15 November 2011 |archive-date=2 November 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111102074239/http://www.uefa.com/womenseuro/history/season=2005/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The stadium also hosted the [[2008 UEFA Cup final]],<ref name="UEFA final">{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/5407664.stm |title=Man City stadium given Uefa final |work=BBC Sport |date=4 October 2006 |access-date=28 October 2010 |archive-date=14 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070914224611/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/5407664.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> in which [[Zenit Saint Petersburg]] defeated [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]] 2–0.

In May 2011, the stadium hosted the [[National League (division)|Conference National]] play-off final between [[AFC Wimbledon]] and [[Luton Town F.C.|Luton Town]]; Wimbledon gained promotion to the [[English Football League|Football League]] after beating Luton in a [[Penalty shoot-out (association football)|penalty shoot-out]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13418508|title=AFC W'don 0-0 Luton (4-3 on pens)|work=BBC Sport|access-date=15 June 2020|archive-date=15 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200615130428/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13418508|url-status=live}}</ref> The stadium was used for the play-offs because the [[2011 UEFA Champions League Final]] was due to take place at Wembley on 28 May 2011 and UEFA regulations stipulate the stadium hosting the Champions League final must not be used for other matches during the previous two weeks.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/man_city/9031342.stm |title=Blue Square Bet Premier final moves to Manchester |work=BBC Sport |date=24 September 2010 |access-date=21 May 2011 |archive-date=15 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215024535/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_city/9031342.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== UEFA Euro 2028 ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left;" width="100%"
|-
!Date
!Time ([[British Summer Time|BST]])
!Team #1
!Result
!Team #2
!Round
!Spectators
|-
| 10 June 2028||{{center|--:--}}||B1||style="text-align:center;"| – ||B2||{{center|[[UEFA Euro 2028 Group B|Group B]]}}|| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| 13 June 2028||{{center|--:--}}||F3||style="text-align:center;"| – ||F4||{{center|[[UEFA Euro 2028 Group F|Group F]]}}|| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| 16 June 2028||{{center|--:--}}||D2||style="text-align:center;"| – ||D4||{{center|[[UEFA Euro 2028 Group D|Group D]]}}|| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| 20 June 2028||{{center|--:--}}||C4||style="text-align:center;"| – ||C1||{{center|[[UEFA Euro 2028 Group C|Group C]]}}|| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| 25 June 2028||{{center|--:--}}||Winner Group C||style="text-align:center;"| – ||3rd Group D/E/F||{{center|[[UEFA Euro 2028 knockout stage#Round of 16|Round of 16]]}}|| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
|}

===Other sports===
In October 2004, the stadium played host to a [[rugby league]] international match between [[Great Britain national rugby league team|Great Britain]] and [[Australia national rugby league team|Australia]] in the [[2004 Rugby League Tri-Nations|Tri-Nations]] series in front of nearly 40,000 spectators.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/matches/Tri-Nations_2004/Game_3/Great_Britain-vs-Australia.html|title=Rugby League Project – Great Britain vs. Australia|publisher=Rugby League Project|date=30 October 2004|access-date=30 July 2010|archive-date=12 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012071447/http://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/matches/Tri-Nations_2004/Game_3/Great_Britain-vs-Australia.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
The stadium also hosted the [[Magic Weekend]] for three consecutive seasons (2012–2014).<ref name="MagicWE">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2014/may/14/set-of-six-take-that-manchester-magic-weekend |title=Set of Six: Take that, Manchester, and enjoy another Magic Weekend |work=The Guardian |location=London |first=Andy |last=Wilson |date=14 May 2014 |access-date=10 June 2015 |archive-date=10 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610134226/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2014/may/14/set-of-six-take-that-manchester-magic-weekend |url-status=live }}</ref> After a record attendance in 2012 – both for a single day (32,953) and the aggregate for the whole weekend (63,716) – the Etihad Stadium became the venue of choice for this annual rugby league event, setting another attendance record (36,339/64,552) for it in May 2014. However, construction work involved with the expansion of the South Stand caused it to be relocated to [[St. James' Park]], Newcastle, for summer 2015.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/2015-magic-weekend-not-coming-7365141 |title=Magic Weekend not coming to Etihad Stadium |newspaper=Manchester Evening News |first=Neil |last=Barker |date=3 July 2014 |access-date=10 June 2015 |archive-date=10 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610132921/http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/2015-magic-weekend-not-coming-7365141 |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 24 May 2008, [[Stockport]] born and twice [[IBF]] and [[International Boxing Organization|IBO]] [[light welterweight]] champion boxer [[Ricky Hatton]] defeated [[Juan Lazcano]] in a contest billed as "[[Ricky Hatton vs. Juan Lazcano|Hatton's Homecoming]]". The fight was held in front of 56,337 fans,<ref name="boxing">{{cite news |title=City of Manchester Stadium |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/jun/29/boxing |last=Lamont |first=Tom |work=The Guardian |location=London |date=29 June 2008 |access-date=22 August 2011 |archive-date=16 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150916054136/http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/jun/29/boxing |url-status=live }}</ref> setting a record attendance for a British boxing event post World War II.<ref>{{cite web |title=Top 10 boxing matches held in stadiums |url=http://en.espn.co.uk/boxing/sport/story/283181.html |work=ESPN |date=14 February 2014 |access-date=19 May 2015 |archive-date=21 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150521225402/http://en.espn.co.uk/boxing/sport/story/283181.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

On 10 October 2015, the stadium hosted a [[2015 Rugby World Cup Pool A]] match between hosts nation [[England national rugby union team|England]] and [[Uruguay national rugby union team|Uruguay]].<ref name="RWC2015">{{cite web |url=http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/fixtures |title=Rugby World Cup 2015 – Match Schedule |work=rugbyworldcup.com |publisher=World Rugby |location=Dublin |access-date=11 June 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150613051143/http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/fixtures |archive-date=13 June 2015 |df=dmy }}</ref> England won 60–3 with 50,778 in attendance.<ref>{{cite web |title=Pool A, England v Uruguay. Manchester city stadium |url=http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/match/14193#latest |publisher=Rugby World Cup |date=10 October 2015 |access-date=11 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151009040139/http://www.rugbyworldcup.com/match/14193#latest |archive-date=9 October 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==England national football games==
{{football box collapsible
|date = 1 June 2004
|time = 20:00 [[British Summer Time|BST]] ([[UTC+01]])<br />Match 812
|round = ''[[2004 FA Summer Tournament|FA Summer Tournament]]''
|team1 = {{fb-rt|ENG}}
|score = 1–1
|report = http://www.englandstats.com/matchreport.php?mid=812
|team2 = {{fb|JPN}}
|goals1 = [[Michael Owen|Owen]] {{goal|22}}
|goals2 = [[Shinji Ono|Ono]] {{goal|53}}
|stadium = City of Manchester Stadium
|location = [[Manchester]], England
|attendance = 38,581
|referee = [[Roberto Rosetti]] ([[Italian Football Federation|Italy]])
|result = D
}}
{{football box collapsible
|date = 5 June 2004
|time = 15:30 [[British Summer Time|BST]] ([[UTC+01]])<br />Match 813
|round = ''[[2004 FA Summer Tournament|FA Summer Tournament]]''
|team1 = {{fb-rt|ENG}}
|score = 6–1
|report = http://www.englandstats.com/matchreport.php?mid=813
|team2 = {{fb|ISL}}
|goals1 =
* [[Frank Lampard|Lampard]] {{goal|25}}
* [[Wayne Rooney|Rooney]] {{goal|27||38}}
* [[Darius Vassell|Vassell]] {{goal|57||77}}
* [[Wayne Bridge|Bridge]] {{goal|68}}
|goals2 = [[Heiðar Helguson|Helguson]] {{goal|42}}
|stadium = City of Manchester Stadium
|location = [[Manchester]], England
|attendance = 43,500
|referee = [[Jan Wegereef]] ([[Royal Dutch Football Association|Netherlands]])
|result = W
}}
{{football box collapsible
|date = 22 May 2016
|time = 17:15 [[British Summer Time|BST]]<br />Match 953
|round = ''[[Exhibition match|International friendly]]''
|team1 = {{fb-rt|ENG}}
|score = 2–1
|team2 = {{fb|TUR}}
|report = https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36295279
|goals1 =
* [[Harry Kane|Kane]] {{goal|3}}
* [[Jamie Vardy|Vardy]] {{goal|83}}
|goals2 = [[Hakan Çalhanoğlu|Çalhanoğlu]] {{goal|13}}
|stadium = Etihad Stadium
|location = [[Manchester]], [[England]]
|attendance = 44,866
|referee = [[Deniz Aytekin]] ([[German Football Association|Germany]])
|result = W
}}

==See also==
{{Portal|Sports|English football|Greater Manchester}}
*[[List of Commonwealth Games venues]]
*[[List of Premier League stadiums]]
===Notes===
{{reflist|group=nb}}

==References==
'''Specific'''
{{Reflist}}

'''Bibliography'''
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite book|last=James|first=Gary|title=Manchester&nbsp;– A Football History|publisher=James Ward Books|location=Halifax|date=December 2010|isbn=978-0-9558127-3-6|edition=2nd}}
*{{cite book|last=James|first=Gary|title=Manchester City&nbsp;– The Complete Record|publisher=Breedon Books Publishing|location=Derby|date=January 2006|isbn=978-1-85983-512-8}}
{{Refend}}

'''Further reading'''
*{{Cite book|title=The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture&nbsp;– Comprehensive Edition|date=11 May 2004|publisher=Phaidon Press|isbn=0-7148-4312-1}}
*{{Cite book|title=The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary World Architecture&nbsp;– Travel Edition|publisher=Phaidon Press|year=2005|isbn=0-7148-4450-0}}

==External links==
{{WikidataCoord}}
{{commons category}}
*[http://www.cityofmanchesterstadium.co.uk/ City of Manchester Stadium official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111023051119/http://www.cityofmanchesterstadium.co.uk/ |date=23 October 2011 }}
*[https://www.mancity.com/ Manchester City Football Club official website]
*[https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=City%20of%20Manchester%20Stadium&w=all Images tagged City of Manchester Stadium] at [[Flickr]]
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064636/http://www.getyourkitsout.com/designing%20the%20COMSTAD.pdf Arup Associates PDF format article about the original design of the stadium]}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120330074151/http://www.arup.com/_assets/_download/download153.PDF Arup Associates PDF format article about the transformation of the stadium after the 2002 Games]
*[http://msc.aisc.org/globalassets/modern-steel/archives/2003/12/2003v12_building_tension.pdf Modern Steel Construction PDF format article about the innovative construction of the stadium's roof]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wabNqKx8FqA YouTube video depicting MCFC's vision for planned Etihad Campus / CFA development]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PQgL0ZvmnU YouTube video depicting sequential construction steps required to expand stadium's ''South Stand'']
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RE06P8Et_xg YouTube video depicting hub circus location of ''Dad's Halo Effect'' public sculpture]

{{s-start}}
{{succession box
| title = [[Commonwealth Games]]<br />Main stadium
| before = [[Bukit Jalil National Stadium]]<br />[[Kuala Lumpur]]
| after = [[Melbourne Cricket Ground]]<br />[[Melbourne]]
| years = [[2002 Commonwealth Games|2002]]
}}
{{succession box
| title = [[UEFA Europa League|UEFA Cup]]<br />[[List of UEFA Cup and Europa League finals|Final venue]]
| before = [[Hampden Park]]<br />[[Glasgow]]
| after = [[Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium]]<br />[[Istanbul]]
| years = [[2008 UEFA Cup final|2008]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Manchester City F.C.}}
{{Football in Greater Manchester}}
{{Premier League venues}}
{{UEFA Europa League Final venues}}
{{Commonwealth Games stadia}}
{{Super League venues}}
{{2015 Rugby World Cup venues}}
{{Manchester B&S}}

[[Category:Etihad Airways]]
[[Category:Premier League venues]]
[[Category:Football venues in Manchester]]
[[Category:Manchester City F.C.]]
[[Category:2002 Commonwealth Games venues]]
[[Category:Music venues in Manchester]]
[[Category:Commonwealth Games rugby union venues]]
[[Category:Rugby union stadiums in England]]
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 2002]]
[[Category:2002 establishments in England]]
[[Category:High-tech architecture]]
[[Category:Ove Arup buildings and structures]]