Manchester – red, blue and seven days a week

Manchester is one of only a handful of UK cities with two Premier League grounds within walking distance of the city centre. Combined, Old Trafford and the Etihad Stadium seat over 125,000 fans, and run a continuous calendar of cup nights, European fixtures, women’s matches at the Joie Stadium, and headline concerts.

That density makes Manchester one of the easiest UK cities to commit to working stadium hours: you can do bar shifts at the Etihad on Saturday and matchday hospitality at Old Trafford on Tuesday with the same uniform, the same metro line and barely any travel time.

Grounds in this city

• Old Trafford – Manchester United’s 74,000-seat ground, the largest club stadium in the UK.
• Etihad Stadium – Manchester City’s 53,000-seat home, with a major expansion underway.

Other event venues

• AO Arena – 21,000-capacity arena, mostly concerts and boxing.
• Co-op Live – 23,500-capacity arena that opened in 2024, now the UK’s largest indoor venue.

Who hires in Manchester

• Aramark UK – matchday catering at Old Trafford.
• Levy UK – premium hospitality at the Etihad and Co-op Live.
• OCS Group – cleaning and FM across both grounds.
• Showsec – stewarding and event security across most major Manchester venues.

For students living in Fallowfield or Rusholme, Old Trafford is a 25-minute Metrolink ride away, the Etihad is 20 minutes by tram or 35 by bus, and Co-op Live is on the same Etihad campus – making Manchester arguably the single best UK city for combining university with steady casual stadium work.