Populous designs iconic destination for footballs fans

Manchester City football club has chosen Populous as the lead architect for the development of a fan experience and year-round entertainment and leisure destination at the Etihad Stadium. The Club’s planning application received approval from Manchester City Council in July, following a fan and community consultation which took place earlier in the year. The stadium forms part of the Etihad Campus, also home to Co-op Live, the new live entertainment arena set to open in April 2024.

The approved proposals for the stadium provide several connected all-weather facilities, centred around an expanded North Stand with one larger, single upper tier above the existing lower tier, increasing capacity to over 60,000. A covered City Square fan zone with capacity for 3,000 people is included in the development, which also contains a wide variety of food and drink outlets, a new club shop, museum, workspace and a 400-bed hotel. Above the upper tier, a sky bar will offer views overlooking the pitch, together with with a stadium roof walk experience.

The collaboration with Manchester City builds on a long-term relationship between both organisations, which has also seen design work delivered by Populous for the Club’s expansion of the South Stand at the Etihad Stadium in 2015, as well as the development of new player changing rooms and the introduction of the Tunnel Club hospitality suite in 2017.

Mike Trice, senior principal at Populous, said: “We are delighted to once again collaborate with Manchester City as they further expand the Etihad Stadium to create an exciting new destination for fans and the local community. For Populous, it is extremely exciting to witness the development of this project, located just a stone’s throw away from another of our projects, the Co-op Live arena. These ambitious ventures represent two of Manchester’s greatest loves - football and music - and will bring significant benefits to the local area by drawing in visitors and delivering further regeneration.”

Main construction works are expected to begin on-site in November 2023, resulting in the completion and opening of the North Stand itself during the 2025/26 football season. The hotel, workspace and public realm works - including City Square – will subsequently complete by late 2026.

Lucy Nordberg

Tenderstream Head of Research

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