Sportcity
Encyclopedia
Sportcity Manchester is a sports district in the City of Manchester, and was used to host of the 2002 Commonwealth Games
. It is located in east Manchester, less than a mile away from Manchester city centre
and was developed on former industrial land including the site of Bradford Colliery
.
The largest structure is the City of Manchester Stadium
built for the Commonwealth Games and now home to Manchester City F.C. An architecturally striking stadium, it is one of the largest in England. The Manchester Velodrome
is the base for where British Cycling
and the National Indoor BMX Arena
was completed in 2011. SportCity is home to the National Squash Centre
and the Manchester Regional Arena
for athletics. Future developments will include Manchester City's £50m training complex and a leisure complex.
and Bradford. A visitor centre provides information the site's history from a heavily industrialised area to its ongoing regeneration. The Etihad Campus Metrolink station on the Manchester Metrolink
close to Joe Mercer Way will be operational in time for the 2012–13 football season.
The City of Manchester Stadium
, CoMS was used for the 2002 Commonwealth Games and is the home of Manchester City Football Club. The stadium with twelve 70 metre high masts has become a landmark on the Manchester skyline.
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 record
s and the 4000 metre team pursuit
record set by the Great Britain
men's team at the 2008 World Championships.
is a multipurpose stadium at SportCity primarily used for athletics and association 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.
. 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 on 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.
and Manchester City Council, in partnership with New East Manchester worked together to deliver the 110000 square feet (10,219.3 m²) 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.
In March 2010, Manchester City signed an agreement with Manchester City Council
and the New East Manchester Agency to explore alternative leisure proposals to replace the regional casino
planned to be built next to the City of Manchester Stadium. The agreement gave the club permission to build and expand its facilities.
The club plans to move its academy from Carrington Training Centre
closer to the City of Manchester Stadium. The training complex will be based on AC Milan's Milanello
facility which is considered to be one of the best in world football. The £50m million training facility will house all the playing staff when the youth academy moves from Platt Lane.
After increasing ticket sales and selling 36,000 season tickets for the 2010-11 season Manchester City is considering increasing the stadium's capacity. The stadium is currently leased to the club and its owners are believed to want to buy it. The increased capacity could be 60,000, achieved by adding a third tier to the north and south stands. A capacity increase to 75,000 has been speculated encouraged by the club's desire to host key internationals if England won the right to host the 2018 World Cup. Reports have speculated the club wish to create the largest stadium in England in keeping with the owners' ambition to create the best football club on and off the pitch.
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 higher £3 million payment agreement signals the club is looking to develop the stadium. The agreement shows Manchester City's willingness to "consider potential development as part of a contribution to the regeneration of east Manchester".
Jack Rouse Associates, the company that owns Ferrari World
in Abu Dhabi
emerged as a possible developer. A mixed-use development was listed on its website in October 2010.
which, it was hoped, would spur re-generation in the area, but the plan was rejected by the House of Lords
.
2002 Commonwealth Games
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...
. It is located in east Manchester, less than a mile away from Manchester city centre
Manchester City Centre
Manchester city centre is the central business district of Manchester, England. It lies within the Manchester Inner Ring Road, next to the River Irwell...
and was developed on former industrial land including the site of Bradford Colliery
Bradford Colliery
Bradford Colliery was a coal mine on the Central Manchester Coalfield in Bradford, Greater Manchester, then in the historic county of Lancashire, England. Although part of the Manchester Coalfield, the seams of the Bradford Coalfield correspond more closely to the Oldham Coalfield...
.
The largest structure is the City of Manchester Stadium
City of Manchester Stadium
The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England – also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship purposes– is the home ground of...
built for the Commonwealth Games and now home to Manchester City F.C. An architecturally striking stadium, it is one of the largest in England. The Manchester Velodrome
Manchester Velodrome
Manchester Velodrome is an indoor cycle-racing track or velodrome in Manchester, northwest England. It opened in September 1994 and is the leading indoor Olympic-standard track in the United Kingdom. It houses the National Cycling Centre and British Cycling...
is the base for where British Cycling
British Cycling
British Cycling is the national governing body for cycle racing in Great Britain. It administers most competitive cycling in Great Britain, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man...
and the National Indoor BMX Arena
National Indoor BMX Arena
The National Indoor BMX Arena is a indoor BMX racing stadium in Sportcity, Manchester, UK. The new arena is situated next to the Manchester Velodrome and the buildings share a common entrance as part of the National Cycling Centre. The stadium cost £19 million, seats 2,000 spectators and is home to...
was completed in 2011. SportCity is home to the National Squash Centre
National Squash Centre
The National Squash Centre is a squash venue in Eastlands, Manchester, England which was constructed for the 2002 Commonwealth Games. The National Squash Centre is part of the Sportcity complex....
and the Manchester Regional Arena
Manchester Regional Arena
The Manchester Regional Arena is a multipurpose stadium in Manchester, England primarily used for athletics and association football. It was originally developed as the warm-up track for the 2002 Commonwealth Games held at the adjacent City of Manchester Stadium...
for athletics. Future developments will include Manchester City's £50m training complex and a leisure complex.
Location and venues
The Sportcity complex is based in east Manchester, between the districts of BeswickBeswick, Greater Manchester
Beswick is an area of the city of Manchester, in North West England. The River Medlock and the Ashton Canal both run through it. It neighbours the district of Bradford to the east and the two areas are sometimes referred to as Bradford-with-Beswick....
and Bradford. A visitor centre provides information the site's history from a heavily industrialised area to its ongoing regeneration. The Etihad Campus Metrolink station on the Manchester Metrolink
Manchester Metrolink
Metrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of four lines which converge in Manchester city centre and terminate in Bury, Altrincham, Eccles and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and operated under contract by RATP Group...
close to Joe Mercer Way will be operational in time for the 2012–13 football season.
City of Manchester Stadium
City of Manchester Stadium
The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England – also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship purposes– is the home ground of...
, CoMS was used for the 2002 Commonwealth Games and is the home of Manchester City Football Club. The stadium with twelve 70 metre high masts has become a landmark on the Manchester skyline.
Manchester Velodrome
The Manchester VelodromeManchester Velodrome
Manchester Velodrome is an indoor cycle-racing track or velodrome in Manchester, northwest England. It opened in September 1994 and is the leading indoor Olympic-standard track in the United Kingdom. It houses the National Cycling Centre and British Cycling...
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
Chris Boardman
Christopher "Chris" Boardman MBE is a former English racing cyclist who won an individual pursuit gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics and broke the world hour record three times, as well as winning three stages and wearing the yellow jersey on three separate occasions at the Tour de France...
's 1996 and 2000 hour record
Hour record
The hour record for bicycles is the record for the longest distance cycled in one hour on a bicycle. There are several records. The most famous is for upright bicycles meeting the requirements of the Union Cycliste Internationale . It is one of the most prestigious in cycling...
s and the 4000 metre team pursuit
Team pursuit
The team pursuit is a track cycling event similar to the individual pursuit, except that two teams, each of up to four riders, compete, start on opposite sides of the velodrome.- Race format :...
record set by the Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
men's team at the 2008 World Championships.
Manchester Regional Arena
The Manchester Regional ArenaManchester Regional Arena
The Manchester Regional Arena is a multipurpose stadium in Manchester, England primarily used for athletics and association football. It was originally developed as the warm-up track for the 2002 Commonwealth Games held at the adjacent City of Manchester Stadium...
is a multipurpose stadium at SportCity primarily used for athletics and association football. It was developed as the warm-up
Warming up
A warm-up is usually performed before participating in technical sports or exercising. A warm-up generally consists of a gradual increase in intensity in physical activity , a joint mobility exercise, stretching and a sport related activity. For example, before running or playing an intense sport...
track for the 2002 Commonwealth Games
2002 Commonwealth Games
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...
held in the adjacent City of Manchester Stadium. It has hosted the AAA Championships and Paralympic World Cup
Paralympic World Cup
The Paralympic World Cup is an annual international multi-sport event for elite athletes with a disability, that has been hosted in Manchester, England since 2005. It is organized by the British Paralympic Association in coordination with the International Paralympic Committee .As of 2011, the...
, and was the reserve home ground of Manchester City reserves
Manchester City F.C. Reserves and Academy
Manchester City is represented at Reserve level by the Elite Development Squad, also referred to as just the Elite Squad, or EDS, a predominantly 'Under-21' side that replaced the previous Reserve team in a move to focus on youth development post-academy...
before the team moved to Ewen Fields
Ewen Fields
Ewen Fields is a multi-use stadium in Tameside, England. It is the home ground of Hyde F.C. and Manchester City Reserves and has also in the past hosted Manchester United F.C. Reserves, Stockport County Reserves and Oldham Curzon Ladies. It is currently used for football...
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 Games2002 Commonwealth Games
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...
. 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 on 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.
National BMX Arena
British CyclingBritish Cycling
British Cycling is the national governing body for cycle racing in Great Britain. It administers most competitive cycling in Great Britain, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man...
and Manchester City Council, in partnership with New East Manchester worked together to deliver the 110000 square feet (10,219.3 m²) National Indoor BMX Centre' which opened in 2011. It was designed by Ellis Williams Architects, and built by contractors Sir Robert McAlpine
Sir Robert McAlpine
Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd. is a private British company headquartered in London. It carries out engineering and construction for the oil and gas, petrochemical, power generation, nuclear, pharmaceutical, defence, chemical, water and mining industries.-History:...
.
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 City plans
Manchester City Council
Manchester City Council is the local government authority for Manchester, a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. It is composed of 96 councillors, three for each of the 32 electoral wards of Manchester. Currently the council is controlled by the Labour Party and is led by...
and the New East Manchester Agency to explore alternative leisure proposals to replace the regional casino
Regional casino
A Regional Casino, more commonly known as a Super Casino , is the term given to the largest category of casino that was to have been permitted under UK law - equivalent in size to the larger casinos in Las Vegas...
planned to be built next to the City of Manchester Stadium. The agreement gave the club permission to build and expand its facilities.
The club plans to move its academy from Carrington Training Centre
Carrington Training Centre
Carrington Training Centre or Manchester City training complex, sometimes referred to as Carrington, is the training ground of English Premier League club, Manchester City. The Manchester City Academy is not based at Carrington but at the Platt Lane training complex in Fallowfield, Manchester...
closer to the City of Manchester Stadium. The training complex will be based on AC Milan's Milanello
Milanello
Milanello Sports Centre, commonly referred to as simply Milanello, is the training facility of Italian professional football club Associazione Calcio Milan. Built in 1963, the centre consists of , including a pinewood and a little lake...
facility which is considered to be one of the best in world football. The £50m million training facility will house all the playing staff when the youth academy moves from Platt Lane.
After increasing ticket sales and selling 36,000 season tickets for the 2010-11 season Manchester City is considering increasing the stadium's capacity. The stadium is currently leased to the club and its owners are believed to want to buy it. The increased capacity could be 60,000, achieved by adding a third tier to the north and south stands. A capacity increase to 75,000 has been speculated encouraged by the club's desire to host key internationals if England won the right to host the 2018 World Cup. Reports have speculated the club wish to create the largest stadium in England in keeping with the owners' ambition to create the best football club on and off the pitch.
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 higher £3 million payment agreement signals the club is looking to develop the stadium. The agreement shows Manchester City's willingness to "consider potential development as part of a contribution to the regeneration of east Manchester".
Leisure complex
Preliminary preparation began in April 2010 with remediation of the 17 acres (6.9 ha) site around the stadium.Jack Rouse Associates, the company that owns Ferrari World
Ferrari World
Ferrari World is a Ferrari themed amusement park on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. The park is situated under a roof making it the largest indoor amusement park in the world. Ferrari World officially opened on November 4, 2010...
in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
emerged as a possible developer. A mixed-use development was listed on its website in October 2010.
Supercasino
SportCity was the proposed location for a SuperCasinoRegional casino
A Regional Casino, more commonly known as a Super Casino , is the term given to the largest category of casino that was to have been permitted under UK law - equivalent in size to the larger casinos in Las Vegas...
which, it was hoped, would spur re-generation in the area, but the plan was rejected by the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
.