North Stand expansion - seating, ticketing etc

[Tim of the Oak]

I’m not sure you could have a proper home end and a family stand in the same stand
Both conflicting match day experiences
Probably why it’s a mixture of ideas
Who knows

Apart from for the very big games when the North stand seems to start the noisiest songs. Maybe because the songs seem to spread around the ground better.

 

[GOULDYBOBS]

I would make the new north stand for day trippers and tourists, it's got a hotel attached to it. Doubt it will get much use from actual blues. Make the South Stand for locals and die hards,

 

[Jesus H Gabz]

So my little one has had to attend 35 games over the past 3 years or I have? He’s been sitting on my knee since December 2024 so not an ‘official’ ticket so to speak.

No! There’ll be a junior pull through, you can’t expect someone who can’t actually purchase a ST to qualify :) even City aren’t that heartless, although my grandson got one at 4 years old on the flexi’s, he’s now got a full ST as he attended all but one last season

 

[Coatigan]

Yep:

“And following further consultation with City Matters, we are pleased to confirm that we will release more than 4000 new Flexi Season Tickets stadium-wide ahead of the 2026/27 season.”

Yea I think because I read it following this, I took it as 4000 out of the 7000.

'The expansion of the North Stand will add more than 7,000 general admission seats, increasing the Etihad Stadium’s total capacity to over 60,000.

As previously communicated, the majority of the additional general admission seating capacity will be allocated to Season Ticket Members'.

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

Filling 3000 safe standing seats with singers has nothing to do with 1894.

If that doesn’t happen, which it won’t happen, because we don’t have 3000 dedicated singers, why are the club not to blame, but 1894 are? Really!?

The club control everything about the North stand expansion. The club has the final say on everything.

I’ve yet to read from the club that they are planning to create a dedicated singing section on NSL2, like they have done on SSL1. The club could have got that ball rolling months ago by taking names of season ticket holders and City fans who want to stand in a dedicated singing section at the back of NSL2, but the club hasn’t done that still. The club haven’t even chosen a block on NSL2 for a dedicated singing section, and the opening of the stand is 6 months away.

There's a dedicated singing section on SSL1?

We're in more trouble than I thought!

 

[Alty_Blue]

@ssskies and @cpoverview - we really need one of your videos to get this thread back on track!

 

[pride in battle]

Moving to the north stand when fans are being displaced is basically jumping in someone’s grave.

Club don’t give a fuck- even about their own fan advisory board Citymatters who were no doubt thrown under the bus again.

The singing areas in south have been diluted by the restrictions but also by forcing people to sell back to the club it goes to a tourist, it goes to a ticket resale site and someone who doesn’t sing.

The North Stand plans don’t offer any proper season tickets and less than half the capacity of the new stand will be flexi too - it’s 4000 flexi across the ground in total - so the majority of people in the new stand will be pay on the day match by match.

The likes of pride in battle on here need to wake up and smell the coffee.

We wanted a proper end over a decade ago and club fucked that up as well. Wouldn’t move the away fans.

Blame lies with club and they don’t want legacy fans.

A absolute horse shit mate, and what you on about with the away fans ? Away fans will never move due to the location, police would not allow it !!

 

[paulchapo]

I've just seen this posted.

 

[dadnlad]

So the 4000 Flexi-Gold season tickets are across the ground and not just for NSL2. Wow!

because the realised we cant sell out shit games
personally cant see anyone moving from south stand lower to up there unless in front rows who get pissed wet through

 

[Coatigan]

Actually, if we take the club at its word.

'The expansion of the North Stand will add more than 7,000 general admission seats'. They specify General Admission in that line, rather than seats in general. Which would then tie in with the total increase of circa 8k without any 'additional' corporate. Hopefully.

 

[jrb]

There's a dedicated singing section on SSL1?

We're in more trouble than I thought!

Block 115.

Lots of fans moved into 115 from other parts of the ground to be in the Block 115 singing section.

Again it’s me being negative, but honest. :-(

Block 115 is a dedicated singing section in name only. It never really has been a proper singing section. There are plenty of people in 115 who don’t sing. And who were already in 115 before it was turned into the official signing section by the club.

That’s why when the North stand expansion was announced, I, along with many other City fans, hoped NSL2 would have at least one block put aside for a dedicated singing section. 500 empty seats to be filled with singers from all over the ground who want to sing, pushed by the club.

 

[Cheadle_hulmeBlue]

Yep:

“And following further consultation with City Matters, we are pleased to confirm that we will release more than 4000 new Flexi Season Tickets stadium-wide ahead of the 2026/27 season.”

So therefore most of the seats in the new expanded north stand, probably won’t be season tickets or even flexi gold tickets.

sounds pretty shite

 

[dadnlad]

Block 115.

Lots of fans moved into 115 from other parts of the ground to be in the Block 115 singing section.

Again it’s me being negative, but honest. :-(

Block 115 a dedicated singing section in name only. It never really has been. There are plenty of people in 115 who don’t sing. And who were already in 115 before it was turned into the official signing section by the club.

That’s why when the North stand expansion was announced, I, along with many other City fans, hoped NSL2 would have at least one block put aside for a dedicated singing section. 500 empty seats to be filled with singers from all over the ground who want to sing, pushed by the club.

theres a need for facial recognition to expel all non singers ;)

 

[jrb]

because the realised we cant sell out shit games
personally cant see anyone moving from south stand lower to up there unless in front rows who get pissed wet through

I also think the club are worried about the mass relocation and exodus to NSL2 from around the ground, and the swathes of empty seats left behind, which they have to sell and fill, hence why the new Flexi-Cold;-) season tickets have been offered all around the ground.

 

[dadnlad]

I also think the club are worried about the mass relocation to NSL2 from around the ground, and the swathes of empty seats left behind, which they have to sell and fill, hence why the new Flexi-Cold ;-) season tickets have been offered all around the ground.

well not bothered about big square right behind goal for 10 minutes either side of starting game

 

[citizen_maine]

So therefore most of the seats in the new expanded north stand, probably won’t be season tickets or even flexi gold tickets.

sounds pretty shite

I'm probably missing the point, but what difference does it make where the new season tickets are? If they'd guaranteed 4000 in the new stand but none in the rest of the ground, would you be happier? And if so, why?

 

[LEXSTARproject]

This is how I read it. Relative to how the building is actually being built as below.

View attachment 172965

1. The GA+ has always been planned, the seats are approved in that location (golden yellow or whatever colour that is). They link directly to a 300 ish capacity 'private' bar on the same level (Cross Bar). They can function as hospitality because of that. They do share the concourse the toilets and etc, but they do have their own bar that supprts that number. And are also in a prime location to merit the extra price.

2. The sky bar and suites up above the main tier remain unchanged. That was always separate and additional.

3. The city hall shown in blue has always been planned. That has never however been mooted as any level of premium or hospitality.

I am don't see the GA+ changing. Or relocating to the level above as @HelloCity you have argued/shown. That makes no sense, neither how it would function, nor commercially. You'd be charging a premium to them out those 648 people into a 6300 capacity concourse bar. Why would anyone pay that. And what do you then do with the dedicated smaller 300 capacity bar below, if you move the seats away from it.

The question for me is, are the club upping the price of a portion of seats on that level to benefit from the city hall. And is that in addition to the GA+.

OR, are the seat relocations within the GA+ area to allow for the premium offering, and it is badly worded by the club. And they have used the city hall instead of the cross bar, to make it seem like a less hospitality driven move. If it were only for the club statement and the approval, I would think that to be the case. The emails to people sat in those seats do muddy it more though.

The New North Stand should have been our Kop, Holte End, and Gollowgate, and should have been our answer to the Yellow Wall, but no Blue Wall. @HelloCity is right in his description.

The easy solution for the corporate seating area is to make the sky bar area bigger and have seats up there that have access to the Sky Bar instead of the GA+ section in the middle. This would be a better solution for everyone.

The images look very similar to NYCFC

 

[Leeky]

Yeah, just had an email about that as I sit in the North Stand bottom tier. Luckily my seat isn't affected, but feel for those who are being shunted out just to make way for more corporate fans.

To be fair this is nothing new, we originally were centre line in the Kippax when we moved to the Etihad, not long after we were given the opportunity to move to the family stand, fortunately this allowed me to get a season ticket for my son, this allowed three generations of my family to witness the best team ever, so in my case was brilliant but obviously this will effect some others that may not get the same experience when relocating.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

I've just seen this posted.

It’s not nice to have to move seats but those affected have been offered two years in better seats for the price of their existing season cards.

If people want to jack in their season cards on that basis then fair enough. I’ve been forced to move twice and it’s worked out for the best.

 

[maurizio]

I had to move from my section of the East stand when it became some kind of premium seat with a bar attached. I had first choice in the new allocation of seats for the next season. I lost a few pals from the old Kippax days. Not good. Got a good seat at the front of the tier. Made some good new friends in the south stand. It's OK. I had the option to stay and pay a lot more, like in the tweet above or move. You can move with others if you get together. It's really not that bad. Maybe you can get a better seat.