Manchester City celebrates milestone moment for Etihad Stadium expansion with a family of four generations of fans | OneFootball

Manchester City celebrated a milestone moment in the development of the Etihad Stadium expansion as the new steel structure for the North Stand expansion was officially attached and bolted to the existing stadium.

The expansion, which is centred around the North Stand, will see the Club develop a 3000-capacity fan zone, a 400-bed hotel and a new club shop and museum.

To mark the occasion, City invited a family with four generations of fans to the Etihad Stadium to hear exclusively from the project team and to find out more about the Club's plans.

The Cartwright family first became fans after Ann and Roy took their sons Andy and Phil to a game in the 1960s.

They passed on their love of City and now, Angela, Phil's daughter, attends games with her son Jude. The family also include a former player - third-generation Angela married midfielder Gary Owen, who made more than 100 appearances for City between 1975 and 1979.

WATCH: Etihad Stadium expansion family surprise.

As well as learning more about the North Stand project, the family were treated to a special visit from young City superstars Rico Lewis and Nico O'Reilly, who shared their excitement about playing in front of the newly expanded stand in the future.

After a visit from Moonchester, the family finished the day with a VIP stadium tour.

The joining of the existing stadium with the new section is another milestone moment in the evolution of the Etihad Campus and Manchester City's ambition to deliver a world-class, year-round entertainment destination in the heart of East Manchester.

Upon completion, the new-look North Stand will sit opposite Co-op Live, the UK's only music-first venue and a joint venture between City Football Group and Oak View Group.

The stadium infrastructure project is also bringing job opportunities and economic growth to the area, building on the Club's long-standing investment and commitment to its local community.

During the construction phase alone, the equivalent of 890 full-time roles will be delivered and the Club is working with local partners and contractors to ensure residents are well placed to take advantage of these new opportunities.

Commenting on the milestone moment, Ed Dalton, Director of Infrastructure Development, said:

“It’s an exciting moment in our building programme for the new steel structure to be attached and bolted to the existing North Stand.

“Fans and visitors can see the extended upper tier progressing which really gives a sense of the scale of the expansion and how the inclusion of 3,000 new rail seats will add to the electric atmosphere on matchdays.

“Hosting a special day for the Cartwright family, who have been here for many of the major moments at the Etihad Stadium and are excited to watch many more in the future, was a fitting way to acknowledge the symbolic joining of the old and the new.

“Work is progressing at pace on the development, and we’re looking forward to marking more milestones in the coming months before we welcome fans into the expanded North Stand during the 2025-26 season.”

City fan, Angela Owen, said: “It’s difficult for me to think about how the stadium could get any better but to see the stand coming in, and the new generations and the new fans coming up through, it’s just going to be fabulous. It’s already fabulous – but this, it’s going to be next level!

“It’s quite hard to grasp how big we are as a Club, but then you see the new stand coming in… never in my wildest dreams did I think we’d become the Club that we are now.”