Etihad Campus, Stadium and Collar Site Development Thread

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One thing that would seriously improve the atmosphere is songs that don't peter out after about 10 seconds, the ones that go on a bit, tend to grow, while the short ones die in the section they start. Having a smaller section of away fans will also help considerably, as one side will be able to hear the other side better, and might join in, one of the worst things about our singing is two stands singing different songs.

I also think that a lot of people who would sing, certainly I knew quite a few (self and son included) have relocated into the sections above the new singing area, and this should help spread the singing.

Definitely mate. In some ways what we have is "worst case scenario". When it is a noisy game we have 15 minutes of two songs going at once, which eventually peters out because the rest of the ground don't have a 'leader' to follow.

Also all of the singing sections are immediately bordered with away fans on one side and expensive seats on the other. There's not an organic way for the songs to grow properly. By the time they spread one way around the ground (if they do) they have finished.

If that upper tier starts some of the songs then they will bounce off the roof and spread both ways and also downwards all at once. That's my real great hope.

When we had that electric atmosphere against Hamburg, because of the way that tickets sold s quickly on open sale, the biggest songs started at the top of the family stand (when it wasn't the family stand) and within seconds were taken up around the ground.

The funny thing is that I was reading an interview about City working so hard on the 'match day experience' to encourage loyalty. Yet this is one thing they don't seem to understand as well as those of us who have gone week In week out for our whole lives.

They should have gone overboard badging this new stand up as the new 'atmosphere' end, with banners and displays and all that. They've worked a bit with 1894, and that's positive, but they should have just gone to town on rebadging /branding this end of the ground for good. Even little things like easy access to beer should have been pushed as part of the deal. Cheap tickets would be a big factor of course.
 
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Well said DD,hopefully there are many more 50 plus old Blues like myself coming back full time as it's now very affordable and who remember the old
days of the Kippax when you could have a laugh.
 
It is amazing what change can do for something. Whilst the stadium didn't look overly tired and dated in my opinion, it was siding closely towards it.

Now, with the expanded South Stand looking absolutely phenomenal the rest of the stadium looks woefully inept. It is staggering to see the juxstaposition this now creates. The expansion of the North Stand (and then the Colin Bell/East Stand) will make the Etihad into one of the worlds most revered stadiums, and surely a Champions League Final/World Cup Final worthy venue.

On that note. Would it be feasible to guess that we could see a fully completed Etihad, expanded on all four sides in the next 10 years?
 
In comparison

Posted by RMB on SSC.

@xxnapoleonsolo:

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https://twitter.com/xxnapoleonsolo
 
I know of at least 5/6 others in 308 who are moving up to SS Level 3, all the loud, singing sort, I think the atmosphere up there is going to be great

As I've said before mate there's me and 9 others sat in two rows of 5 together in the third tier. To get season tickets at 380 we're absolutely buzzing, and hopefully there'll be more like us who are pleased with the deal we'v got on our st's and will be going into the stadium with a spring in our step next season which will hopefully show in the atmosphere. We've all come from different areas of the south stand 1st tier. Be interesting to see what this 3rd tier will be like
 
Definitely mate. In some ways what we have is "worst case scenario". When it is a noisy game we have 15 minutes of two songs going at once, which eventually peters out because the rest of the ground don't have a 'leader' to follow.

Also all of the singing sections are immediately bordered with away fans on one side and expensive seats on the other. There's not an organic way for the songs to grow properly. By the time they spread one way around the ground (if they do) they have finished.

If that upper tier starts some of the songs then they will bounce off the roof and spread both ways and also downwards all at once. That's my real great hope.

When we had that electric atmosphere against Hamburg, because of the way that tickets sold s quickly on open sale, the biggest songs started at the top of the family stand (when it wasn't the family stand) and within seconds were taken up around the ground.

The funny thing is that I was reading an interview about City working so hard on the 'match day experience' to encourage loyalty. Yet this is one thing they don't seem to understand as well as those of us who have gone week In week out for our whole lives.

They should have gone overboard badging this new stand up as the new 'atmosphere' end, with banners and displays and all that. They've worked a bit with 1894, and that's positive, but they should have just gone to town on rebadging /branding this end of the ground for good. Even little things like easy access to beer should have been pushed as part of the deal. Cheap tickets would be a big factor of course.

Completely agree with both posts. I do think the new roof design will help keep noise in and will lead to everyone signing from the same hymn sheet! But I do think the club has once again missed the trick on things in terms of advertising the new South Stand.

It should have been all over the website and correspondence that a new signing section was being started and they should have made the most of the opportunity to improve things in the stand. Having said that, the Hamburg game you allude to was incredible and it shows how many people can and will sing if others around them do, I don't think there was a single person in the stadium sat silently in that game - they would have at least been clapping. Enhanced acoustics will help hugely and I hope that it leads to the spread of noise around the ground.
 
For those doubting I've been told that City are buying the athletics track. The price is based on turnover for a certain period, therefore it's currently being used for anything and everything hence trying to drive the price up. City will be providing a replacement. The source for this was involved on the athletics side.
What are City going to do with the athletics track?
 
For those doubting I've been told that City are buying the athletics track. The price is based on turnover for a certain period, therefore it's currently being used for anything and everything hence trying to drive the price up. City will be providing a replacement. The source for this was involved on the athletics side.

That athletics track is a bit 'sunday morning' in a all fairness. I half expect it to be 'reimagined' or moved elsewhere on the campus. With Sheffield's Don Valley no longer around, I wonder if a new mini athletics track stadium (matching the CFA and Stadium in quality) would be planned for the area...what about the indoor training track too? Build a combined training/meet track/mini stadium?

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Cheers for those pics JRB. It's looking a right beautiful monster.

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I like the interior shots of the Emirates: the vibe is a bit like watching a world cup match, the modernity and scale etc. However, the Emirates suffers the same problem as OT (although far less so) in that the white structural frame/supoorts spoils it somewhat. You can see it on this pic...not that far removed from the functional Reebok:

Emirates-Stadium-East-Stadium.jpg


The Etihad won't have this issue and it's why, for me, it will become the best looking UK stadium (at least). Add the East and West extensions and it's game over.

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What are City going to do with the athletics track?

The Eastlands Regeneration Framework, published by the Council in March 2011, offered an outline of the priorities of, and actions to be taken by, the Council and MCFC in developing the area around the stadium. I believe this still broadly reflects what they want to do.

It suggested that the sports facilities to the west and north of the stadium might be relocated to somewhere near the Beswick Sports Hub, as long as development plans emerged that made it viable to pay for the relocation. The suggestion is that the "large flexible sites" created by relocating the athletics arena and other sports facilities would support "a wide range of high activity uses". The full text is set out below, and is taken from page 27 of the document, which can be downloaded here: http://www.manchester.gov.uk/downloads/download/4502/eastlands_regeneration_framework

NORTH AND WEST OF THE STADIUM AREA
Detailed proposals must protect the long-term expansion potential of the City of Manchester Stadium. The area to the west and north of the stadium presents commercial development opportunities, either for the Club itself or for third parties.

The canal and Metrolink line and station provide a distinct and attractive design and development opportunity, perhaps of smaller scale and texture than exists to the south and east at the ‘collar site’ or the potential sites to the west of the stadium.

To the north of the canal are large parking areas serving the sports facilities. Their redevelopment would require some degree of parking replacement, potentially in multistory car parks.

More significantly, development of the area is heavily influenced by the presence of gas holders and gas supply lines to the north and west of the parking lots. In the longer-term these facilities may be relocated, providing an excellent, highly visible opportunity for a range of commercial development activity.

The potential for substantial commercial development opportunities on sites currently occupied by low-density sports buildings such as the athletics arena and the squash and tennis centres should be explored. Provided commercially deliverable plans emerge that are capable of supporting the relocation of these facilities, the opportunity should also be explored to enhance the scale of the sports and community hub centered on Grey Mare Lane area of Beswick. The relocation of sports facilities would provide large flexible sites on the western side of the stadium for a wide range of high activity uses at Eastlands, while ensuring the re-located facilities benefit from improved accessibility and synergies with other community uses in the immediate vicinity.
 
That athletics track is a bit 'sunday morning' in a all fairness. I half expect it to be 'reimagined' or moved elsewhere on the campus. With Sheffield's Don Valley no longer around, I wonder if a new mini athletics track stadium (matching the CFA and Stadium in quality) would be planned for the area...what about the indoor training track too? Build a combined training/meet track/mini stadium?

sportcity.jpg

There's a small indoor track next door.
Athletics tracks are needed. For all aspects of the community.
 
Really keen to see some pictures from inside the stadium. Surely someone has some up to date shots?
 
As someone who has family interested in Athletic's and has history of using that Athletic's facility, is City buying it to replace it with something better, or are they buying it to knock it down?

Sale Harriers use that as their facility so I can't see the council allowing City to scrap it.
 
As someone who has family interested in Athletic's and has history of using that Athletic's facility, is City buying it to replace it with something better, or are they buying it to knock it down?

Sale Harriers use that as their facility so I can't see the council allowing City to scrap it.

If you look at the document I cited, the idea is that the land occupied by the athletics stadium would have significant potential for commercial development. However, it's part of the legacy of the Commonwealth Games and, IIRC, Sport England gave permission for it to be built using a surplus generated by the Games. It would only be knocked down if the person acquiring the site agreed to refund a replacement facility of at least comparable quality in the fairly near vicinity (the Beswick Hub having been spoken about previously as a possible site).

As somapop says, the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield no longer exists so there actually isn't a decent athletics stadium between Birmingham and Gateshead. Whether there's any possibility, if they build a new athletics venue, of making it a bit bigger and hoping to attract more prominent events, I've no idea. City wouldn't fund that, but maybe City's money could be supplemented with cash form other sources.
 
If you look at the document I cited, the idea is that the land occupied by the athletics stadium would have significant potential for commercial development. However, it's part of the legacy of the Commonwealth Games and, IIRC, Sport England gave permission for it to be built using a surplus generated by the Games. It would only be knocked down if the person acquiring the site agreed to refund a replacement facility of at least comparable quality in the fairly near vicinity (the Beswick Hub having been spoken about previously as a possible site).

As somapop says, the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield no longer exists so there actually isn't a decent athletics stadium between Birmingham and Gateshead. Whether there's any possibility, if they build a new athletics venue, of making it a bit bigger and hoping to attract more prominent events, I've no idea. City wouldn't fund that, but maybe City's money could be supplemented with cash form other sources.

Cheers mate.
 
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