Ipswich Town
At Ipswich Town Football Club, major renovations expected to cost “several million pounds” have started.
On Saturday, the Suffolk team received promotion to the Premier League following an incredible Championship campaign that saw them earn 96 points.
According to chief executive Mark Ashton, the club had “a hell of a lot of work to do” to make sure their facilities complied with league requirements.
He announced that a planning proposal for a “big build” at the training facility on Playford Road would be made available soon.
It came after Premier League representatives paid the team a visit in January and gave them a list of the things that would need to be done in order for it to be promoted.
According to regulations, goal-line technology must be deployed by all elite teams in order for them to compete.
They also need to help with the equipment installation so that video assistant refereeing may be used.
‘Big changes’
“There’s work worth several million pounds,” Mr. Ashton said on BBC Radio Suffolk.
“That’s going to mean some quite big infrastructure changes at Portman Road over the summer.”
The 52-year-old claimed that in order to plan the upcoming upgrades, workmen had previously visited the Playford Road location.
“It’s going to see some changes, it’s things we have to do that are non-negotiable from the Premier League,” he stated.
“Once I’ve had time to breathe, I’ll talk to the fans so they know what’s going on.”
At Portman Road, facilities for using video assistant refereeing must be constructed.
Built in 2000, Portman Road can accommodate 29,673 supporters and was created following Ipswich’s last promotion.
The Sir Alf Ramsey stand, once called the Greene King stand, was completely reconstructed into its current two-tier configuration.
The following season, a portion of the stadium was empty for the majority of the games due to the demolition of the North Stand.
Subsequent claims were made, according to the club website, that Town’s relegation that year was partly caused by the absence of the “North Stand roar”.
The stadium now has 4,000 more seats thanks to the refurbishment. The two developments came at a total cost of about £22 million.
