Reception
| Season | Stadium capacity | Average attendance | % of capacity | Ranking within PL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 | 47,805 | 47,044 | 98.4% | 4th highest |
| 2010–11 | 47,726 | 45,880 | 96.1% | 4th highest |
| 2009–10 | 47,726 | 45,512 | 95.4% | 3rd highest |
| 2008–09 | 47,726 | 42,900 | 89.9% | 5th highest |
| 2007–08 | 47,726 | 42,126 | 88.3% | 6th highest |
| 2006–07 | 47,726 | 39,997 | 83.8% | 6th highest |
| 2005–06 | 47,726 | 42,856 | 89.8% | 4th highest |
| 2004–05 | 47,726 | 45,192 | 94.7% | 4th highest |
| 2003–04 | 47,726 | 46,834 | 98.1% | 4th highest |
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were deemed a huge success and the stadium gained critical acclaim for its atmosphere and architectural design. It has won a number of design awards, including the 2004 Royal Institute of British Architects Inclusive Design Award for inclusive building design, and the 2003 Institution of Structural Engineers Structural Special Award.
Reception by Manchester City supporters was polarised, with some lukewarm about moving from Maine Road which had a reputation for being one of English football's most atmospheric grounds whilst others were enthusiastic about the bigger stadium and move back to east Manchester where the club was formed. Today, the club boasts more than 33,000 season ticket holders each season, which is more than the maximum capacity of Maine Road just before the club moved homes.
A 2007 Premier League survey found that fans thought sight lines at the stadium were the second best in the Premier League after the Emirates Stadium. Opposition fans have generally given positive feedback, with CoMS coming second to Old Trafford in a 2005 poll to find the United Kingdom's favourite football ground. In 2010, the City of Manchester Stadium was the third most visited stadium after Old Trafford and Anfield by overseas visitors.
In the early years of Manchester City's tenure the stadium suffered from a poor atmosphere, a common problem with modern stadia when compared with traditional football grounds such as Maine Road. In the 2007 Premier League survey Manchester City supporters rated the atmosphere as second worst in the league, but the atmosphere has since improved.
Read more about this topic: City Of Manchester Stadium
Famous quotes containing the word reception:
“To aim to convert a man by miracles is a profanation of the soul. A true conversion, a true Christ, is now, as always, to be made by the reception of beautiful sentiments.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“But in the reception of metaphysical formula, all depends, as regards their actual and ulterior result, on the pre-existent qualities of that soil of human nature into which they fall—the company they find already present there, on their admission into the house of thought.”
—Walter Pater (1839–1894)
“I gave a speech in Omaha. After the speech I went to a reception elsewhere in town. A sweet old lady came up to me, put her gloved hand in mine, and said, “I hear you spoke here tonight.” “Oh, it was nothing,” I replied modestly. “Yes,” the little old lady nodded, “that’s what I heard.””
—Gerald R. Ford (b. 1913)