12 Jun 2009Stoke City to wait two years for ground capacity increase

Football Clubs News | Football Supporters News | Football Technology and Stadia

Despite Stoke City's Britannia Stadium being sold out for much of last season, the capacity of the ground is not to be increased for a further two years, it has been stated.

Reports have suggested that the English Premier League side were considering putting seats in the corners of the ground to increase stadium capacity to above 30,000 from the current 27,500.

During last season, there were only three league fixtures where Stoke City fans failed to sell out their quota of tickets for home games.

Speaking to BBC Radio Stoke, chief executive of the club Tony Scholes said: "The soonest we would look at doing it would be for it to be ready in 2011.

"We need to see how many seats we can get in there and how much it will cost. We need to be able to justify filling in the corners."

He added that a 30,000-seater stadium would be beneficial for the club as it would maximise support, while ensuring sustainability is retained.

Stoke City moved to play their home games at the Britannia Stadium in 1997 after previously playing at the Victoria Ground.

Written by Terry Mitchell

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