Manchester City’s training ground has been the state-of-the-art Etihad Campus since December 2014 after 13 years at the Carrington Training Centre. It forms a main part of Sportcity with Etihad Stadium.
Sportcity is the largest concentration of sporting venues in Europe and it was developed for the 2002 Commonwealth Games. But Manchester City spent £200m in the early 2010s to develop the unused areas around Etihad Stadium and build their latest training ground, called the City Football Academy.
Manchester City training ground name
Manchester City officially named their training ground as the City Football Academy when it opened in back 2014. But while the term Etihad Campus refers to the 80-acre site all around and including Etihad Stadium, it has also since become the common moniker exclusively for the Citizens’ training complex.
How many pitches are there at Etihad Campus?
Etihad Campus features 16.5 indoor and outdoor pitches with 12.5 designated for Manchester City’s academy set-up. Of the pitches at Manchester City’s training ground, 5.5 of them also have a Desso surface. It takes 40,000 kilometres of artificial turf fibres to make each of the Citizens’ Desso pitches.
The three pitches designated for exclusive first-team use also each have different surfaces. One is a Desso surface pitch, along with a RouteZone field and the more heavily sanded GrassMaster. These are designed to allow Manchester City to tailor each training session for their opponent’s pitches.
One training pitch is also in a secluded area of Etihad Campus so that Manchester City can practice their set-pieces. The secluded nature of the pitch prevents windy conditions from interrupting any sessions. It also provides greater privacy, while their site connects to Etihad Stadium with a bridge.
The half-pitch is designated as the training pitch for all of Manchester City’s goalkeepers. While the Manchester City first-team squad have exclusive use of The Performance Centre, which is a full-size indoor pitch. The club use an 8.1m-litre underground irrigation tank to collect and recycle rainwater.
What other facilities does Manchester City’s training ground have?
Manchester City’s training ground, Etihad Campus, also features a broad range of further facilities for Pep Guardiola’s squad and the academy. It also contains the 7,000-capacity Academy Stadium, which hosts 5,000 seated and 2,000 standing spectators. Their youth and women’s sides play at the ground.
Additionally, Etihad Campus features a fan zone, a Metrolink station and bus stops. While the Citizens have further use of dedicated and comprehensive gyms, medical and therapy rooms, training spaces, teaching rooms, a relaxation lounge, pools, bedrooms and office spaces at The Performance Centre.
In total, there are three gyms with state-of-the-art equipment at Manchester City’s training ground, Etihad Campus. These are on the first floor alongside cryotherapy and ultra-sound treatment rooms. There is also a hypoxic chamber of treadmills that offers variable altitudes and extreme temperatures.
City HQ is also home to the majority of Manchester City’s and the City Football Group’s operations at Etihad Campus. The site also has a 120-seated media room, plus a woodland fitness trail and training hill. There is also the Manchester Institute of Health and Performance as well as a sixth-form college.
Manchester City used to train at the Carrington Training Centre
Manchester City moved to Etihad Campus in December 2014 after 13 years at the Carrington Training Centre. Construction started in September 2012. Former manager and captain Tony Book, chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and George Osborne, then-Chancellor of the Exchequer, opened the complex.
The Carrington Training Centre was no longer fit for purpose as the Citizens started to rapidly better Manchester City’s trophy history. It was located adjacent to a public footpath allowing onlookers to photograph training sessions. The club had refurbished the on-site gym and medical facilities in 2009.
Bury FC leased the Carrington Training Centre from Manchester City between 2015 and 2019. While rugby union franchise Sale Sharks later moved into the complex in 2020 following Bury’s demise. The complex backs onto Sale Sharks’ previous Carrington training ground, which was owned by Sale FC.
What is the address?
Etihad Campus: 400 Ashton New Road, Manchester, M11 4TQ