Man City Plan to Expand Etihad Stadium Capacity to 60,000

Manchester City have submitted a planning application to Manchester City Council for a £300m expansion of Etihad Stadium. The club wants to increase the current capacity of 53,400 to 60,000 by expanding the North Stand. The proposals include a sky bar overlooking the pitch, a stadium roof walk experience, a 3,000-capacity fan zone, new club shop and museum, and 400-bed hotel. The project, which would take three years to complete, would create a “best-in-class fan experience and year-round entertainment and leisure destination”. The planning application follows a consultation with fans and the local community. City say the proposals represent more than £300m investment into east Manchester, and could create 2,600 jobs with priority for people from Greater Manchester. There are also plans for new office spaces for businesses that want to work in collaboration with the club and their partners. In August, City announced discussions were in a primary phase to expand the two-tier North Stand to three tiers, but their planning application proposes to expand the single upper tier above the existing lower tier. Danny Wilson, managing director of Manchester City Operations said: “As with all Club developments, ensuring our local community benefit is a key priority and we believe these proposals will deliver long-term economic and social opportunities, building on the regeneration work delivered in east Manchester by City Football Group since 2008.” The Etihad was built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games and has been home to the Premier League champions since 2003. An expansion in 2015 added 6,000 seats and the ground currently has the fifth-largest capacity of Premier League stadiums.