Clayton Park, a stone’s throw from the team’s new training facility at the City Football Academy, will undergo a makeover this summer in honour of the team’s trophy-clad season, thanks to the Club’s charity, City in the Community.
Drawing on inspiration from the Barclays Women’s Super League title, school students from The East Manchester Academy, alongside the players themselves, have contributed design ideas for the refurbishment.
Due to open later this summer, the regeneration will pay homage to the team’s ‘together’ spirit, which helped them to achieve their most successful season, when they also lifted the Adobe FA Cup at Wembley.
The pitch regeneration forms part of City in the Community’s Healthy Goals initiative, which aims to uplift the physical and mental health of young people by creating and regenerating community football spaces in Manchester.
Having already opened eight sites across Greater Manchester since 2023, City in the Community has now set its sights on a bumper summer thanks to funding from Manchester Active, a strategic delivery arm for Manchester City Council.
The £100,000 investment, which will also be matched pound-for-pound by City Football Group, means that by the end of 2026, City in the Community and its supporters will have invested almost £1.25million into community football spaces across Greater Manchester.
City in the Community’s Head of Operations, Lisa McKay, said:
“We are thrilled to be regenerating Clayton Park in honour of the incredible Manchester City Women’s team. They have been a true inspiration to us and our participants all season and we are beyond proud of their domestic success.
“The pitch’s centre-circle will reflect designs created by local schoolgirls and the players themselves, showcasing what it means to be part of a team.
“The Champions will also have their success celebrated across the footprint of the pitch, which we hope will be a source of legacy for the team, and inspiration for future generations.”
City in the Community will begin the regeneration process later this summer, followed by an official opening event upon completion, alongside five other park sites across Greater Manchester.
Sites which have so far received investment through City in the Community include:
- Scotland Hall Road, Newton Heath
- Ladybarn Park, Withington
- Ravensbury Community School
- St Wilfrid’s C.E. Primary School
- Ashbury Meadow Community Primary School
- Southern Cross School
- Holy Name RC Primary School
- Bradford Park, Beswick (supported by C.P. Company)
City in the Community empowers healthier lives with city youth through football. For more information, visit www.mancity.com/CITC or follow @citcmancity on social media.
