An update has been provided on the development works to the new Manchester City North Stand and improved fan facilities at their home Stadium.
Manchester City insider ‘Tolmie’s Hairdoo’ spoke to construction workers at the Etihad Campus, who believe that the expansion of the North Stand will be finished by the end of July 2024. He provided the following update on X.com (formerly Twitter).
Speaking to construction workers at the Etihad, they expect the actual full steel frame structure of the North Stand extension to be up by the end of July.
— The Real Tolmie's Hairdoo (@RealTolmie) April 2, 2024
Expansion of Manchester City North Stand approved by council
Back in July 2023, the plans to extend the north stand and other fan facilities next to the stadium were approved by the council. Following the approval, the club demolished the City Store, which was located just outside of the North Stand.
Work began on the new stand in autumn 2023 and is expected to be finished by July this summer, according to ‘Tolmie’s Hairdoo’ on X.com. A new upper tier in north stand above the existing lower tier, will increase the capacity of the Etihad Stadium from 53,400 to nearly 62,000.
Other aspects of Manchester City North Stand project explained
New commercial facilities are included in the expansion plan in order to improve the fan experience at Manchester City. A fan zone that can hold up to 3,000 people is involved in the project, along with a sky bar overlooking the pitch, a new club shop, a stadium roof walk experience, and a 400-bed hotel.
🚨 LAST UPDATE :#ManchesterCity | The latest pictures of the development works of the #Etihad Stadium :
🔹 Increased capacity to 60,000
🔹Sky bar overlooking pitch
🔹Stadium roof walk experience
🔹 ‘City Square’ fan district
🔹 New club shop, museum
🔹 400-bed hotel pic.twitter.com/YqiC4YYCMe— World Stadiums 🏟 (@Worldstadium23) April 1, 2024
According to provisional projections by local media outlets, the North Stand project will inject £70 million into the Greater Manchester economy every year and provide an extra 1,795 full-time jobs. It is estimated that this number could even reach 3,000 in the future when part-time workers and casual shifts are factored into the calculations. The cost of the development was estimated to be around £300 million.
The Etihad Stadium is one of the host stadiums for UEFA Euro 2028, which will take place in the UK & Ireland. This project will therefore be completed in time to allow more fans from across Europe to watch the game and enjoy the facilities.