Leicester City 鈥 fresh from a fifth place finish in the Premier League 鈥 have brought in a 鈥渂rief pause鈥 to their stadium expansion plans in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
With the possibility of fans returning to stadiums in England from October, the club has revealed that it will restart discussions on increasing capacity by the end of the year.
City wants to refurbish the ground on the edge of Leicester city centre and increase attendance to around 42,000.
In the past couple of years the club has already spent millions improving its main hospitality areas and boxes.
The most recent accounts showed 拢2.6 million had been invested in drawing up plans for the redevelopment, but the pandemic has seen progress halted.
Last October a six-year loan of 拢91m was agreed between the club and King Power for infrastructure projects.
Meanwhile club chairman Aiyawatt 鈥楾op鈥 Srivaddhanaprabha 鈥 who is also chief executive of the Thai-based King Power duty free empire 鈥 said City鈥檚 new 拢100m base at Seagrave, near Loughborough, has also suffered a brief delay.
It was initially scheduled to be ready at the end of June but heavy rain earlier in the year and then the spread of Covid-19 has slowed work on the site.
It is still expected to be open in time for the start of City鈥檚 pre-season training, with the 2020-21 Premier League campaign beginning in mid-September.
Speaking about the impact of the pandemic on the football club, Top said in City鈥檚 final matchday programme: 鈥淭here are challenges that are specific to the club, but also challenges that football needs to address generally.
鈥淭he first of those, assuming it is safe to do so, is bringing supporters back into the stadiums.
鈥淧remier League clubs have done an outstanding job to fulfil the remaining fixtures to complete this season, but the gradual reintroduction of supporters is crucial to Premier League football maintaining the passion that makes it so compelling.
鈥淲e鈥檙e encouraged by the signs for next season and are preparing a strategy for how to make the games accessible to people while building up stadium occupation.
鈥淚t was always clear that such a situation was likely to affect our plans in terms of our new training ground in Seagrave and the proposed development of the King Power Stadium site, but it represents no more than a brief pause.
鈥淥ur resolve to deliver on those capital projects remains. The training ground is nearing completion and we intend to resume consultation on stadium expansion by the end of 2020.
鈥淥ur ambitions and long-term objectives have not changed. We cannot anticipate the world鈥檚 ongoing response to the pandemic or how society will emerge from it, but the club is a reference point for communities at home and abroad so we have to set an example and do what we feel is the right thing.
鈥淲e took the necessary steps early in the process to secure jobs within the organisation and to facilitate football鈥檚 return, which will hopefully have a positive impact on the associated industries that rely on its success.
鈥淎ll of this must, of course, be kept in perspective.
鈥淭his pandemic has claimed thousands of lives all over the world and the steps that have been taken to protect people鈥檚 health have been necessary.
鈥淎s every other business in the world, we have to prepare for its implications on our future, but that will never be at the risk of our personnel or the communities we represent.鈥
