Etihad Stadium Manchester City

Etihad Stadium (City of Manchester Stadium) - Manchester City

Address: Etihad Stadium, SportCity, Manchester, M11 3FF

Capacity: 53,400

Stadium

Opened 10 August 2003

Manchester City's home stadium is a modern engineering tribute to the power of football and how it permeates throughout Manchester. The structure was initially built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games though is now primarily used for football as Manchester City's old stadium, Maine Road in Longsight is now a distant memory.

The stadium has had a whole range of names ranging from Eastlands to the City of Manchester Stadium. The current name is the Etihad Stadium due to a sponsorship deal made in 2011 with Etihad Airways.

The first football match at the stadium was a friendly game between Manchester City and Barcelona on 10 August 2003 and Nicolas Anelka scored the first-ever goal at the new stadium.

The first competitive match was a UEFA Cup game between Manchester City and Welsh Premier League side TNS.

The first major European final to be held at the stadium was the UEFA Cup final 2008 between Zenit St Petersburg and Rangers FC (2-0). The stadium was initially called City of Manchester Stadium but was renamed Etihad Stadium in 2011 following a 10-year sponsorship deal with Etihad Airways.

In line with Manchester City's present global reach, the stadium has gone through several renovations to expand.

The South Stand was updated in 2014 with the construction of an additional tier to add in a further 6,000 seats. Further seating was added in 2015-2016 to expand the capacity to over 55,000.

The stadium also offers tours to fans which allow visitors access to the dressing rooms and media areas.

How to get to the Etihad Stadium

Train

Fans can take National Rail trains to Ashburys station. The station is a 20-minute walk to the stadium.

Fans can also go to Manchester Piccadilly station which is located at London Road and it is about a thirty-minute walk to reach the Etihad.

Tram / Metrolink:

Metrolink tram services run to Etihad Campus on the East Manchester line and are within easy walking distance of the stadium.

Buses

The following buses run close to the stadium - routes 53, 188, 216, 217, and 231, all go to the Etihad.

Car:

The main routes into Manchester include the following.

From the North: A6010, M60; passing Oldham and Bury