Darlington’s new stadium at Neasham Road is progressing well (pictured in magazine) with all four sides now well under way. The impressive 25,000-seat stadium should be finished by the end of the year and be ready for use by the start of next season.

Portsmouth are keen to start building the New Fratton Park as soon as possible. It was reported during the summer that they were looking at possibly starting work at on the site of Fratton Goods Yard before the end of the year. The site will also house retail outlets and Pompey are looking at four different tenders for the stadium aspect. The new stadium will be right next door to their current Fratton Park ground.

Cardiff City were busy over the close season upgrading Ninian Park. The previously fenced off area of the Popular Side was bulldozed (pictured in magazine) and new seats added. A roof has also been erected over the previously uncovered Grange End terrace. All this may only be a temporary measure however as club owner Sam Hammam is still confident of acquiring the site of the current Leckwith Stadium to construct a 60,000-seat stadium in time for the 2004-05 season. The scheme has already cleared several hurdles and formal plans are likely to be submitted shortly.

Shrewsbury Town’s planned move to a new stadium at Moele Brace have floundered on a recent local council decision to turn down the scheme for the developers to build a housing estate on nearby land to help finance the project. The prospects of the New Meadow ever being built now look bleak.

Division One newboys Rotherham United have revealed ambitious plans for a total rebuild of their Millmoor home. If the Millers are successful in buying some neighbouring land, the scheme will see new Executive facilities built this season, a new main stand next season, followed by new stands on the other three sides. The total timescale is set at four years.

As well as adding the new 6,100 seat Alan Kelly Town End to the south end of the ever-impressive Deepdale, Preston North End also celebrated the opening of the National Football Museum at the stadium in June. HRH The Duke of Kent cut the tape at the ceremony which was attended by many football luminaries.

A decision was due around the time GT26 went to print as to the future of the National Stadium project at Wembley. During the summer the possibility that the 2005 World Athletics Championships could after all be held there was floated. This would allow extra government money, which had been intended for the Picketts Lock project, to be used in rebuilding Wembley instead. Other options on the table are to go it alone as a football venue or to look at other sites in the country.

Tottenham Hotspur have applied for planning permission to expand the East Stand at White Hart Lane. If granted, the capacity of the ground would rise by 8,000 seats to 44,000.

Cheltenham Town have started the season with a reduced capacity at Whaddon Road of 5,500 due to the construction of a new 2,000-seat stand on the Wymans Road side. The new stand is not likely to be finished until October.

Blackpool hope to have the new West and North stands (pictured in magazine) open at Bloomfield Park in time for the match against Swindon in November. After this the existing South Stand will be demolished and a new stand built when money is available. The last piece of the jigsaw will be the replacement of the East Stand.

Newly promoted Chesterfield faced a race against time to complete work to the tune of £250,000 to upgrade the terracing on the Kop end of Saltergate before the start of the season. After an initial plan to erect temporary seating was rejected for safety reasons, the club forged a deal with the Football Licensing Authority to get approval for the work on the Kop terraces. If the work was not finished on time the club also expected that they would gain a special dispensation from the FLA to use the Compton Street and Cross Street terraces for the opening matches. When complete, the ground should have am interim capacity around the 7,000 mark.

Brentford fans have formed an action group called ‘No To Woking’ to oppose the ground share that has been arranged by the Bees to take up residence with Woking as of next season. Many fans saw the deal as being a bluff by the club to try to get plans for a new stadium at Feltham past the local council. However, when news filtered through in the summer that the club had lodged a non-refundable £30,000 with Woking, the realisation set in that the move may be for real. The Football League has also raised an objection to the share on the basis that it is more than 25 miles from their current base, although this may be overcome. Woking have given Brentford until the end of September to finalise the agreement. Watch this space. (Pictured in magazine)

Ipswich Town hope to have the new North Stand at Portman Road fully open for the match against West Ham on 27th October. The second new stand to be built this year at the ground, the North Stand was hit by problems during the summer when local residents tried to force the issue of planning consent to a judicial review. The Suffolk club pressed on nevertheless and work is progressing well on the new structure that will bring the capacity up to the 30,000 mark.

Cambridge United’s work on the new stands at the Abbey Stadium has fallen about two months behind due to various planning delays. Work eventually got under way early in July when, after the demolition of the old South End terrace (the former away end), work began on building up the soil ready for the pitch to be moved further south. This will mean that a new North Stand can be built along with a new structure at the south end. Neither stand is due to be open for some time yet.

Mansfield Town had their new stands at Field Mill officially opened by John Prescott MP before their pre-season game against Middlesbrough in July. The revamped venue now boats a 10,000 capacity.

The dismay was evident in south London in early August when Wimbledon chairman Chris Koppel announced that the club were serious about moving lock, stock and barrel to the Buckinghamshire new town of Milton Keynes. Having been unsuccessful in their bid to find a site in their native Merton borough, the Dons state that, subject to permission from the Football League, they will move into the ,as yet not built, 29,000-seat stadium in Milton Keynes. The stadium will is planned for the Denbigh area of the new town and will be designed to allow for expansion up to 45,000 seats. Wimbledon plan to take up residence in 2003-04. Having a common concern with fans at Brentford, the Dons’ fans quickly voiced their dissent and staged a joint-protest at the friendly game with the Bees the weekend after the announcement.

Southend United have been holding talks with the local council all summer to resolve planning issues surrounding the club’s plan to build a new stadium and associated retail and industrial units at Fossetts Farm. Local residents have raised objections to the new development and the club, keen to avoid the plans being thrown out, are discussing ways to make the scheme more acceptable prior to the planning hearing. The lease at the Essex club’s Roots Hall expires in March 2003.

Leicester City started work on their new 32,000-seat stadium at Freemans Wharf (illustrated in magazine) in June. The project was officially recognised in early July when a ceremonial breaking of the ground took place in front of assembled media. The £28 million structure is just a stone’s throw from the Foxes current base at Filbert Street and fans attending there will be able to view progress as the season moves on. Opening date for the new ground is August 2002.

Plymouth Argyle fell further behind with their plans to redevelop Home Park during the summer. Barr Construction only began moving into the site in August to begin the demolition of the old stands. Only the Grandstand and Mayflower terracing will be open for most of the season as work progresses.

Work has progressed steadily on West Ham United’s new Dr Martens Stand at the Boleyn Ground despite the difficult weather since the end of last season. The new 15,247-seat structure is due to open for the visit of Tottenham Hotspur on November 24.

Wycombe Wanderers have been busy during the summer adding a new 2,000-seat stand to the Hillbottom Road end of Adams Park (pictured in magazine). The new stand virtually doubles the capacity at the ‘away’ end of the ground and work is expected to be finished early in the new season.

Everton have officially been given the green light to build a new super 55,000-seat stadium at Liverpool's prestigious Kings Dock. There are still a variety of hurdles to overcome in terms of gaining the necessary planning permission, implementing an infrastructure for transportation, finalising designs as well as the obvious financial considerations, but if all goes well then a new stadium could be finished by 2005.

Chairman Peter Ridsdale has revealed he already has a site in mind for a new Leeds United stadium, if the whites' decide to quit Elland Road. Land near the A1/M1 link-road is being mooted as a possibility. The club would hope to raise up to £50 million by scrutinising income from ticket sales at Elland Road.

An official announcement from directors of Grimsby Town in July confirmed that the new 20,100-seat stadium project will commence immediately planning permission is confirmed. The club are still awaiting a government decision on whether the plans are to be called in for a Public Enquiry.

The new North Stand (pictured in magazine) at The Valley continues to take shape for Charlton Athletic. Some sections were ready for the start of the season but full completion is likely around Christmas time when the ground capacity will rise to 26,500.

Chelsea have finally finished off the West Stand at Stamford Bridge bringing the capacity of the stadium up to 42,000.

Oxford United kicked off life at the brand new Kassam Stadium on 4th August with a penalties win against Crystal Palace. The game was in doubt until just days beforehand and a capacity of 9906 was set with the top tier of the South Stand being closed for the match. Long queues formed outside the ground and local roads were gridlocked. Queues inside for refreshments and the like were also reportedly very long. The first League game against Rochdale was played a week later and we hope to bring you a report on this in GT27.