Academy Stadium

The Academy Stadium is a football stadium in Manchester, England, forming part of the Etihad Campus. In September 2023, the ground was renamed Joie Stadium for sponsorship reasons. Announced on 19 September 2011 as part of an 80-acre training facility to cater for around 400 youth players at a time, the campus was opened on 8 December 2014. The stadium, known simply as Academy Stadium, was inaugurated by students of the Manchester Metropolitan University, who played the first official games on the pitch on 14 December 2014. Academy Stadium is home to the men's Elite Development Squad and other senior academy teams, as well as to Manchester City Women, who also play select matches at the City of Manchester Stadium. Although not the biggest building of the facility, the Academy Stadium still features numerous facilities more common to larger stadia, including a press room, board room, offices and retail space. Situated only 400 metres from the City of Manchester Stadium, the Academy Stadium is linked to the mother ground via a 190-metre bridge across the intersection of Ashton New Road and Alan Turing Way. In 2016, it was used as one of the two venues for that year's World Rugby Under 20 Championship in rugby union. In 2022, it hosted some group stage matches during the UEFA Women's Euro.

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Velopark tram stop

Velopark is a tram stop on the East Manchester Line (EML) of Greater Manchester's light-rail Metrolink system. It opened on 11 February 2013, after a three-day free trial for local residents. The stop was constructed as part of Phase 3a of the Metrolink's expansion, and is located beside Manchester Velodrome, in Clayton, Manchester, England. During planning and construction phases, the stop was known as New East (for Velodrome) and as Sportcity-Velodrome.

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Bradford, Manchester

Bradford is a district of east Manchester, England, two miles north east of the city centre. The population at the 2011 census was 15,784. Historically in Lancashire, after the closure of its heavy industries Bradford was for many years an economically deprived area but has undergone regeneration with the building of the City of Manchester Stadium which hosted the 2002 Commonwealth Games and is now home to Manchester City F.C. Bradford is neighboured by Beswick to the south and the two areas are sometimes referred to as Bradford-with-Beswick. The River Medlock and the Ashton Canal run through Bradford.

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B of the Bang

B of the Bang was a sculpture by Thomas Heatherwick next to the City of Manchester Stadium in east Manchester, England, commissioned to mark the 2002 Commonwealth Games. At 56 metres (184 ft) it was one of the tallest structures in Manchester and the tallest sculpture in the UK until the completion of Aspire in 2008. The sculpture took its name from a quotation of British sprinter Linford Christie, in which he said that he started his races not merely at the "bang" of the starting pistol, but at "the B of the Bang". The sculpture was commissioned in 2003; construction overran and the official unveiling was delayed until 12 January 2005. Six days before the launch, the sculpture suffered the first of three visible structural problems as the tip of one of the spikes detached and fell to the ground. Legal action to repair the sculpture was started by Manchester City Council a year later, resulting in an out-of-court settlement totalling £1.7 million. In 2009, Manchester City Council announced that the sculpture would be dismantled and placed in storage. Despite the promise of storage and potential reassembly, the core and legs of the sculpture were cut apart during removal. The core was sold for scrap in 2012, with the 180 spikes reported to have been placed in storage for an undecided future use.

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Sportcity

Sportcity in Manchester is a multipurpose sports and leisure facility. Originally built to host the 2002 Commonwealth Games, it is in east Manchester, North West England, a mile from Manchester city centre, and was developed on former industrial land including the site of Bradford Colliery. Sportcity's largest structure, the City of Manchester Stadium, is home to Manchester City F.C. and is one of the largest football stadiums in England. Sportcity is also home to the National Squash Centre, Rugby Football League headquarters, Manchester Regional Arena for athletics and British Cycling, who operate from Manchester Velodrome and the National Indoor BMX Arena. Future developments will include Manchester City's £50m training complex and a leisure complex.

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