Manchester City bid for entertainment licence to bring more concerts to Etihad stadium
Manchester City are bidding to join the showbiz premier league – by expanding the number of special events held at the Etihad Stadium.
The Blues have applied for a permanent licence that would allow them to hold events including boxing and wrestling, live music concerts, film and theatre.
The ground has already held one superfight, when City fan Ricky Hatton successfully defended his world light-welterweight title against Juan Lazcano in May 2008.
But until now, the Blues have applied for temporary licences to host out-of-season concerts such as Take That’s sell-out eight night run last year.
If granted, the new permanent licence will give City the chance to hold a dozen events a year for up to 63,000 people, with a cut off time of 11pm.
Etihad bosses have already held met people living nearby to share their views on the proposals. But the club said it did not want to go into further details of their plans until the application – which covers the stadium and the land directly outside – had been approved.
City’s operations director Steve Sayer said: “As a club, we are proud to call east Manchester home and recognise that the area has all the necessary ingredients to attract further substantial investment and regeneration.
A permanent premise licence will only help support and build on our and east Manchester’s reputation for hosting world class sport and entertainment events.”
Blues bosses banned concerts at the Etihad in 2008 after a Bon Jovi concert damaged the turf and forced City to play a Uefa Cup home tie at Barnsley.
The pitch was relaid in 2010, so that future events would take less of a toll on the grass. Take That were the first band to play on the new turf last year.
American band the Red Hot Chili Peppers, supported by soul legend, James Brown, played the first concert at the stadium in 2004. U2 and City’s highest-profile fans, Oasis, each played gigs the following year while rock legend Rod Stewart has also performed there.
In 2008, the Foo Fighters played the ground supported by The Manic Street Preachers.
Coldplay and rock legend Bruce Springsteen are both due to play gigs at the ground this summer.