'Yes, yes, yes!' - Man City dream of Blue Wall meets North Stand reality (2025)

Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak leaned into the idea of a Blue Wall but there are doubts over its strength

You wonder whether the subject of walls cropped up when Khaldoon Al Mubarak visited Donald Trump in the White House this week. The US president gained mass support for his repeated answer to their country's border issues, while the Manchester City chairman once entertained the idea of a blue version of Signal Iduna Park.

The 25,000-capacity Yellow Wall is famous across Europe for its atmosphere and is flocked too by football tourists keen to soak up the noise, and others have sought to recreate it. One of the stands in Tottenham's stadium opening in 2018 was influenced by it, and Everton's Bramley Moore Dock opening next season is also said to have taken inspiration from it.

So naturally, when City announced they were expanding their North Stand, Al Mubarak was asked if he envisaged a wall of blue. A laugh followed, but the response could hardly be said to be dismissing the idea.

"Yes," he started. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!

"Obviously there are planning permits, regulatory approvals - particularly on the safe-standing side - and there are commercial things that we have to consider. All of this is in the work including design work and at the right time when we are in a position to put something together we will announce it and share it with the public."

The first drawings released by the club, in February 2023, certainly added to the optimism, with a new single tier of 7,000 seats looking to slope down. Fan groups were consulted on the proposals as City looked to strike the right balance between atmosphere and the commercial revenue that the extra seats will generate.

'Last chance' for atmosphere

Information in September 2024 released by the club confirmed how the seats would be split. There is to be 'at least' 3,000 given to the rail seats that chairman Al Mubarak was passionate about six years ago when it was a concept, with the option of increasing that depending on demand.

There is also to be "family areas, ringfenced tickets for younger generations of City fans, and new and redeveloped concourse areas", and the the new North Stand could be ideal for the noisiest supporters to relocate and there were many in the South Stand who have been willing to relocate.

As the final part of the ground that is being done up, the North Stand is seen by supporters as the last chance to put the framework in place for the best possible atmosphere.

As Loukas Gregory from the 1894 group said last year: "It looks amazing so there's loads in there to like but strictly from an atmospheric perspective this is probably the last opportunity we're going to get to get the atmospheric home end that most other clubs have - the iconic stand that isn't separated by away fans.

"This is the last opportunity and at this moment in time we effectively have a blank canvas. The club can do what they want - if they want to make it the most atmospheric stand in England, they can do it."

However, there is a reluctance on the part of those supporters to move - particularly season ticket holders - while they have no guarantees that they could keep their ticket in the new section. There has been no word on whether any season-tickets will be included in the 7,000, and the club policy was understood to be that all new regular tickets will be Flexi Gold - which has divided opinion.

One fan who spoke to the Manchester Evening News this week (and asked not to be named) said: "I'm from the Bolton Supporter's Club branch and we've had Kevin Parker come along and explain the format of the new stand. Some of us weren't entirely happy with that either, the fact that there's going to be a lot of corporate seats in that as well, keeping the family stand at the front.

"The singing section will be in the middle, I thought the plan was to create a wall of sound like everyone was saying. I don't see that happening if you've got corporate people behind and the same family stand at the front who naturally leave earlier."

Wider questions

Progress on the stand is ongoing but won't open for the first test events until January 2026 at the earliest, and so details remain scant. City have committed to at least 3,000 rail seats with the possibility for more to be included if there is sufficient demand - but where they go in the stand will be key.

City will ringfence large proportions of tickets for fans under 21, while the level one concourse areas will be reconfigured to accommodate a younger, more diverse fanbase. That includes breakout spaces, religious rooms and alcohol-free areas.

All admirable additions to encourage the next generation of City fan, and reaching out to a broader demographic of football supporter should always be encouraged. But it doesn't scream of a 'Blue Wall' from top to bottom - especially if the family stand remains in the bottom tier and there are hundreds of hospitality seats at the top.

City said in September: "The expanded North Stand will also feature family areas, ringfenced tickets for younger generations of City fans, and new and redeveloped concourse areas. Today’s announcement [on safe-standing] follows lengthy consultations with a range of fans throughout the 2023/24 season to understand how we can create best-in-class experiences that contribute to creating a fantastic atmosphere on matchday.

"During these discussions, it was clear that fans share our view on the importance of adding rail seating to the expanded North Stand. As such, the club will introduce a minimum of 3,000 rail seats as part of the expansion, with the option of increasing this allocation ahead of opening should there be further demand."

At the other end of the spectrum to rail seats, more than 800 tickets in the new section will go to hospitality and concerns over ticketing issues this season in the other stands has added to concerns over whether the desire for a Blue Wall has survived the wish to service other types of supporters.

With City building a hotel at that end of the ground to be opened shortly after the stand, how many tickets could form part of a package deal that include a night's stay? Could there be other packages in the so-named 'Entertainment District' that combine football with music or comedy put on at Co-Op Live, where City's owners are major shareholders?

The club are not in a position to be able to disclose any of this (yes, we have asked) to leave awkward questions hanging over the section of the stand that will hang over the existing structure.

Can the dream of the Blue Wall hang on?

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