Manchester City FC will welcome the ‘Year of the Monkey’ with the introduction of a brand new Stadium and Club tour in Mandarin. Launching on 4 February in line with the city’s Chinese New Year Celebrations, the new tour reinforces the Club’s commitment to the Chinese market, following their recent partnership with state-backed Chinese investors, China Media Capital (CMC).
From 4 February, visitors to the Etihad Stadium will be treated to an exclusive 90 minute tour of the stadium accompanied by a native Mandarin speaking guide. The award-winning tour allows fans to immerse themselves in all aspects of the Club’s past, present and future – making it a must-visit excursion for all.
Children and adults will have the opportunity to visit the team dressing room and also sit in Manuel Pellegrini’s official press conference seat, exactly as seen on TV. They will emerge pitchside through the player’s tunnel before taking their seats in the dugout and dreaming of the moment they’re called upon to wear the famous sky blue jersey.
This new Mandarin offering from Manchester City FC is the first of its kind in the Premier League and showcases City as an innovative and immersive Club dedicated to their international fans.
Speaking about this exciting new initiative, Blues super striker Sergio Aguero said, ‘Having visited China on pre-season tour and seen first-hand how passionate our Chinese fans are, it’s fantastic to hear that we will now offer a Club tour in Mandarin. I’m sure the new tour will be a popular attraction for visitors and will allow them to see what goes on behind-the-scenes on a match day at the Etihad Stadium’
An inaugural Chinese themed launch tour will take place on 4 February at 3pm as the city gears up for a weekend packed full of celebrations for Chinese New Year, and will run on 5, 7 and 8 February at the same time.
Introduced as a long term commitment from the Club, the tour will be a regular feature at the Etihad Stadium, available for visitors to book from April.
The experience opens just as Manchester prepares for an influx of Chinese visitors following the announcement of a direct China to Manchester flight path. Launching in June, the new direct route opens a floodgate of opportunity across the East and West and firmly places Manchester on the map for Chinese tourists.
Nick Brooks-Sykes, director of tourism at Marketing Manchester, the agency charged with promoting Manchester on a national and international stage, said: “This new initiative from Manchester City Football Club is an excellent example of a business tailoring their product to growing visitor requirements. As we prepare to build deeper links with the Chinese visitor market in upcoming months – with the launch of a direct airline route from Beijing this summer – the pioneering new Stadium & Club Tour shows a commendable level of commitment, proving how much Manchester City Football Club values tourists from China and welcomes them to Manchester.”
Fans interested in booking their place on the Mandarin speaking tour can do so via www.mcfc.co.uk/tours with exclusive Chinese New Year themed tours taking place on 4, 5, 7 and 8 February at 3pm.
The initial launch tour on 4 February will be offered free of charge on a first come, first served basis. Tickets for other tours cost £20 per adult, £15 per child aged 2-18 and £18 for concessions. Anyone visiting over the course of Chinese New Year will be in with the chance of winning a signed Sun Jihai MCFC shirt.
