Manchester City had famously played their football at Maine Road, a ground which had been home for the Blues for over 80 years. So when City moved to the City of Manchester Stadium, many fans took their chance to snap up some of the seats and turf from the Maine Road Stadium, including our very own Steven Whatmough, who still to this day has three seats from Maine Road leant against the banister in his bedroom. What a true football fan.

The City of Manchester Stadium was originally built for the Manchester Commonwealth games, which were held in the city in 2002, and after long negotiations, Manchester City strook a deal to become the Stadium's new tenants, a decision which was met with controversy.

The club had to spend well over £20Million to get the stadium "football worthy", replacing running tracks and expanding the capacity by a further 10,000, so that the supporters would be closer to the action following the departure of the running track.

An interesting feature of the new stadium is the openable "doors" if you will, in each of the four corners. These are located at either end of the level three seating in the East and Colin Bell stands. These are closed when in use, however, when the stadium is unoccupied, they are opened to allow the wind to blow through the enclosed bowl, helping keep the grass pristine'. There is also a small basic electric scoreboard in one corner of the stadium, in-between the East & Key 103 stands, adjacent to the upper tier of the away fans section.

Many City fans still call their new home Eastlands, used when it didn’t have an official name. Some have suggested The Blue Camp, others New Maine Road but officially it’s The City of Manchester Stadium. Unlike many other stadiums and stands, there are no letters across the seats, so there is nothing like MCFC spelt out across them.

How to get to the City of Manchester by car:

The stadium is located in the North East of Manchester.

From the South M6:
Leave the M6 at Junction 19 and follow the A556 towards Stockport and then join the M56 going towards Stockport. Continue onto the M60 passing Stockport and heading on towards Ashton Under Lyne.  Leave the M60 at Junction 23 and take the A635 towards Manchester. Branch off onto the A662 (Ashton New Road) towards Droylsden/Manchester. Stay on the A662 for around three miles and you will reach the Stadium on your right.

From The M62:
Leave the M62 at Junction 18 and then join the M60 Ashton Under Lyne.  Leave the M60 at Junction 23 and take the A635 towards Manchester. Branch off onto the A662 (Ashton New Road) towards Droylsden/Manchester. Stay on the A662 for around three miles and you will reach the Stadium on your right. 

Car Parking:
There is some parking available at the stadium itself which costs £5 per car. The East Car Park is nearest to the away entrance. Please be aware that there is a residents only parking scheme in place in the streets near to the ground, which extends about a mile out from the stadium. So if you want to street park, it means parking further away and then walking to the stadium. Some unofficial car parks have sprung up mostly charging around £5 per car. Peter Llewellyn adds; 'The road links are busy even on non-match days so make sure you allow plenty of time. The stadium is part of Sportcity so car users should follow the brown Sportcity signs until near the stadium'. 

How to get to the City of Manchester by train:

The closest train station is Ashburys which is a short five minute train ride away from Manchester Piccadilly Station. The stadium is about a ten minute walk away from Ashburys station. As you come out of the station turn left and after proceeding up the road you will come to the stadium on your left.

Otherwise if you have time on your hands then you can embark on the 20/25 minute walk from Piccadilly Station to the stadium. At the bottom of the main station approach turn right into Ducie Street. At the end of the road turn right onto Great Ancoats Street. Cross over the road, then the canal and turn left into Pollard Street - this is well marked as a walking route to "Sportcity". Continue straight along Pollard Street which leads onto the A662 Ashton New Road and you will come to the stadium on your left. 

A shorter route from the station is to use the new exit to Fairfield Street (the taxi rank). As you come off the platforms, it’s in the left hand corner of the main concourse. Lifts or escalators down. (There’s also an exit from the little concourse off the bridge near platforms 13/14.) At the street exit head toward the railway over bridge, under that, then left again under the railway (Travis Street continuing into Adair Street), left at the end and right into Pollard Street (then as above).

Alternatively you can get a taxi from Piccadilly Station (around £4.50) or a bus from Piccadilly Gardens -  Go down the main approach from the station, then along London Road to Piccadilly Gardens; normal service and special matchday buses leave from the right hand side of the square (between Lever Street and Oldham Street) - £1 each way. 216 and 217 the main service buses, but 185, 186, 230, 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, X36 and X37 also go from the city centre to the stadium (and 53 and 54 from the city's ring road). On the return, the special buses leave from Ashton New Road just across from the away end.

Thanks to Football Ground Guide for kindly supplying Super Sven's Blue & White Army with the direction details above.

CONTACTING THE CLUB:

A: City of Manchester City Stadium, Sportcity, Rowsley St, Manchester M11 3FF.

T: 0870 062 1894      F: 0161 438 7999

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