Manchester City FC will trial £10 matchday tickets for adults living in the local area next season, in a move that underlines the club’s desire to keep the people closest to the Etihad Stadium involved as the area continues to grow.
The scheme will set aside between 100 and 500 discounted adult tickets for each home match, with eligibility limited to residents in wards surrounding the stadium. It sits alongside Manchester City’s decision in April to freeze ticket prices for next season and to introduce a new adult price bracket starting at £25 for some midweek Premier League games.
Why the club says the move matters
Danny Wilson, Manchester City’s managing director of operations, said the club has always been rooted in its community and wants people who live closest to the Etihad Campus to remain part of everything that happens there.
He also said matchdays bring significant social and economic opportunities to the area, but added that with more matches, more activities and more visitors than ever before, it is important that local residents can continue to enjoy the experience, make lasting memories and be part of the journey.
That is the key idea behind the ticket trial. Manchester City are not just talking about access in the abstract; they are setting aside a defined block of seats for nearby residents at a price that is well below the standard level for top-flight football.
A wider change around the Etihad
The initiative arrives during a period of change around the ground. In May, the expanded North Stand, renamed the Pep Guardiola Stand, opened fully for the first time against Aston Villa. That same month, Guardiola managed his last game for Manchester City against Aston Villa.
Next season will also bring a new-look campaign for the club on the pitch. Enzo Maresca will take charge for the first time in the Community Shield against Arsenal on 16 August, before Manchester City’s first home game of the 2026-27 season against Bournemouth a week later.
For now, though, the focus is on what happens off the pitch. The trial is a reminder that even at a club operating at the very top of the game, matchday access and local connection remain a live issue. In a city where the stadium and the surrounding community are changing quickly, Manchester City are trying to show that the people living nearest to the Etihad will still have a place in the story.
