The Etihad Stadium has been the home of Manchester City Football club since it was handed over by the City council at the start of the 2003/04 season.
It was built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games but it was converted into a football stadium ahead of City‘s move to the ground.
The stadium has been expanded from its original 38,000 to 48,000, with further expansions set to take the capacity to above 61,000 by 2026.
Where is the Etihad Stadium?
The Etihad is located on the East side of Manchester at the Etihad Campus.
The exact address of the ground is the Etihad Campus, Manchester, M11 3FF.
How to get to the Etihad Stadium
The Etihad Campus has its own tram stop on the Metro link, which has 98 other stations across the Greater Manchester area. If you are arriving on a mainline train, you can take the metro from either Manchester Victoria or Manchester Piccadilly.
From the city centre, it takes around 10 to 15 minutes to reach the Etihad. Tickets to the Etihad Campus are just are just £3.50 for adults and less for children. Tram services ran at regular intervals from Monday to Sunday (averaging one every six minutes on weekdays and Saturdays).
If you want to remain on mainline trains, you can take a service from Manchester Piccadilly to Ashburys Rail Station. It is then a 20-minute walk to the Etihad Campus. You can also walk to the stadium from the Manchester city centre but it does take around 35 minutes.
‘Park and ride ‘schemes are available. If you need to drive into Manchester, there are three separate free car parks which are close to tram stations:
- Ashton Moss (Ashton line) – 183 spaces and 12 disabled spaces – 25 mins to the Etihad Campus.
- Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces – just under 30 mins to the Etihad Campus.
- Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces – around 40 mins to the Etihad Campus.
If you want to park at the stadium itself, there is limited availability. You have to pre-book and it’s on a match-by-match basis, with priority given to season ticket holders. It’s £14 for solo drivers and £12 for two or more passengers. There is also accessibility parking for blue-badge holders which costs £7 for solo drivers and £6 for two or more people.
In terms of bus routes, the club put on 15 buses that cover 64 stops across the Greater Manchester area. It costs £6 for an adult return in zone 1 (£3 for a single) and £8 for an adult return in zone 2 (£4 for a single)
For children, under 16 tickets are half the price, while anyone under the age of five can take the bus for free.
There are bicycles available as part of Manchester’s 24/7 bike hire scheme. Pedal bikes cost 50p to unlock and an additional 5p per minute to ride. E-bikes are essentially double the price and cost £1 to unlock, plus 10p per minute to ride. In terms of bicycle storage, the Etihad Campus has 300 bike storage spaces. There are some storage facilities in the West and East Stands but the biggest storage spaces are on Joe Mercer Way and at the Nexen Tyre Bridge, which is near Ashton New Road.
What can you take into the Etihad Stadium?
You are allowed to take in suncream (if it’s a hot day) while water bottles are permitted (as long as they are sealed with a cap – otherwise they will be confiscated by security).
In terms of smoking, the Etihad Campus is a smoke-free zone, including roads, car parks and concourses. E-cigarettes are also banned.
Ticket holders are not allowed to bring in drink glasses, narcotics, long umbrellas, selfie sticks, fireworks, flares, large flags or banners, weapons/sharp objects, bottles and cans, food and drink, prams, airhorns, portable chargers, cameras, flagpoles or computer tablets.
If you want to bring in a flag and/or banners, it must be smaller than 2m x 1m, with no discriminatory or inflammatory language permitted.
How much does it cost to watch Man City play?
You can read a full rundown of ticket prices here, but suffice it to say the cost of tickets varies depending on several factors, including age and where you are situated in the stadium. There are additional costs for VIP packages and hospitality.
For a single league game, the maximum price for the 2024/25 season is around £75 for adults, £55 for 18-21s and £35 for under 18s. An overview of the ticket categories can be found here.
To guarantee a ticket, you will have to buy a membership. This costs £35 (a year) for a Matchday membership, and £20 for a Junior membership. If you want to get a ticket without paying this membership, you will need to look at third-party vendor websites or wait to see if they become available on general sale, which doesn’t happen for every match.
A fan is limited to buying six tickets for any given game. However, this number can be restricted for specific fixtures depending on how high-profile the game is.
Where can you eat near the stadium?
There are several food outlets on the East & West side of the Etihad Stadium. The Summerbee Bar has recently been relocated to the East Stand. It is always open for 3 hours before kickoff and for 1 hour following the game.
The stadium tries to offer as many hot and cold food meals as possible, in addition to accounting for specific food choices, such as vegetarian, halal and other options.
If you wish to get food outside of the stadium, fans can visit the Ancoats area in Manchester, which is a 30-minute walk away from the Etihad.
Between the Hold Town tram station and the Etihad Campus, there are also pop-up food and drink stalls. It must be emphasised, though, that nothing can be taken inside the ground.
Where did Man City play before the Etihad Stadium?
The Etihad is the club’s third home since its founding. City’s first ground was Hyde Road but a fire meant that the club was forced to move.
In 1923, they took residence at the 85,000-capacity Maine Road, which remained their home for the next 80 years before the Sky Blues took ownership of The City of Manchester Stadium, which (for sponsorship reasons) was subsequently renamed the Etihad Stadium.
