Innovation and entertainment on the pitch at City was mirrored in the matchday offering, fired by a determination that every game be treated as a memorable event.
With an average attendance of 53,249 in the Premier League and more than one million tickets sold over the 19 home games, there was a huge audience to delight and engage.
As part of its ongoing commitment to enhance the matchday experience for fans, the Club unveiled a redesigned concourse area in the South Stand of the Etihad Stadium at the start of the season, creating multiple spaces for fans to meet, eat and drink prior to kick-off.
Alongside the concourse area, the Club launched a new bar in Level 2 of the East Stand. ‘Kits’ offered fans an opportunity to enjoy their matchday in a contemporary styled sports bar adorned with some of City’s best-known and popular historical shirts and has proved to be extremely popular with fans of all ages.
A number of special moments were created at specific matches throughout the season which were recognised by fans in Club surveys, showing that overall matchday satisfaction improved from 8.4 out of 10 last season to 8.6 out of 10 this season.
Source: Manchester City
New LED screens and improved PA systems were installed, and fresh on-stage competitions were devised for City Square. The Man City Kids Fanzone was also delivered at every weekend men’s home game.
Alongside the Fanzone activities, a junior fan was selected at every game to be on the Blue Carpet as a surprise to make their matchday extra special. These lucky fans also had the chance to greet the full squad outside of the dressing room before kick-off.
For the Club’s semi-final in the UEFA Champions League at home to Real Madrid, hand-held flags were placed on every seat across the stadium creating an iconic blue and white display. The Club’s hugely popular light shows returned this season and took place at mid-week evening games in the UEFA Champions League and FA Cup.
Reaching the final of the UEFA Champions League in Istanbul provided the Club with an opportunity to create a dedicated screening experience in Manchester at Depot Mayfield. The event welcomed 6,000 fans who were all able to watch the historic moment together.
The Etihad Stadium itself received recognition when it was included in the UK and Ireland Football Association’s formal bid to host UEFA EURO 2028. Now the proposals have been approved by UEFA, the Etihad Stadium will be one of ten stadiums to host the competition and the sole Manchester venue.
This season the Club announced its intention to develop a best-in-class fan experience and year-round entertainment and leisure destination at the Etihad Stadium.
As part of the Club’s fan and community consultation which took place in February and March, fans were asked for their views and feedback. This feedback then helped the Club to shape its final plans before submitting a full planning application to Manchester City Council, which was subsequently approved.
The Club’s plans include several connected all-weather facilities, fully integrated into the stadium, centred around an expanded North Stand. There will be one larger, single upper tier above the existing lower tier, increasing capacity to over 60,000.
Above the upper tier there will be a sky bar with views overlooking the pitch as well as a stadium roof walk experience.
A covered City Square fan zone, with capacity for 3,000 people and a wide variety of food and drink outlets, a new club shop, museum, workspace and a 400-bed hotel, will all be constructed as part of the development.
Main construction works will commence on-site towards the end of the calendar year, which will mean the North Stand itself will be complete and open during the 2025-26 football season.
The hotel, workspace and public realm works, including City Square, will subsequently complete by late 2026.
The Club’s development represents over £300 million of investment into East Manchester and the creation of 2,600 jobs, prioritised for people from Greater Manchester.
