Thursday 29 November 2018 14:34, UK
Manchester City have asked fans if they would be willing to pay up to £580 for a safe-standing season ticket at an expanded Etihad Stadium.
The question is contained in an online survey that was sent to supporters on Wednesday to gauge opinion on whether City should proceed with plans to redevelop the North Stand, a move that would increase overall capacity from 55,000 to about 63,000.
Stadiums in England's top two divisions have had to be all-seater since the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 but that policy is expected to be revised next year, with the government currently gathering evidence on the matter.
The survey, which is part of "City's ongoing review of the matchday experience", says the club "is open to the option of safe-standing, in the right circumstances...should the government make legislative changes in the future".
It then asks fans to choose their preferred option from eight scenarios, each with three different season-ticket choices. These options are all based on the assumption that the North Stand is expanded and the prices include VAT but are for research purposes only.
There are five options given for safe-standing season tickets ranging from £580 in levels one or two of the South Stand, where City's most vocal supporters and away fans are currently housed, to £280 for a safe-standing section at the top of the expanded North Stand.
The other options for safe-standing sections are at the front of the North Stand's second tier or pitch-side in the South Stand.
Elsewhere in the stadium, City are considering offering two classes of premium seats in the East and West Stands that would give access to two new bar areas: a "light and airy" bar called '93:20', the time on the clock when Sergio Aguero scored his title-winning goal in 2012, and a slightly posher one called 'Joe's', after former City manager Joe Mercer.
The top price for these "premium padded" seats is £1,700 but there could be seats available in the North Stand for as little as £280 a season.
