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The City of Manchester Stadium, also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, in Manchester, is the home ground of Manchester City Football Club. Sometimes referred to as Eastlands, it is the fifth-largest stadium in the Premier League and the twelfth-largest in the United Kingdom with a seating capacity of 47,805 and 45,500 for UEFA-licensed matches. The Eastlands site was originally proposed for the main athletics stadium in Manchester's failed bid for the 2000 Summer Olympics. The stadium was built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games at a cost of £110 million and designed by Arup Sport. To ensure avoidance of a white elephant, it was decided that Manchester City F.C. would inherit the stadium which would also replace Maine Road. Immediately after the Games finished, an additional tier of seating was excavated below the former athletics track with Manchester City moving in during the summer of 2003. Arup Sport designed the stadium to be an intimate yet intimidating, gladiatorial arena embodying the atmosphere of a football club. The stadium's exterior is dominated by twelve turrets, the tallest of which is 75m and which hold the roof using a cable net system. Below the turrets, circular access ramps which provide stairless entry to the higher tiers. In addition to athletics, the stadium has also hosted the 2008 UEFA Cup Final, England football internationals, rugby league internationals, boxing matches and numerous music concerts. |