The college is named after the Connell family, who were active in their local community in the 1880s and who created the church youth team, which eventually morphed into the Premier League side.

[1] The announcement also unveiled the link between the new college and Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, which proposed the initiative and had been asked to handle the management and recruitment of staff.

Later the same year, Manchester City Football Club announced that the area around the college was to be part of a larger redevelopment, with commercial space as well as community leisure facilities.

[3] In July 2018, the college planned to leave Bright Futures Educational Trust (BFET) after government intervention in 2017.

The Co-op Academies Trust bosses say there are no plans to make any roles redundant at the college as a result of the re-brokerage.