Exclusive: Manchester City Plan Major Etihad Stadium Stand Redevelopment

Manchester City are now actively considering further redevelopment of the Etihad Stadium, City Xtra can confirm.

The Premier League Champions are looking at increasing the capacity of the North Stand, seven years after the club opened the new third tier on the opposite side of the stadium.

The Stadium, which was originally known as the City of Manchester Stadium or Eastlands, was initially created for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, costing an estimated £110 million.

Manchester City moved into the stadium ahead of the 2003/04 campaign, after conversion of the Stadia from an Athletics ground to a Football stadium.

The Sky Blues have won six Premier League titles since moving from the famous Maine Road.

Following the Abu Dhabi Group takeover in 2008, there has been extensive infrastructural development of the Etihad Stadium and surrounding areas.

From the building of the 'Tunnel Club' hospitality, to the state of the art City Football Academy and Academy Stadium, the Etihad Campus has seen major changes over the past decade.

In 2015, the club opened the third tier of the South Stand, an expansion which led to the installation of 6,000 additional seats.

The building, which was predominantly conducted by employees in the Greater Manchester area, included students, apprentices and work experience opportunities.

Ahead of the start of the 2022 campaign, and seven years on from the South Stand development, City Xtra can exclusively reveal that the club are now looking into extending the capacity of the North Stand, formally known as the Family Stand.

The stand, which has memorably seen Sergio Aguero's 93:20 goal and Vincent Kompany's thunderous strike against Leicester City, has long been expected to undergo structural changes, similar to the South Stand.

Vincent Kompany. Leicester. 2019. 💥🚀 @ManCity pic.twitter.com/ngbNKpzNGR

— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) August 7, 2021

City Xtra understand that the club are actively conducting feasibility studies into the possible expansion of the North Stand.

Plans have been drawn up to extend the current second tier, with a new concourse and an additional level of hospitality boxes.

The expansion would also see changes to the Etihad Stadium roof, as well as the creation of a significantly larger second tier - similar to recent developments at other Premier League grounds, City Xtra understand.

The changes would see an increase in capacity by several thousand.

Manchester City are currently weighing up proposals, investigating the feasibility and possible costs of the project.

Redevelopment of the North Stand would be the latest infrastructure development at the Etihad Stadium.

Work is currently underway outside the ground for the building of a 23,500 seater arena.

City Football Group has become Oak View Group’s equal joint venture partner and investor in Co-op Live - a planned new 23,500-capacity venue next to the Etihad Stadium. CFG joins Harry Styles as an investor.

[via @stadiumbusiness] pic.twitter.com/PG0cvod9zZ

— City Xtra (@City_Xtra) May 24, 2021

The Co-Op Live, which is aiming to open in December 2023, has investors which include global phenomenon Harry Styles.