In September, City became the first Barclays Women’s Super League side to secure a commercial agreement for its stadium naming rights.
Our first WSL clash since the historic announcement took place on Sunday against Chelsea, in what proved to be a thrilling encounter between two of the league’s pre-season title favourites.
But for Stones, the Joie Stadium agreement shows that City are consistently looking to push the boundaries off the pitch, just as much as on it.
The England international said of the deal: “It’s huge, [and] I think it’s credit to the club and the women’s team in how we’ve succeeded over the years.
“And we’re now able to have something so special, the first time that a Women’s stadium has been sponsored.
“I’m super proud that we’ve been able to achieve that.
“This is a massive step forward for City as a Club.”
The defender moved to the Etihad Stadium in the summer of 2016, one month before City claimed our first WSL title having gone the entire campaign unbeaten.
He believes this latest milestone in our Women’s team’s history is representative of a collective attitude which runs right through the Club.
Stones is also hopeful that the Joie Stadium agreement will provide a platform for further progress in the years to come, both for City and Women’s football overall.
“I’m a big believer in evolving as a person and a player, and I feel everyone at City comes under that same blanket and is trying to improve in every aspect,” he explained.
“The steps that not only City have made but England as well has put the women’s game on a new level, and deservedly so.
“I think they deserve everything they get and hopefully this is the start of something new.”
RISE: THE STORY OF OUR SEASON
‘Rise: The Story of our Season’ – the latest feature from City Studios - is now available to watch live on CITY+.
The documentary charts the progress of Manchester City Women across the 2022/23 campaign.
Records were broken, reputations were forged, and an exciting young squad showed they could go toe-to-toe with the best that England has to offer.
Our cameras were there every step of the way, capturing the thrills and spills of a compelling WSL title race which went down to the wire.
SUBSCRIBE TO CITY+ TO WATCH ‘RISE’
With candid reflections from players and coaches alike, ‘Rise’ provides a window into the personalities behind the stars you’ve seen on the pitch, while also nodding towards what should be another enthralling campaign.
Keep across mancity.com, the official Man City app and our social platforms across this week for teaser clips from the documentary.
For more information on subscribing to CITY+, click here.
