Location and access to Etihad Stadium

Etihad Stadium Location

The Etihad Stadium, also known as the City of Manchester Stadium, is in Rowsley Street; it is easy to get to from the main motorways in the city of Manchester. Home to Manchester City Football Club the stadium can accommodate a total of 60,000 spectators, having the third largest capacity in the English League.

 Ashton New Rd, Manchester M11 3FF - United Kingdom

The Etihad Stadium is oval-shaped. It has a two tiered stand surrounding the entire field and a third tier on each of the sides. All the available space is used; there’s not a single nook without seats. It is not surprising that this stadium has the widest pitch of the all the Premier clubs.

How to get to the Etihad Stadium

There are several ways to get to Manchester City’s stadium:

On Foot

There is a safe and well lit route from Piccadilly train station. It is difficult to get lost because the route is signposted from start to finish. Simply follow the City Link signs. The estimated time on foot is about 20 minutes.

 Metrolink

This light rail system offers a service from Piccadilly and Droylsden every 12 minutes. The journey takes 20 minutes. An adult single ticket costs approximately £2.90, although there are other options such as family, group or return tickets. 

 Bus

Manchester has a wide variety of direct lines to the stadium: 53, 54, 185, 186, 216, 217, 230, 231, 232, 233, 234, 235, 236, 237, X36 and X37. At the end of the match, all buses will be parked in Ashton New Road, near the South Stand exits. These buses will take you back to the city centre or allow you to transfer to other lines. Security operatives have been put in place to regulate access to these buses, maintain order and facilitate the movement of spectators. 

 Car Park

The access is on Alan Turing Way, through the Blue Car Park (The Orange Car Park is for pre-paid parking only). The price list is as follows: motorbike, free; car, £10; Minibus, £20; coach and caravan, £30. This car park has disabled parking spaces, however free access is limited due to the high demand for places from existing club members. During peak times (from the end of the game until 45 minutes later), exiting the car park is restricted to the left side of the Blue Car Park. After the traffic starts moving freely all exits will be operational.  If you prefer to park away from the crowds generated by the match, you can do so in the K2 entrance located at the end of Ashton Old Road, about 50 metres from the junction with Pottery Lane. The price is £7 and it is about 10-15 minutes walking distance from the Etihad Stadium. 

Access to the seats

The side tiers have three levels, while the ends only have two. The two ends are known as the North and South Stands. The two sides are called the East and West Stands. The Etihad Stadium has 68 boxes distributed between the North (with 8 seats), East and West Stands (with 10 seats).
 
These are the official names. However, with the passing of time the fans have given them other names: the West Stand is known as the Collin Bell Stand named after a football player; the South Stand has been renamed Key 103 for sponsorship reasons; a part of the North Stand is called the Family Stand because the seats are reserved for families who come to the match with children; and, unofficially, the East Stand is known as Kippax, in memory of the same stand at Manchester City’s former stadium at Maine Road in Harrow. 

Your entrance ticket to the Etihad Stadium contains the following information in order to find your seat: 

• Stand: there are 4 stands in the Etihad Stadium: North, South, East and West. The away team supporters are usually placed in the South Stand. With this information you will know if your seat is at an end (North or South Stand) or on one of the sides (East or West Stand).
• Entrance: the entrance is the gate you will enter from the street. It is indicated with a letter. For example, Entrance E.   To get to your seat you have to enter by the gate that appears on your Manchester City ticket.  Here you will be asked for your ticket and you will be required to pass through the standard security controls. 
• Block: each stand has several blocks.  These are indicated by numbers.  For example, Block 304.  Locate your block to gain access to the aisle that will take you to your seat. Bear in mind that the stadium is oval shaped and therefore the stands are concentric circles, some inside each other, the blocks in the largest circle and furthest away from the pitch correspond to the numbers 301-330.  This circle covers the entire pitch with the exception of one end.  It is followed by the middle circle, with blocks 201 to 242. The smallest circle and, therefore, the closest to the football pitch covers blocks 101 to 142.
• Aisle: all the blocks are distributed into several aisles, these in turn contain several rows of seats. The aisles are identified with numbers, for example, Aisle 305.
• Row: is the row of seats where your seat is located. The rows are indicated with letters, for example, Row CC.
• Seat: The number of each seat appears in the seat itself, for example, 111. Pay attention because, like at the cinema, the seats may be ordered in odd and even numbers, some to the left and others to the right. 

If you have an entrance ticket with access to a box, remember that the South Stand doesn’t have any boxes. These are only found in the North, East and West stands. 

Safety regulations for access to the Etihad Stadium

The rules and instructions of Manchester City Football Club to enter the stadium Etihad Stadium are as follows:

• You are not allowed to bring food and drinks into the stadium.
• For security reasons, it is forbidden to bring objects larger than an A4 piece of paper into the grounds. Similarly, bags will undergo routine security checks.
• Flags and banners with a maximum size of 2x1 metres are permitted as long as they do not display offensive images and/or language. The use of rods to wave and hold such flags or banners is prohibited.
• It is strictly forbidden to enter with any type of fireworks, especially flares, as well as air-horns, knives, megaphones, musical instruments and large umbrellas.
• Smoking is prohibited in all zones of the stadium, including car parks, roadways and lobbies.
• Anyone supporting the visiting team found within the local supporters’ area will be ejected from the stadium.