Manchester City's progression off the pitch shifts another gear as the club reveal their new state-of-the-art changing rooms and tunnel area ahead of the first home match against Everton on August 21st.
Bespoke artwork and City branding will be added in time for kick off, but in the mean time the club are showcasing their new facilities in the Colin Bell Stand. The new circular 11m wide layout in the home changing room comes complete with the most advanced preparation and recovery tech in the Premier League with hydro pools. It's not just the City staff that will benefit from the upgrades – the away changing room, facilities for match officials, and media areas have also had an upgrade.
Perhaps the most significant new addition at the Etihad Stadium is the Glass Tunnel (above). Yep, modern football at its most VIP status. The Glass Tunnel is the first of its kind in the Premier League and will offer special guests the chance to view the tunnel area like never before. Over 250m2 of glazing has been installed for the project and has been approved by all the relevant governing bodies.
To get acces to the Glass Tunnel, you'll have to be a member of the Tunnel Club. The Tunnel Club (TTC) is a new hospitality option at the Etihad this season that is centred around the Glass Tunnel that will give fans a 'backstage pass' view of the players. But that ain't all, TCC members will get pre-match presentations from the club's performance analysis team who will talk through the manager's team selection. They’ll also be the first to hear from the manager and players as they can watch the post-match interviews and mixed zone through additional glass panels. Next level stuff. We'll have a pie and a bovril on some uncovered terracing, but the game is a business and this is a serious move. Below: Home Team Showers. Hydra Pools.
Below: Artist's impression of The Tunnel Club.
That glass tunnel though. That would have seen some sights had it been around in previous seasons. We can just imagine some wealthy potential foreign investor trying to enjoy his Butternut and Sweet Potato Soup around the 65th minute as Joey Barton comes charging down the tunnel after a red card, spitting and ramming a fourth officials bloody nose against the glass. Nah, that definitely won't happen... nor will away players provoke supporters like kids at the zoo.
