Kieran Maguire: Man City blow Man United away with £300m plot
Man City are set to close the gap to Man United’s matchday revenue figures through their £300million Etihad Stadium expansion.
That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who exclusively told Football Insider that City’s expansion plans will satisfy all sections of the club’s fanbase.
City announced on 27 July that their expansion plans had been approved by Manchester City Council, with work to begin on the stadium in November this year.
The plans will take Etihad Stadium’s capacity to around 62,000, while a new hotel and entertainment facilities will also be constructed around the venue.
City are hopeful that their expansion will be complete for the start of the 2025/26 season.
Maguire believes Uefa’s new financial regulations means that increasing City’s £55million matchday revenue is ‘critical’.
“It’s absolutely critical,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.
“Manchester City’s owners have kept prices very competitive since they acquired the club, which is great if you’re a City fan.
“But the problem that brings is that City are bringing in £55million a year as far as matchday revenue is concerned – that’s half of Manchester United.
“That’s half of Spurs and potentially half of Arsenal in a Champions League year, and with the new financial fair play rules or financial sustainability rules introduced by UEFA, the amount you can spend on wages is linked to the amount of money that comes into the club.
“It’s critical that you address all of your major revenue streams, including match day.
“I suspect that relatively few tickets will go to season ticket holders.
“There’s certainly an increased demand from international fans and tourist fans to see Manchester City.
“The Haaland effect and winning the treble last year will certainly contribute, so I’d also expect to see a significant contribution coming from the hospitality sector.
“A lot of these extra seats will be coming in the form of boxes because it’s the bottom line that counts.
“So I think everybody will be satisfied – City’s hardcore fan base won’t have to deal with significant increases in what’s being demanded of them in terms of ticket prices.
“But the new breed of fans, the people who are just going to attend one or two matches a year, will have the opportunity to see the treble winners through high-priced hospitality sectors.“
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