Manchester City's Etihad Stadium to be expanded in two phases

The first stage of work will increase the capacity of the ground to 54,000

The planned expansion of Manchester City's stadium will be split into two halves, the club have confirmed.

Work to increase capacity from 47,670 to 62,170 will begin imminently but with the South Stand developed first, to make it a 54,000 seat stadium, by the start of the 2015-16 season.

Once completed, work will begin on developing the stadium's North Stand.

The club's chief commercial director Tom Glick said the expansion was "a hugely significant moment for City".

He added that the new seats would allow City to accommodate those fans who were waiting to buy season tickets, as the "waiting list for the expanded Etihad is already close to capacity".

The club were given planning approval for the project in February.

The work will be carried out by international engineering company Laing O'Rourke.

The company built the original stadium for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, when it had a capacity of 38,000. City moved to the stadium in 2003.