Etihad Campus · Ashton New Road · Manchester M11 3FF
The Etihad: a campus, not a ground in a street
Manchester City's stadium anchors a purpose-built site in east Manchester that now includes an academy, a training complex, a tram stop and the largest indoor arena in the country. That planning makes arriving here unlike arriving at any old ground.
Which is rare in English football and it shows. Wide approach roads, designated car parks, a Metrolink stop at the door and space to move. The Etihad was designed to absorb a crowd rather than having one squeezed into it.
What a purpose-built site does differently
Compare this with Loftus Road or Kenilworth Road and the difference is total.
Built for fifty thousand
Ashton New Road and the campus roads were laid out with a matchday in mind, not adapted to one.
Stop at the door
The Etihad Campus tram stop is on the site. Genuinely convenient, and busy accordingly.
On the same campus
The country's largest indoor arena opened here. Check whether it has an event on your date.
Which most grounds lack
We can hold considerably closer here than at almost any other major stadium.
Kent to east Manchester
The M6 and the M60 rather than the city centre, which is one advantage of an out-of-centre site.
| Pick-up area | Distance | Each way |
|---|---|---|
| Gravesend & Northfleet | 245 miles | 4h 30m – 5h 45m |
| Dartford & Bluewater | 240 miles | 4h 25m – 5h 40m |
| Bromley & Orpington | 235 miles | 4h 20m – 5h 35m |
| Sevenoaks & Tonbridge | 238 miles | 4h 25m – 5h 40m |
| Rochester & Chatham | 255 miles | 4h 45m – 6h |
| Maidstone & Aylesford | 252 miles | 4h 40m – 5h 55m |
| Canterbury & Ashford | 280 miles | 5h 10m – 6h 25m |
Check the arena as well as the fixture
Co-op Live sits on the same campus. When both have events the site handles a considerably larger crowd.
| Scenario | What it means |
|---|---|
| Football only | Straightforward. Wide roads, space to collect, quick exit. |
| Arena only | Even easier. The stadium car parks absorb the arena crowd. |
| Both on the same day | Up to seventy-five thousand people on one site. Plan for it. |
| Evening kick-off plus an arena show | The hardest combination, and it happens. |
| We check when you book | Give us the date and we will look at both calendars. |
An Etihad away day
We can hold closer here than anywhere
Purpose-built sites have space, and this one has a good deal of it. Where most grounds force us fifteen or twenty minutes out, at the Etihad we can usually collect considerably nearer, on campus roads that were laid out to move traffic away rather than trap it. It is one of the easier fifty-thousand-capacity exits in the country.
Check whether the arena is busy too
Co-op Live sits on the same campus and holds twenty-three thousand. On a date when both venues have events, the site is handling up to seventy-five thousand people and the whole calculation changes. We check both calendars when you give us the date, which takes a minute and occasionally changes the plan entirely.
East Manchester, not the city centre
The stadium sits about two miles from the middle of Manchester, which means arriving does not involve city driving from the motorway. It also means that if your group wants to be in the centre before or after, that is a separate leg rather than a walk. Tell us and we will build it in.
Distance is the only real difficulty
At two hundred and forty-five miles this is a full-day trip from Kent whatever the kick-off time. The ground itself is among the easiest we deal with; the M6 is the part that requires planning. Evening fixtures are considerably better as an overnight.
Etihad Stadium questions
Campus access and the arena next door.
Is the Etihad easy to get away from?
Easier than most stadiums its size. It is a purpose-built campus with wide approach roads and space, so we can collect considerably closer than at grounds squeezed into residential streets.
Is Co-op Live on the same site?
Yes, and it holds twenty-three thousand. When both have events on the same date the campus handles up to seventy-five thousand people. We check both calendars when you book.
How far is it from Kent?
Around two hundred and forty to two hundred and eighty miles, four and a half to six and a half hours each way including required rest breaks.
Should we stay over?
For an evening kick-off, yes. A Saturday afternoon fixture works as a day return, though it is a long day whichever way you do it.
Is the tram useful?
Very, if you are already in Manchester. The Etihad Campus stop is on the site. After a match it queues like every matchday service.
Is the ground in Manchester city centre?
No, about two miles east of it. That means no city driving from the motorway, but also that being in the centre before or after is a separate leg.
Can you take a supporters' coach?
Yes, up to forty-nine seats. The campus has proper coach provision, which is not true everywhere.
Is the fare fixed?
Yes, agreed before travel and unaffected by motorway delays.
Manchester venues and guides
The city, and the campus.