Etihad Campus, Stadium and Collar Site Development Thread

[Jesus H Gabz]

If it is possible to have a two tier stand then there are options available to solve the needs of the fans and the club in one stand. An extended level 2 with corporate boxes removed from the current location, made safe standing & affordable. Level 1 would then be split into 2 parts, with the section at the front closest to the pitch (spanning the full width) being the family stand, and behind that changed to corporate, padded/heated seats etc, corporate boxes could be installed 2-3 high under the lip of the second tier. Works could then be completed in 2 phases, with tier 1 mainly done through the summer to avoid major loss of capacity. The family stand could be connected to internal/external facilities aimed at the kids/families such as a PlayStation/Xbox zone, maybe a mini football pitch, for use before during and after the match.

 

[HelloCity]

Does this new stand spell the end of the Family Stand then? Standing in tier one, more corporate potentially in tier two…

 

[Brewster's millions]

They should look at our heartlands
I’d much rather catch a guaranteed scheduled bus to and from south Manchester, where most of our support is from, to the stadium than wrestle with two dangerously overcrowded trams
Etihad direct trams only currently come from rag central

I’ve never understood why this sort of service hasn’t been implemented.

Something with a few designated stops that starts at Parrs Wood, or maybe beyond, takes a right at or close to Dickenson Road and then straight to the ground. Would be perfect for many, many blues.

 

[domalino]

'What's not to like?' Well, for a start, last time I checked, we lived in England. Without wishing to sound too nationalistic, can we not celebrate Englishness - if there is such a thing - with a large version of a traditional English pub serving traditional beer and food (though, admittedly, that probably means curry and pizza to some)? Last thing we need is a Disneyfied German bierkeller.

If it makes you feel better, just think of it as an Anglo-Saxon longhouse.

 

[Centurions]

You have to factor we lost quite a few seats since the original planning consents, mainly due to the double height advertising boards.

That's where the shortfall and ambiguity is now, City aren't sure what the final numbers will be.

Perhaps some are also fixated on the wording of a home end?

In the three-tier proposal, safe standing would be on bottom tier, middle corporate and the third would all be Blues.

When they talk about an exclusive end for City supporters, we may need to accept that simply means no away supporters, unlike the South Stand.

It should be about accomodating more fans, especially younger ones, with attractive pricing structures, rather than catering for bragging rights and older City fans who just want to move stand for a sing song?

At £100m plus build, the club want to be making that return quickly.

The hotel could be the biggest earner in the immediacy, certainly if we run it with our exclusive hotel partner.

Did I not see one of the ITKs on here say that there will not be a corporate section in the NS? If true then safe standing singing section in tier 1, family stand to remain in tier 2 (which will keep them away from the away fans at the other end, especially arriving and leaving) and (hopefully) more safe standing in tier 3. If we have singing sections in 1 & 3 that should encourage the youngsters in-between to want to join in later years.

I think they took out 1,100 seats around the pitch for the advertising boards.

 

[Centurions]

With Safe Standing in South Stand Level 1 (and possibly North Stand Level 1) couldn’t 1 of the rows removed for the double advertising boards be reintroduced? Maybe that would cover a 350 capacity shortfall?

...

Not a cats chance of that happening. I'm not getting this obsession with hitting 60,000 either, if it was that important to the club then they'll expand the E & W stands back when they replace the roofs there.

 

[Centurions]

It has outlying planning permission but you can make amendments to it, the stand can look the same from the outside but loads of changes inside, planning permission normally last about 5 years

Going from 3 tiers to 2 is a bit more than an amendment I'd have thought.

 

[Centurions]

You don’t think having 8,000 people in one designated home area would make any difference?

Th south stand is completely seperated by corporate sections and away fans. Placement and numbers of fans can make a huge difference to noise levels.

We are also one of the only clubs without a home end, which is find a complete missed opportunity. If we want the best ground in England, you’d want that

No. From the sounds of it on here it hasn't made much difference at Spurs has it?

Hopefully the NS won't have the corporate section which would make the NS entirely a home end. Isn't the NS a home end (whatever that may actually mean) anyway?

 

[Centurions]

Emirates Palace? Bloody hell I can't see them do rooms at £50 per night. I hope they cater for those season ticket holders that travel bloody long distances to attend matches. A season ticket holder discounted rate would be a nice gesture.

Didn't someone say it'll be a 3(?) star to 7 star hotel?

I didn't know hotel rooms go above 5 star so I'd love to know what 7 star rooms entail.

 

[spiny]

Given the scope of the project, the club would do well to stick to around £100m. I think they'd do well to spend under £200m. Apparently the club do want an atmospheric two tiered stand without corporate seats, so the money will have to come from other places.

The World Cup with all the new stadiums highlights the importance of crowd "atmospherics" not just in terms of encouraging teams but in setting the scene for broadcasts. COVID showed that the game is as much about fans as players onn the field. However, attendances have a fixed limit so are constrained, unlike TV with its global reach.

TV money and streaming content will generate far more funding than extra corporates. These audiences currently run into millions and tens of millions creating exposure to generate even more commercial revenue. It is short sighted to skimp on the North Stand develoment. Better to invest to create something iconic and atmospheric with global fan appeal rather than be constrained by ROI from stadium revenue which is relatively small potatoes compared with other revenue streams.