Manchester City insisting on hosting FA Youth Cup final at Joie Stadium rather than Etihad

AFC BournemouthArsenalAston VillaBrentfordBrighton & Hove AlbionBurnleyChelseaCrystal PalaceEvertonFulhamLeeds UnitedLiverpoolManchester CityManchester UnitedNewcastle UnitedNottingham ForestSunderlandTottenham HotspurWest Ham UnitedWolverhampton WanderersScores & ScheduleStandingsFantasyThe Athletic FC NewsletterPodcastsArsenal vs. Atletico Madrid ReactionsAdvantage Arsenal?Arteta Deserves a New DealDoku's Late GoalManchester City insisting on hosting FA Youth Cup final at Joie Stadium rather than EtihadCity's 7,000-capacity venue usually hosts academy and women’s fixtures. Charlotte Tattersall/Getty Images Share articleManchester City have insisted on hosting the FA Youth Cup final against Manchester United at their Joie Stadium rather than the Etihad, also turning down a proposal from their rivals to move it to Old Trafford. City are managing the final after being drawn first when the fixtures were set up and are pressing ahead with playing it at a 7,000-capacity venue that usually hosts academy and women’s fixtures. Typically, the FA Youth Cup final is held at the host club’s first-team stadium, and anticipation was high for a Manchester derby in front of a potential crowd in excess of 50,000 fans. Sources with knowledge of the matter, speaking on the condition of anonymity, indicated that construction work on the new stand at the Etihad was a complicating factor and the City were ultimately not able to make the ground available for the game. The FA Youth Cup final will take place on May 14 at 7pm. Pep Guardiola’s side host Brentford on May 9 and Crystal Palace on May 13, and though they do not play at home again until May 24, they decided fitting the FA Youth Cup final in between was not possible. United proposed that they instead host the final at Old Trafford, though the option to move the game to their rival’s stadium was unsurprisingly rejected by City. The lack of a major stadium for the final has led to significant disappointment among those involved with United’s under-18s team, according to sources close to the situation. Ultimately it was a call between the clubs, the FA and broadcasters, with the game shown being live on TNT Sports 1. In 2022, a record attendance of 67,492 fans watched a United team featuring Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho beat Nottingham Forest in the FA Youth Cup final. Villa Park, Stamford Bridge, and the Emirates have all hosted finals in recent years, and the Etihad was available in 2024 for City’s match against Leeds United. But City have also used the Joie Stadium when finals have been two-legged in the past decade. The 1986 match between United and City – the last time the teams met in the final – took place at Old Trafford. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms