Club Profile
Manchester City
The club once called “noisy neighbors” by Man United’s manager is now arguably the best team in the world. With their new worldwide following plus a nice, modern stadium in a cool city, they should be a major attraction for groundhoppers.
LOCATION: Two and a half hours from London’s Euston station
CONTACT: mancity.com
NICKNAMES: Citizens, Sky Blues, and just City, which owing to the local accent is often written as “Citeh”
History
Manchester City have always been the city’s second team to most people, although one gets a sense that it’s more like Manchester United are the world’s team and Manchester City are the city’s. You’ll probably hear that from City fans, granted, but if somebody has been a City fan for more than 10 years or so, it’s because they genuinely love them, not because they signed up for a front-runner.
Founded in 1880, City became the first Manchester club to win the FA Cup in 1904, but then financial troubles, highlighted by a fire at their ground, led to struggles and a new home, Maine Road, in 1923. They won another Cup in 1934, then the league in 1937, then declined before winning the Cup again in 1956. That final was famous because their goalkeeper, Bert Trautmann, played the last 20 minutes despite breaking a bone in his neck. Granted, he didn’t know he had broken it, but still.
They had good years in the late 1960s to mid-1970s, winning another league title and FA Cup as well as a couple of League Cups and the UEFA Cup Winner’s Cup. But the 1980s were a disaster, and despite being founder members of the Premier League in 1992, by 1996 they were in the third tier—today’s League One. They also went from 1990 to 2003 without ever beating United.
As recently as 2008, they were in financial trouble. Then they were bought by some very wealthy oilmen from Abu Dhabi who immediately started throwing the money around. They won the FA Cup in 2011—their first trophy since 1976—and have been a force since then. They won the league in the last minutes of the 2012 season, when Sergio Agüero (their all-time scoring leader) scored in injury time to take the title away from Manchester United. The official time of the goal was 93:20, which explains why you see that number all over the stadium. They have since won the league seven more times, including last season; won the League Cup six times and won the 2019 FA Cup. In 2019, they were the first to win the league, League Cup, and FA Cup in the same season, and in 2021 they made the Champions League final, losing it to Chelsea.
During the 2022-23 season they won the FA Cup, the Premier League, and the Champions League to become the second English club ever, and the first since the 1998-99 Manchester United team, to complete “The Treble.” They are becoming the standard by which the league, much less that other club across town, measure themselves. In 2024 they set another record, becoming the first English club to win top-tier the title four years in a row.
2024–25 SEASON: 3rd in Premier League, FA Cup runners-up, 4th Round League Cup, UEFA Champions League group stage
2025–26 SEASON: Premier League (promoted in 2002), UEFA Champions League
Rivalries
United, obviously, is their biggest rival. The Manchester derby goes back to 1881, and of the 187 matches, United have won 78 and City 57—but 9 of the last 15. The most famous perhaps was the “Denis Law game” in 1974, when the former United legend scored a backheel goal at Old Trafford to relegate them. He famously declined to celebrate, but City’s fans made up for it. They have also met in two recent FA Cup finals, with each side of town claiming a win.
Women's Team
Manchester City WFC are in the top league, the Women’s Super League, and they are one of the best teams in it. They won the league in 2016 and have finished second in six of the eight seasons since. In that time they also won three FA Cups and two League Cups. Home games are at the men’s campus in the Academy Stadium.
Songs
Their most famous song, by far, is “Blue Moon.” They will probably even carry a giant blue moon onto the center circle before the game, and you’ll hear the song throughout the game. This apparently started after a 1989 loss at Liverpool.
You will also hear “I’m City Till I Die,” and “You Are My City” to the tune of “You Are My Sunshine.” And they have a fun one for their manager, Pep Guardiola. They sing “We’ve Got Guardiola” to the tune of “Glad All Over.”
They also do a simple “City, City, the best team in the world.”
Stadium
Officially it’s the City of Manchester Stadium, and the area around it Sportcity, but everybody just calls it The Etihad because that airline cut a big ol’ check. It opened in 2002 for the Commonwealth Games then became City’s home in 2003, when they left Maine Road after 80 years.
When it opened it held 42,000 people, but it’s now up to 53,400 after a second expansion in 2015. They actually reduced capacity slightly last season, then they plan to bring it up to about 63,000. Its facilities, inside and out, are second to none, even if the atmosphere is sometimes lacking.
Away fans will be in the South Stand, often stretching into all three tiers.
TOURS: There are a few options, including limited game-day tours. The basic tour is £26, another with the academy tour is £45, and a Legends Tour led by a former player (they’re all “legends”) is available upon request.
Going to a Game at The Etihad
GETTING THERE: It couldn’t be easier getting to The Etihad; there is a tram stop right there. The tram is Metrolink, and the stop is Etihad Campus. At Piccadilly station’s Metrolink stop, look for line E going to Ashton-under-Lyne—or, as always, follow the colors. They have lots of staff around the platforms on game days to answer questions and sell tickets.
A taxi from Piccadilly is about £15. You can also walk there in about 25 minutes.
PUBS: There isn’t much around the stadium except for City Square right outside it, where they have a pub called Summerbee Bar and a family-friendly place called Blue Moon Cafe. Both will be completely nuts before the game. There will also be music and contests and a big screen and everything. It’s quite a scene.
There are still some old-school Man City pubs near the ground. Mary D’s on Gray Mare Lane is a traditional favorite, as is the even less glamorous Townley around the corner on Albert Street. If you’re looking for lunch and/or a pint before the game, you should do that in town, particularly two pubs in the terrific Northern Quarter part of town. Tib Street Tavern is a more traditional option there; just don’t wear any football jerseys at all.
GRUB: There is a cool new development called The Printworks near Victoria station with a pub of the same name. Across from that is Nando’s, a peri peri chicken chain. There is also a Wagamama in there; that’s an Asian bowl place with lots of tasty options, including vegetarian and vegan.
After the game, or at some point during your stay, we highly recommend two particular areas: Chinatown and the Curry Mile. Chinatown is right downtown, just a few minutes from Piccadilly Station. We have taken tour groups to Happy Seasons. A more famous and fancy place, though it’s hard to get into, is Wing’s. It’s kind of a thing in soccer world, with players and coaches dropping in on occasion.
The Curry Mile is just something to behold. It’s a long strip of road where Arabic is the main language and every business seems to be a curry house, sweet shop, or men’s barber-shop. MyLahore is a chain but it is delicious. There is also outrageously good Indian food next door at Mughli Charcoal Pit. The best curry I ever had was at Al-Madina. Afterward, go to Cedar Bakery or Sanam Sweets, get something to go, and just walk up and down the street.
The best way to get to the Curry Mile is probably by cab. There is a city bus, but it takes a bit; Google Maps will tell you how that works.
AROUND TOWN: We cover sites around town in the profile of Manchester United. Manchester also makes an awesome base for soccer explorations; see “Make Manchester Your Base.”
Manchester City Tickets
Like all the big Premier League clubs, tickets can be tough, but City—with their fairly recent big-time status and large stadium—seem to be a little less difficult than the other big six. Tickets range from £30 to £50. A membership (£25 to £35) will certainly help. They also have great and relatively affordable hospitality options that Groundhopper Guides can help with.
Photo Gallery
Videos
Panorama From Manchester City Stadium Tour, 2017
Manchester City Citizens Hospitality: View From Seats
2014 League Cup Semis: Manchester City fans taunting West Ham fans
More About Manchester City
