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- Following last season’s unprecedented treble, Al-Mubarak looks to the future of Etihad Stadium, the club’s academy and the women’s team
In the second part of his end-of-season interview with Manchester City’s official website, club Chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak talks about the development of Etihad Stadium, the success of the academy and the importance of the women’s team.
Here are some highlights from the interview that touch on several City Group projects.
On expanding the North Stand at Etihad Stadium and growing the group…
“It’s very exciting. It’s very exciting. We’ve released and unveiled our plans for the development. Every year there’s always something new. Every year. Because there’s always a need to improve and evolve and grow. We don’t stand still. We never stood still. The Etihad, we started somewhere, and every couple of years we will do something, whether it’s the Tunnel Club, whether it’s the new stands, whether it’s the seating. And now we’re going to have a wonderful, wonderful development around it that’s going to just enhance the whole area, it’s going to be great for the fans and it’s going to bring, I think, positive revenue for the club.”
On the pre-season tour to Korea and Japan…
“Of course, it’s great for the club and it’s great for the brand of this club and our fan base that is now global. We are Mancunian at heart, but now we are global also. And if you look at the club when we did our tour last summer and we were in the United States, and I remember, I think we were playing a game in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and if you look at the number of fans, of Manchester City fans in that stadium, it was 80,000 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It just showed us where Manchester City is today in the world of sports, not just the world of football, the world of sports. This summer, we’re going to go to Japan. We’re going to go to Korea. Incredible markets, but more importantly, incredible fans that love football, that love this club and are helping growing our fan base to hopefully becoming one of the largest fan bases in the world.”
On the club winning the Premier League, Premier League 2 and the U18 Premier League three years in a row…
“So, think of that for a moment. A triple treble across all levels or most levels of professional football, within a club. This says it all. It says it all about what we’ve been saying, which is about how our academy continues to produce and to match what we’re doing at the first-team level. And here, the triple treble shows you this is across the board. And I think this is a testament to everyone in the academy we have. We have an incredible academy. We are producing the best football in England, we are producing the best talent in England.”
On the women’s first team…
“Well, the women’s game has certainly evolved in a way I didn’t expect in this speed. It’s really evolved very fast, and it is certainly something we are very focused on. My daughter Lulu reminds me every day that the women’s team has to be the focus. She watches every game. She doesn’t miss a game.
And that tells me, it’s a great reminder for me and for all of us that the game has arrived. The women’s game has arrived, it’s real, its fanbase is growing, you’re seeing it in every game, you’re seeing it in the stands, you’re seeing it in the quality of football. Our women’s team has always been again very consistent, always there, always competitive.”
On New York City FC and the new stadium projections…
“Finally, I can say here and, in this case, finally. This has been a very long and agonizing process, not easy to build a stadium in New York City, very, very hard. It’s very important to have your stadium, you know that in any team. We’ve built, I think a great organization, a great club, a great fan base in New York. And now we’re going to give this team a wonderful stadium.”
On Melbourne City FC and three Premier Plates in a row…
“A third straight again. You look at it in a wage-controlled environment, our ability to show consistent success just again is a testament to the management and the philosophy we have as a group. A great team. You know that in any competition to win three in a row and to be there for three in a row. Of course, we weren’t successful in the Grand Final last week. But you know, that’s football. Finals are 90 minutes and it’s different than when you’re playing a league. In a league, inevitably, the best team wins over 38 games, 24 games, whatever the number of games. Most of the time, the best team wins.
In a final, it’s 90 minutes. Sometimes it goes your way, sometimes it doesn’t. And when it does, it’s great. And when it doesn't, it doesn’t. Melbourne, unfortunately, over the season were the most consistent team, but in the grand final they weren’t successful.”