Manchester City, the English Premier League champion, has announced plans to expand the capacity of the Etihad Stadium to accommodate regarding 60,000 spectators, with an increase of at least 5,000 seats.
And the English Premier League champions in the past two seasons want to add at least 5,000 additional seats to become the third largest stadium in the tournament and be eligible to host the Champions League final in the future by reaching the capacity required by the European Football Association (UEFA) to host the final.
Manchester City’s stadium already has a capacity of more than 55,000 spectators, but the club has had planning permission to carry out the work since adding an additional tier to the south stand in 2015. It is now believed that the project is in the process of getting started.
Several options have been proposed on how to increase the capacity, such as combining the stands behind both goals, as well as integrating the levels on the stadium to provide space for 5,000 or so spectators.
Another intention is to increase the number of corporate facilities at the stadium and he believes the club is exploring ways to do so.
Despite Manchester City’s standing in the Premier League, the Etihad Stadium’s capacity is less than stadiums such as Anfield and Old Trafford, where Liverpool FC has also developed its stadium to increase the capacity to around 60,000 spectators.
