configuration for the
2002 Commonwealth Games The Sportcity complex is in
Beswick and
Bradford in east Manchester. A visitor centre provides information on the site's history from a heavily industrialised area to its ongoing regeneration. The
Etihad Campus tram stop on the
Manchester Metrolink close to Joe Mercer Way became operational on 11 February 2013. Sportcity was the proposed location for the U.K.'s first
SuperCasino, but the plan was rejected by the
House of Lords. It was also the proposed site of an
wind turbine in 2006. Designed by
Norman Foster, the turbine was intended to provide power for the stadium and nearby homes, but safety concerns about ice on the blades led to the proposal being abandoned.
City of Manchester Stadium The
City of Manchester Stadium was used for the 2002 Commonwealth Games and is the home of
Manchester City Football Club. The stadium with twelve 70-metre high masts and a capacity of just over 55,000 has become a landmark on the Manchester skyline. The stadium is leased to the football club. The stadium lease was renegotiated in October 2010 and Manchester City will pay Manchester City Council £3 million a year rather than paying half the revenue over 35,000 ticket sales which amounted to approximately £2 million. The club plans to increase the stadium's capacity to 60,000 by adding a third tier to the north and south stands.
Etihad Campus The Etihad Campus is located south east of the main stadium and is the main training base for
Manchester City. It is made up of the
Academy Stadium which plays host to
Manchester City W.F.C. and
Manchester City F.C. EDS and Academy as well as community spaces such as a leisure centre and Sixth Form college.
National Cycling Centre The
National Cycling Centre is a multipurpose cycling venue including the
Manchester Velodrome,
National Indoor BMX Arena, and mountain bike trials.
Manchester Velodrome Manchester Velodrome was built for Manchester Olympic bids in the 1990s and used for the 2002 Commonwealth Games. The velodrome had a lasting legacy and in the
Beijing Olympics in 2008, the British cycling team—based at the velodrome—dominated the cycling events. The track has garnered a reputation for speed and by 30 March 2008, more than 15 world records had been set there, including
Chris Boardman's 1996 and 2000
hour records and the 4000 metre
team pursuit record set by the
Great Britain men's team at the 2008 World Championships.
National BMX Arena British Cycling and Manchester City Council, in partnership with New East Manchester worked together to deliver the
National Indoor BMX Centre which opened in 2011. It was designed by Ellis Williams Architects, and built by contractors
Sir Robert McAlpine. Alongside the velodrome, the £24 million complex will form the National Cycling Centre. It has 2,000 seats, a BMX area and offices for the headquarters of the
British Cycling Federation.
Manchester Regional Arena Manchester Regional Arena is a multipurpose stadium at SportCity primarily used for
athletics and
football. It was developed as the
warm-up track for the
2002 Commonwealth Games held in the adjacent City of Manchester Stadium. It has hosted the
AAA Championships and
Paralympic World Cup, and was the reserve home ground of
Manchester City reserves before the team moved to
Ewen Fields in June 2010.
The National Squash Centre The
National Squash Centre is another part of the Sportcity complex which was constructed for the
2002 Commonwealth Games. Costing approximately £3.5m, the facilities include six courts and a glass-walled show court which cost £110,000. The show court is moveable: it floats in the air like a hovercraft and can be positioned in the athletics hall for major tournaments. All the courts can be converted into singles or doubles courts at the touch of a button.
Rugby Football League In August 2022, the
Rugby Football League completed its move to Sportcity having previously based at Red Hall in North
Leeds.
Co-op Live Construction on a 23,500-capacity multi-purpose indoor arena began in 2021, in a joint venture between
City Football Group and
Oak View Group. The venue, named
Co-op Live to reflect significant investment in it by the
Co-operative Group, opened on 14 May 2024 with a concert by Manchester indie rock band
Elbow, after a
series of delays. It is the biggest indoor arena in Europe by capacity, surpassing the nearby
AO Arena. ==Future development==