Abu Dhabi United Group is looking to create the “finest urban sports campus in the world” on 200 acres of land around Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium.
Speaking alongside Manchester city council leader Sir Richard Leese, City Football Group board member and ADUG strategic adviser Marty Edelman said: “We looked at the land around the stadium and thought about what we should do to create something that was bold and inspiring.”
As well as the Etihad Stadium, east Manchester’s Etihad Campus is home to the City Football Academy, National Cycling Centre, Manchester Institute of Health and Performance and several sports national governing bodies. Earlier this month the Rugby Football League confirmed that it would move to the campus.
Leese said the city’s relationship with ADUG had seen it move from simply purchasing a football club, to the regeneration of the Eastlands part of the city. As a result, it would become a globally competitive sport and leisure cluster.
“There is no city that’s a better host for innovation than the city of Manchester,” said Edelman. “What I have learned from my time in Manchester is that developers can be competitive, but they need to collaborate in what they are doing. Otherwise you are not going to have a coherent community.”
Edelman said ADUG wanted to see residential, business, academic and leisure uses in and around the campus.
“We have some very ambitious plans. We are looking at a leisure component as well as an education component. What you will see is that there will be the same kind of activity that you will see in the centre of the city. There’ll be enough people around it that want to work there, study there, and undertake leisure activity there.”
He added: “We need to have more activity on the wider campus itself, in order to support the leisure facilities. I think what is important is that we are going to have young people, and that’s an energy source. We didn’t want to just do nice things for the community, but to participate in the community.”
Panel
■ Sir Richard Leese, leader, Manchester City Council
■ Marty Edelman, board member, City Football Group, and strategic adviser, ADUG
