Manchester City have been in the shadows of their city rivals Manchester United for so long but only in the last few years have they finally begun to compete with them. They stole the title from their rivals at the end of the 2011-12 season and have shown they can produce a team to rival United, but now, they are looking to transform their stadium into something which can rival Old Trafford.
City have applied for planning permission to expand their stadium by 14,000, to potentially make the Etihad, the second largest stadium in the Premier League. The plans show both ends of the staium lifted, to accomodate extra seasting, and both the East and West stands could be further increased to total a stadium capacity of over 70,000 in the future.
For now, United’s Old Trafford still holds the crown for the largest Premier Legaue venue at 76,000 but if City are granted permission by the Manchester council, then there will be yet more rivalry between the giants of English football.
By Phil Wellbrook
