Man City make Etihad Stadium decision for FA Youth Cup final vs Leeds as FA change rules

The Etihad Stadium will host the FA Youth Cup final this season after the FA relaxed its own rules for when the final must be held.

Manchester City booked their place in the final for the first time in four years by beating Bristol City at the start of the month, closely followed by Leeds, who beat Millwall in front of 10,000 fans at Elland Road.

City usually play their home Youth Cup fixtures at the Academy Stadium, and hosted the 2019 final in the 7,000-capacity ground when fewer than 4,000 fans saw the young Blues lose to Liverpool on penalties. Last season, 34,000 were at the Emirates Stadium to see West Ham beat Arsenal, while a record 67,000 attended Manchester United's victory in 2022.

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The final was originally set to be played no later than May 4, but City host Wolves at the Etihad that day and Leeds face Southampton in the final day of the Championship season. City Women are at home at the Academy Stadium on Sunday 5, leaving that weekend unavailable, and there were other logistical issues with hosting the final at the Etihad before that.

As a result, the FA relaxed its own rules by sanctioning the final to be played on Friday 10 May, with a 7pm kick-off. Take That are also performing at the new Co-op Live arena next to the Etihad on the same night.

Leeds are expected to travel well for the final, and their coach Rob Etherington declared that their fans could fill the Etihad after booking their final spot. "They might even need a bigger stadium than that," Etherington added.

However, competition rules dictate that away fans will