University Campus of Football Business’s Etihad campus (UCFB) has announced it is to open a “study hub” for students in Manchester city centre.
UCFB, which also has a campus at Wembley Stadium, opened its campus at Etihad Stadium in 2016, which has more than 1,000 students now studying at the Manchester facility.
The higher education institution, which offers football-focussed undergraduate and postgraduate education, revealed it had signed a long-term lease on ground floor office space at Piccadilly Place.
Work has already begun on the new hub, which is set to feature a large study space, IT facilities and library, a high-tech sports lab and media broadcast studios when completed ahead of the 2019-20 academic year.
Brendan Flood, UCFB Chairman and Chief Executive, said the new hub is a “landmark moment” for the institution’s growth in Manchester.
Mr Flood said: “We are delighted with the addition of these brilliant facilities at Piccadilly Place for our students, adding another dimension to UCFB Etihad Campus on top of the unique opportunity to learn with us inside Etihad Stadium.
“The Piccadilly Place development will further enhance the student experience at UCFB in one of the world’s greatest sporting cities and we are proud to have worked closely with Property Alliance Group, Transport For Greater Manchester and Manchester City Council to make this long-term agreement a reality.”
Piccadilly Place is a mixed-used development by Property Alliance Group, which said it’s “extremely excited” about the new study hub.
Most Read
Alliance’s head of offices Rob Peill said: “We’ve worked hard to ensure the right mix of occupiers for the development and we’re confident that UCFB will complement it well with its mix of students and staff members enhancing footfall and utilising everything that Piccadilly Place has to offer.”
The news comes after UCFB announced stadium partnerships in the USA, Canada and Australia, where it will create four global study hubs.
The partnerships aim to give its students and graduates the chance to visit venues including New York City’s Red Bull Arena, Atlanta’s new Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Toronto FC’s BMO Field and the Melbourne Cricket Ground.