Fleetwood Town FC unveils new stand
A new £4.5m East Stand for the Lancashire football club will open this month which is the final phase of redevelopment at Highbury stadium.
The stand will be open for Fleetwood's league game against Altrincham on 16 April.
Derick Thomas, communications manager at Fleetwood Town FC, told Place: "Fleetwood has a population of 35,000 and this will add a further 100 jobs into the port with 40 of those being in hospitality. The Parkside hospitality suite will not just be open on match days but will also be available for weddings and businesses to hire.
"The Parkside suite and seating will be completed in time for the next game against Altrincham and the first floor of office space and ground floor, containing changing rooms and community facilities, should be open in the next month to six weeks.
"The funding for the stand has been private investment from the chairman, who is also moving one of his companies into an open plan office within the stand for 70 staff."
Businessman Andy Pilley became chairman of the Fleetwood Town FC in 2003.
Designed by Preston-based specialist sport architects Frank Whittle Partnership, the new 2,000-seat stand will form the centrepiece of the new Highbury stadium.
The three-tier East Stand, off Nelson Road, contains five executive boxes, a lounge, and facilities to serve the adjacent Memorial Park pitches. It will include the club's own changing rooms, administration offices, physiotherapy and kit rooms and club shop.
The development could also potentially include an IT learning suite to be used by local schools and adult learning groups.
The stand is the fourth new one built at Highbury in recent years. The completion marks the final phase of the Blue Square North League club's project to increase the capacity of Highbury stadium to 5,000, in order to meet Football League requirements.
The project is being managed by Partington Associates of Chorley, an engineering consultancy to the construction industry.
Brent Clayton, partner at FWP, which also has an office in Manchester, said: "Fleetwood Town wants to be a Football League club sooner rather than later, without incurring massive debt. Our designs will now bring the club more into its local community and help raise additional revenue, particularly on non-match days.
"It is vital in today's economic climate that sports grounds generate income, not just on match days but 365-days a year, through the use of function facilities, office space and other initiatives that really work for the club and the community."
All seven executive boxes and 122 matchday dining spaces in the new stand are sold-out for Fleetwood's home games against Altrincham and Barrow on 19 and 25 April respectively.
