Puddle to pitch: Manchester City taps Xylem for smart water solutions
Pep Guardiola Xylem BTS at the Etihad Stadium and Campus, Manchester, England. Thursday 27th March 2025. (Photo by Jon Super / action press)
Manchester City Football Club has announced use of smart water solutions from Xylem, its water technology partner, to help capture and reuse rainwater more efficiently.
At City Football Academy, Xylem Vue – a digital water platform – uses connected sensors and smart meters to deliver live insights into how water moves across the training facility.
Showing exactly when and where water is being used or lost across the 16.5-pitch campus, the system helps the Club make smarter decisions to optimise irrigation and reduce reliance on public water sources, says Xylem in a release.
This marks the Club’s latest project in an ongoing collaboration with Xylem. Through its ‘Play Smart’ campaign, developed in partnership with Xylem and launched in 2024, the Club is raising fan awareness of water challenges and encouraging fans to adopt smart, water-saving behaviours at home.
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Commenting in a release was Pete Bradshaw, director of Sustainability at Manchester City: “This new system will give us a clear picture of how water moves across the site – not just how much we use, but where it comes from and where it goes.
“These insights will help us make smarter decisions every day. Our goal is to capture and reuse 100% of stormwater runoff on site by mid-2026, and we’re well on our way.”
Said Jaime Barba, head of Xylem Vue: “This is smart water in action.
“With connected data and real-time insights, Manchester City is making every drop count – saving water, using it more wisely, and protecting supply for the local community. It’s a scalable model for urban water management.”
According to Xylem, citing a post from Access Irrigation, natural grass pitches use up to 23,000 liters of water per day in peak summer.
Manchester City also uses harvested rainwater and recycling for irrigation across the Etihad Stadium. This innovative reuse strategy has already saved more than 50 million liters of potable water, and the Club is on track to cut its use in half by the end of this year.
