Edgeley Park to get ‘edge’ with capacity rise

Article posted by Coliseum, September 27^th, 2022

Image: Stockport County FC

The English Football League (EFL) League Two club Stockport County F.C. launched public consultation on September 21^st with proposals to expand and improve their residence – the Edgeley Park in Stockport, England, UK.

‘Stockport County FC’ stated that the long-term aspirations of the Stockport County Football Club has taken a significant step forward today (September 21^st) with the launch of a public consultation inviting views on proposals to expand and improve the stadium at Edgeley Park.

The Stockport County Football Club is a professional football club in Stockport, England (UK), who competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, they were renamed Stockport County in 1890 after the County Borough of Stockport.

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The Edgeley Park is a football stadium in Edgeley, Stockport, England. Built for rugby league club Stockport RFC in 1891, by 1902, the rugby club was defunct and the Stockport County Football Club moved in. The Edgeley Park is an all-seater stadium holding 10,900 spectators.

The English Football League Two is the third and lowest division of the English Football League and fourth-highest division overall in the English Football League (EFL) system. The Football League Two was introduced for the 2004-2005 seasons. It was previously known as the Football League Third Division.

‘Stockport County FC’ further stated that the consultation, which is the first of two phases, will include consultation events for local residents and club supporters to come and view the emerging plans and speak to the project team.

The plans, which follow the club’s vision to return to the Championship, include a phased approach to investing in infrastructure, to ensure sustainable growth.

Remarked Ken Knott, Stockport County FC Non-Executive Chairman, “The Edgeley Park has been our home since 1902 and the club has been a key part of the community in Stockport for 120 years. With our ambition to play Championship football once again, we’ve got a real opportunity to invest in the stadium and create not just the sporting facilities we need, but to create a ripple effect reaching further into Stockport itself, boosting the town and its economy. We know promotion to the Championship will take some time and delivering the emerging plans will also take time. By proposing to deliver new stands in phases, culminating in a final capacity of approximately 20,000 seats, we can reduce the impact on the club and our neighbors, while still playing at home.”

Added Knott, “Involving our neighbors and supporters early in the process of designing these expansion plans is very important to us. Our aim is to create excitement and ambition not just within the club, but across Stockport.”

The vision for an expanded Edgeley Park includes brand new East (Railway) and South (Together) Stands, bringing each roughly in line with the height of the existing Cheadle End, and an expansion to the North (Bergara) Stand to run the full length of the pitch. All of these combined would take the stadium’s capacity to approximately 20,000. There are no plans to expand the Cheadle End Stand itself.

The proposals would ensure the whole stadium is fully accessible with brand new facilities, with new food and drink offerings and hospitality areas, as well as in the region of 30,000 sq ft of flexible workspace in the new East Stand.

The club has committed to two phases of public consultation before it seeks to submit planning applications at the end of the year, which will set out the outline vision for the whole expansion as well as more detailed plans for the East Stand. This would be the first of the stands to be redeveloped, provisionally starting in Summer 2023.

The major investment into Edgeley Park also presents an opportunity to improve the environmental performance of the stadium and support Stockport and Greater Manchester’s carbon reduction targets. The club will also be working on a Travel Plan, with the aim of encouraging fans to travel to matches using sustainable modes of travel and minimizing impacts on the local community.

As part of the first phase of consultation, public drop-in sessions will be held at the stadium on the following dates:

September 28^th, 10 am-1 pm, to be held in The 1883 Suite;
September 28^th, 4 pm-6:30 pm, to be held in The 1883 Suite;
September 29^th, 2 pm-7 pm, to be held in The 1883 Suite; and
October 1^st, 11 am-2 pm. Home match kickoff is 3 pm.

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