Where to park near the Etihad Stadium: Man City parking tips & trick

Are you heading to the Etihad Stadium for a football match and need somewhere to park? Or perhaps you are attending a concern at the newly opened Co-Op Live across the road? Below, we have all the information you need on where to park near the Etihad Stadium from official club parking to cheap on-street parking nearby.

The Etihad Stadium was initially built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games and at the time, there was no Metrolink station at the stadium, which meant car parking facilities were a necessity for attendees. As a result, you will not be short of options.

How much is the Etihad Stadium Official Parking?

Ahead of attending the Etihad Stadium, you can pre-book an official car parking spot on a match-by-match basis. The official car parks utilise Auto Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology, which means you will only be able to gain access to the car park on matchday if your number plate matches the details provided to the club when making the booking.

The price for an official car parking spot at the Etihad Stadium is £14 for solo drivers and £12 if there are two or more passengers. Car parking is technically ‘free' if you have a hospitality ticket for the match, as the price of parking is factored into the overall cost of the package.

Supporters can use the official car park three hours before kick-off on match day, and it remains open for an hour after the final whistle, so you do not need to rush back after the match finishes. However, the earlier you return to your car, the quicker you will get out of the stadium and the surrounding area. As you can imagine, things typically get clogged up very quickly.

Season ticket holders are given priority when booking car parking at the Etihad Stadium, with any remaining tickets then being offered to the general public. The latest you can book a parking space is four hours before kick-off, and the club urges fans to only book the space if they intend to use it.

Co-op Live parking

Across the road from the Etihad Stadium live music venue, Co-op Live. This arena also has its own car park, which is sponsored by Vertu Motors. Their dedicated car park can also be used on football matchdays, but fans must ring to pre-book a space in advance. This car park opens four hours before kick-off.

On days when there are also concerts taking place at the arena, priority is given to concertgoers, which makes their car park not really an option for matchday parking on these dates.

Disabled parking at the Etihad Stadium

For disabled supporters, there are plenty of spaces available in the official car park. Blue Badge holders must send a copy of the front and back of their Blue Badge to [email protected].

From there, your Blue Badge will be verified and then linked to your account on the Man City website. Once that has all gone through, you will be able to pre-book your Blue Badge space in the official car park via the club website.

Season parking is also available at the Etihad Stadium for Blue Badge holders.

While Blue Badge parking remains free at the stadium, disabled supporters do need to pay a deposit when making the booking. The prices are as follows:

• £6 for cars with two or more people
• £7 for cars with only one person

Supporters who use their pre-booked parking space will then receive a full refund within three weeks of matchday. Supporters who cancel their reservation before kick-off will also receive a full refund. The deposit is in place to prevent people from pre-booking a space before then leaving it empty.

Is there any on-street parking near the Etihad Stadium?

The Etihad Stadium is situated close to a residential area, but these roads are off-limits for parking as they are reserved for permit-only parking. If you try to park here, there is a high probability that you will receive a parking ticket.

As you approach the stadium by car, you will see signs for unofficial car parking. Those far from the ground charge between £5 and £10, but the closer to the stadium you get, you will notice that these prices edge closer to the £15 mark.

It is worth stressing that if you are going to park in any of these unofficial car parks, then you do so at your own risk. It goes without saying that the official Man City car park will provide far more security than unofficial ones, but for a cheaper price, many feel it is worth it.

Man City parking tips and tricks

Hancocks cash & carry

The first tip provides a potentially left-field solution to the problem of finding secure parking near the ground on matchday.

One fan took to X, formerly Twitter, to say: “On a matchday or not? If not the blue car park is open then you just walk across the bridge to the stadium, if a matchday we used to park at Hancocks Cash & carry (£6) then walk up to the ground from there.”

Townley pub

Another Manchester City supporter was kind enough to provide match-going fans with another option for parking on matchday – a parking lot located next to the nearby Townley Pub.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, they said: “We use a very safe paid parking lot just next door to the townley pub. Three-minute walk to the ground. Best we’ve had and we have had many.”

Clayton Lane

Another insider tip for parking near the Etihad is to make use of the various spaces provided along Clayton Lane.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, one fan said: “Clayton Lane near the boxing club. I’ve no idea if new parking restrictions affect that. Depending on what time we get there we can end up halfway up Greenside St.”

Is there any free parking near the Etihad Stadium?

There are no free car parks in the immediate vicinity of the Etihad Stadium. To get free parking, your best bet is to head to Riverpark Road, which is around a 20-minute walk to the stadium. Further afield, you can try your luck in Manchester City Centre, although it is rare to find a free parking spot here but you can sometimes find areas where payment is not required on a Sunday.

If you are to look around the city centre, then try your luck in and around Ancoats or near Piccadilly Station. If you try the central or southern parts of the city centre, then you are going to be too far away from the stadium to make it worthwhile. At that point you may as well use one of the park and ride options listed below.

Park and ride options for the Etihad Stadium

If you do not want to pay for car parking, then you can always park at a Metrolink station and board a tram to the Etihad Stadium (Etihad Campus). The closest park and ride stations to the Etihad Stadium are:

• Ashton Moss: 183 spaces and 12 disabled spaces.
• Ashton West: 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces.

There is also the option of parking in one of the countless Manchester city centre car parks before the match and then boarding a tram to the match. You could even enjoy a drink in one of the best Manchester pubs for football fans to add to your matchday experience.

If you are going to use this method, then you would be wise to try and board a tram before it gets to Piccadilly Gardens. Along with Piccadilly, the stop directly after Piccadilly Gardens, this is the busiest Metrolink station en route to the stadium.

Therefore, if you want to guarantee actually getting on a tram, and perhaps even getting a seat, then look to board at an earlier city centre station, such as Deansgate or St Peter's Square.