The football club’s stadium capacity is set to increase from 2,500 to 3,000 fans to comply with FA rules, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

Plans for a new stand at The Dave Bryant Stadium (credit Matthew Montague Architects)

Enfield Town Football Club has submitted plans to upgrade its stadium after being promoted last season.

The Towners were promoted to the second tier of non-league football for the first time after winning the Isthmian Premier Division Play-Off Final last May, with a deadline now looming to comply with the minimum stadium requirements required by National League South.

To be able to comply with the league’s rules, the club has now submitted plans to Enfield Council for improvements to The Dave Bryant Stadium in Donkey Lane, formerly known as Queen Elizabeth II Stadium.

The plans are to install a new 400-seat grandstand, relocate and convert an existing stand into terracing and install two additional turnstiles. The official ground capacity will then increase from 2,500 to 3,000, which is the league’s minimum requirement.

Matthew Montague Architects explained in planning documents submitted to the council: “To comply with safety and capacity regulation for the additional 500 spectators, the stadium requires the installation of new turnstiles. Furthermore there is a requirement to provide seating and/or shelter for at least 500 individuals.”

The new turnstiles will be placed a the west entrance to the stadium and the new grandstand to the north of the pitch, replacing an existing, smaller stand.

To comply with the Football Association’s regulations the club needs to have the works completed by 31st March.

While the majority of the money for the project is being provided by grants from the Football Foundation – a charity supporting grassroots football, funded by the FA, Premier League and government – more than £30,000 was donated by Enfield Town supporters via a crowdfunding campaign last autumn.

Responding to the support the club’s chairman Paul Millington said: “We couldn’t do this without the fans or the local council whose support for the project has been crucial.”

More information on the scheme can be found via Enfield Council’s planning portal, using reference number 24/04333/FUL.

No news is bad news

Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.

The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.

If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.

Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.

Monthly direct debit

Annual direct debit

£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.