Matchdays at the Etihad Stadium continued to offer fans one of the best experiences in world sport. For the third year in succession, the Premier League’s Matchday Fan Experience Survey of tens of thousands of fans revealed City’s Fanzone to be the highest-rated of any club in the league.
More than 1.3 million tickets were sold for men’s matchdays across all competitions and the average home Premier League attendance was up on the previous campaign at 53,346.
The arrival of the team bus before the game continued to be a matchday highlight, and this season it became even more special for fans following the unveiling of a statue in tribute to legendary City trio Colin Bell, Francis Lee, and Mike Summerbee.
The statue, which is situated close to the Colin Bell stand, was created by artist David Williams-Ellis and commemorates the players’ contribution to City’s previous great era of success in the late-60s/early-70s and their combined 30 years of football service to the Club.
It also features the names of all 29 players who contributed to an era in which City won the First Division title, the FA Cup, the League Cup and a European Cup Winners’ Cup.
The team arrival is the centrepiece of the pre-game Blue Carpet Experience each matchday. It was further improved this season by the installation of two new jumbo screens at West Reception.
The pre-match entertainment continued inside the Etihad Stadium. Fans at seven evening games were treated to unique light shows featuring audio, pyrotechnics and lasers. Innovations included motion laser animations depicting Rodri’s Champions League winning goal in Istanbul and a special tribute for the reveal of the Bell, Lee and Summerbee statue.
The legacy of last season’s Treble, the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup were all celebrated with unique banners and events. These included a matchday activation where fans who had attended every match during the Treble winning season, including the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup Finals, carried the trophies into the Etihad Stadium.
Source: Manchester City, Premier League
City also launched a collaboration with Piing, who this season became the Club’s Official Crowd Games Supplier. The first collaboration of its type in the Premier League enabled fans to take part in quiz-style games at both the Etihad Stadium and Joie Stadium.
As ever, the Club placed a strong emphasis on attracting and entertaining young fans. The Kids Fanzone continued to perform strongly in Club surveys with a satisfaction rating of 9.5 out of 10.
As part of the Club’s commitment to improving the matchday experience, new food and drink self-service systems were introduced. Overall season ticket member matchday satisfaction rose in Club surveys, from 8.6 out of 10 last season to 8.9 this season – the second successive year that this satisfaction rating has grown.
This season the Club commenced work on the expansion of the Etihad Stadium and the surrounding area as part of developing a best-in-class fan experience and year-round entertainment destination.
The £300 million development will increase capacity at the Etihad Stadium to over 60,000. Centered around an expanded North Stand, it will also include a 400-bed hotel, sky bar, workspace, Club shop, museum and a range of food and beverage outlets.
Significant progress was made in the latter half of the season, as the first steels were installed and the hotel cores went up on site.
The North Stand will open during the 2025-26 season, with the hotel, workspace and public realm works, including City Square, opening in late 2026.
Once completed, the Club’s new world-class facilities will sit alongside the 23,500-capacity arena, Co-op Live – a joint venture between City Football Group and Oak View Group.
Outside of matchdays, the Club continued to connect with fans both in the UK and around the world.
The Four-In-A-Row trophy parade through Manchester attracted more than 100,000 City fans at the end of May. The open-top bus route included four stops to represent each of the four Premier League victories, with a unique show and guests at each one.
Nate, a nine-year-old fan with a passion for stadium announcing, introduced the players onto the parade buses. The young fan had also announced the players earlier in the season during City’s Premier League clash with Brentford.
The 2023-24 campaign saw regular and sustained engagement with representatives elected to the Club’s official fan network, City Matters.
Extensive meetings with the Club across 32 hours over the course of the season allowed for in-depth discussions on subjects including matchdays, ticketing, and equality, diversity and inclusion.
At the end of the 2023-24 season, the Club was awarded the Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice Best of the Best Award for The Manchester City Stadium Tour. City’s Stadium Tour was ranked one of the top five experiences in the UK and amongst the top 1% experiences across the world. It was the second time in three years that the tour has earned the award.
The tour continued to prove increasingly popular, with the number of visits up 50% year-on-year.
For the first time, visitors could sit next to virtual versions of Erling Haaland, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Aké; ask them questions and even pose for pictures. Fans could also take part in a digital press conference alongside Pep Guardiola.
