City Football Group and Oak View Group launch Eastlands Venue Services joint venture

• Joint venture between City Football Group and Oak View Group to create fully integrated service and operations company

• Thousands of casual workers to benefit from job stability through access to more frequent multi-venue shifts

• Joint venture will begin by operating catering services at the Etihad Stadium and Co-op Live

City Football Group (CFG) and Oak View Group (OVG) have today announced the launch of Eastlands Venue Services, a new joint venture to create a fully integrated service and operations company.

The joint venture will operate 365 days-a-year across the Etihad Campus, with an initial focus on catering services for both Manchester City Football Club and Co-op Live arena.

Led by long-standing CFG executive, Mike Green, the joint venture will begin operations with over 80 full-time employees and a casual workforce of 3,000 people, providing fans with improved standards of service through multi-venue delivery at over 150 event days per year.

All employees will join from existing service suppliers that currently support the delivery of catering operations at sporting and entertainment events at the Etihad Campus.

The casual workforce, the vast majority of whom are from the Greater Manchester area, will benefit from further job stability through access to more frequent and regular shifts, as part of the joint venture’s multi-venue operational model.

The joint venture will also offer career training and development opportunities by providing pathways into the service industry for local people from both Manchester and the wider city region.

Commenting on the launch of Eastlands Venue Services, Roel de Vries, City Football Group’s Chief Operating Officer, said:

“Today’s announcement and launch of a new joint venture between City Football Group and Oak View Group is incredibly exciting and demonstrates the ongoing aspirations of both organisations to set new standards of service in the sports and entertainment industry.

“Combining the expertise of our fantastic employees and casual work force, who are vastly experienced in delivering events across Etihad Campus venues, will provide the perfect foundation as we begin operations as Eastlands Venue Services.

“Our immediate focus will be the continued delivery of catering services for fans at both the Etihad Stadium and Co-op Live, but over time, we expect to grow and create new job opportunities for people across Greater Manchester who have an interest in the service sector”.

Jessica Koravos, President, International for Oak View Group, added:

“In a short time, Co-op Live has grown to operating over 150 event days a year and growing. Our dedicated and passionate service teams consistently deliver exceptional fan experiences from concessions to our numerous premium spaces. Partnering with CFG will benefit our employees, and ultimately our fans.”

About City Football Group:

City Football Group (CFG) is the world's leading private owner and operator of football clubs – with 13 football clubs across five continents within the CFG family.

Established in May 2013, the CFG approach ensures that every club remains authentic to its fans and community, plays entertaining football and benefits from being part of a global organisation that applies the world's best expertise on and off the pitch.

CFG pioneers and delivers a consistent underlying approach to talent development, fan experiences, sports entertainment, commercial opportunities and community impact. Over 400 partner organisations are central to the CFG model and a commitment to positively shaping the future of football. More than one billion followers worldwide support and connect with their CFG clubs.

CFG clubs include Manchester City FC, New York City FC, Melbourne City FC, Yokohama F. Marinos, Montevideo City Torque, Shenzhen Peng City FC, Mumbai City FC, Lommel SK, ESTAC, Palermo FC, Bahia, and partner club Bolívar. Starting from 1 July 2024 – 30 June 2025, CFG’s shareholding in Girona FC has been put into an independent blind trust to ensure compliance with UEFA rules and regulations.

CFG is majority owned by Newton Investment and Development LLC, wholly owned by His Highness Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed. Silver Lake, the global leader in technology investing, has been an investor in City Football Group since 2019, progressively increasing their stake to nearly 18% and actively contributing to CFG’S value creation.

About Oak View Group:

Oak View Group (OVG) is the global leader in live experience venue development, management, premium hospitality services, and 360-degree solutions for a collection of world-class owned venues and a client roster of arenas, convention centers, music festivals, performing arts centers, and cultural institutions. Founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff in 2015, OVG is the leading developer of major new venues either open or under development across four continents. Visit OakViewGroup.com, and follow OVG on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and X.