West Sport

The idea of building City of Manchester Stadium was first introduced around 1990. Back then, Manchester was preparing to host the 2000 Summer Olympics and building the stadium was part of the city’s general plan to prepare venue for the event. After the Summer Olympics was awarded to Sydney, Australia, in 1993, the stadium plan then used to bid on the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

In 1996, City of Manchester Stadium competed against Wimbley to gain funding for national stadium; Wimbley won the funds and get restored as well as improved later on that year. The development of City of Manchester Stadium was finally started in 1999, with Tony Blair – the current Prime Minister – laying the first foundation stone.

The 2002 Commonwealth Games was successful, placing City of Manchester Stadium well in everyone’s mind. The stadium was then modified to suit football matches, following Manchester City’s decision to use the stadium as their home ground.

On August 10th, 2003, Manchester City played the first public football match in this stadium against Barcelona; it was a friendly match, yet everyone still remembers that moment until today. When England face Japan in the World Cup qualification, City of Manchester Stadium became the 50th stadium in England to host England international football.

There is no doubt that City of Manchester Stadium is a spectacular sporting ground. It has a seating capacity of 47,726 – originally designed for 80,000 capacity before then reduced to keep the development within budget – and it uses the famous Desso GrassMaster to provide the best ground for football matches.