Your Roving Mark Mason Reporter
 
A Quick Trip Around The Etihad 7th July 2017
 
A cloudy but very warm Friday morning and I thought I would treat my good lady to a Trip, it was to a place where I spend a lot of the winter months, the Etihad Stadium and Club Tour, I couldn’t understand it really but you know what she didn’t seem to be too impressed!!
Walking up Joe Mercer Way
The Shop
Anyway, off we set, the old Opel having a rest in the garage yet again, we arrived in good time for the 10.15 tour, had a good look around the City store for some purchases on the way back, our guide Lyn appeared and before I knew it I had been appointed as the rear line man, now they say that quality always shines through!! In fact, it just meant that I was given a City scarf and had to keep my eye out for any stragglers in the party and every time we moved to another location I had to give the guide the nod (by waving the scarf) that everyone was still together. Ah well it must have been my destiny.
I won’t go in to lots of detail because I know that you will all be rushing to book yourselves in for a visit and wouldn’t want to spoil it for you, but I’ll give you an idea of some of the interesting things you can see behind the scenes.
Ready To Go
Our Guide Lyn
First it was explained how the original part of the stadium known as the City of Manchester Stadium was built with three sides, (with a temporary stand in the gap) for the Commonwealth Games and opened on the 25th July 2002, within three days of those finishing work began in creating the stadium for football, to be known as Eastlands, now of course it’s called the Etihad. Bulldozers and wagons arrived and removed thousands of tons of earth from where the events had taken place to lower what would be the new football pitch by six meters below ground level.
Campuss
City’s new home saw the first match a friendly take place on the 10th August 2003 against Barcelona, 25th July 2003, City won the match 2.1, with the first goal being scored by Nicolas Anelka. First competitive match was against TNS from Wales in the UEFA Cup, City winning 5.0) Anyway that’s enough of the football for some unknown reason you may not be a City fan although I can’t understand why. (only kidding of course)
Dining Suits
It’s interesting if only to see what goes on the inside in this multi billion pound business as it is now, the luxury that the top players live in, how its changed since Duncan Edwards and the like used to go to their grounds for training on the bus and live in digs like the great George Best.
Chairmans Door
My Seat East Stand Level 2
On the tour, you are taken just a short distance away over the 190 Mtrs long white bridge on electric buggies into the Etihad Campus which is just across the main road, once inside you can only be staggered by not only it’s size but the facilities. Sixteen and a half football pitches, (yes, half a pitch just for goalkeeper practise), all with a surface like the main stadium, apparently the wonderful surface is created by adding a 3% plastic mix to the grass seed which enables the grass to get a better hold and saves it getting damaged, you learn something every day.
My wife sat in the Chairmans seat
Third Tier added
The main covered stadium holds about 7000 spectators where the City Ladies Team play their home games along with the City EDS (Elite Development Squad). There are three large gyms, 6 swimming pools, bedrooms, TV interview centre, City’s head office, Pep’s office, Canteens, etc etc it is reported to be the finest facility of its kind in the world, even Mr Messi was impressed when he was there with his National Team before a match in England.
Posh Seats with heater button
General Ground View
The Motto inside the Main Entrance reads “We are building a structure for the future not just a team of all stars” costing somewhere in the region of £200 Million it has 45 acres of managed grass, 2000 mature trees, wild flower meadows and landscape throughout, an 8.1 million litre recycled underground water tank, really you could go on and on describing this amazing site, the best way is to go on a trip yourself it’ll be an eye opener.
Away Team Subs Bench
My Hat says it all, Mark & City
Now then the age-old question why do Man City wear the Masonic Blue coloured shirts, to answer this we must step back in time to a very different Britain before the turn of the 18thCentury, I’m afraid there was lots of poverty, lots of people going hungry and existing on very little, no jobs and those that were lucky enough to have a job had to work very hard for very long hours, amongst these conditions football was created as light relief from everyday life.
Keep off the Grass
Home Team Subs & Peps seat
History tells us that the first inklings of this massive club began 1868 at St Mark’s Church in West Gorton, East Manchester.
The White Bridge
Inside Campuss Stadium
In 1880 with local men thought to be spending too much time “scuttling” or fighting as it was better known, it was decided to set up a football club to better occupy their time. The club named St Marks (West Gorton) played their first game in November of that year losing 2.1 to Baptist Church from Marple.
1881, wanting to recruit players from outside the St Marks congregation the club changed its name to West Gorton with their home games being moved from Clowes St to Kirkmanshulme Cricket Club.
In 1884 it was renamed again this time to Gorton AFC after merging with another local side Gorton Athletic, home games now played near Belle Vue Station. (more memories Belle Vue Zoo and fun fair)
In 1887 this time they moved to Ardwick and changed their name accordingly.
In 1892 they joined the football league. (Regularly getting crowds of 5000)
In 1894 OOOps they went Bankrupt and were only rescued by the then club secretary Mr Joshua Parlby and at last were re named Manchester City.
Peps office in the Campuss
Changing Room Campuss
Joshua Parlby and his predecessor Lawrence Furniss were known to be Masons, members of Old Mancunians Lodge there are no records written down as finite proof but Sidney Rose who was a lifetime president and director of the club has no doubts whatsoever. 
Young Hopefulls
Back to Etihad
These men were the real founders of the club as we know it today, with their financial assistance in 1894 they saved the club and from that year onwards have played in the Masonic Blue shirts, previously the team colours were red and black. On some special occasions the red and black makes a re- appearance in some form or other like the FA Cup shirts of 1957.
My wife looks happy
The Guides Lyn & Steve
Before the Etihad Stadium the team had moved to Maine Road in 1922 which had cost £200,000 and could hold 85,000 spectators. I remember my old Dad telling me once that he had attended a specially staged game during the war period on a short leave and the only time he saw the ball was when it was kicked in air!!
Oldest photo of Team (all KT's then! Webman)
My Entrance East Stand
Anyway that’s it for today, I hope you enjoyed some of the information about my team, I know you all love your own teams just as much as I do, which is great be they Premier Division, Football League, Semi Pro Leagues or Sunday Leagues, I myself go and watch lots of other teams (semi pros usually) during the winter months at night in the cold crisp air you can’t wack it, I remember standing at Horwich RMI looking across at the Pie and Peas stall and thinking I shouldn’t have had that pint this pitch looks like it slopes from side to side, I was informed by a local “your right mate it does”, up at a game in Stranraer I remember the locals shouting when the ball went over the wall “Gi us our ball back, it’s the only we got” I have lots of great football memories and I’m sure you do too.
East Stand
Ticket Prices are £17 Adults, £12 Seniors  Under 16’s £11. 
Most days of the week approx start times every hour from 10.15 until the Football Season Starts.
 
Next Report will be more for the Ladies, I promise, as always here’s looking forward to seeing all my friends in the wonderful Mark Degree those I already know and those I have yet to meet.
 
Mark well in the Happy Friendly Degree.

Austin N. Fletcher.   Flixton Shepherd Eastwood.  No.1173.