Cambridge United have confirmed they are continuing their plans to redevelop the Abbey Stadium.
The U’s have called the ground home since 1932 and with their latest plans hope to bring their historic ground up to scratch with eight years to go ahead of it’s centenary year.
Capacity Increase On The Cards
The main takeaway from a statement published by the club this morning is the ambition for the capacity of the ground to just under 12,000, a marked increase from its current ability to fit 7,937 fans.
Two of the current stands, the Newmarket Road End and the Habbin Stand, will be redeveloped with the latter becoming a seated stand with the addition of improved hospitality features. The former would become a safe standing end, which would host 3,500 fans and also be home to the club’s shop and museum.
The reconstruction of the Newmarket Road End is in conjunction with an agreement with the club’s supporters group to build a new home for them, enabling the pitch at The Abbey to be moved further south.
Cambridge’s CEO, Alex Tunbridge, said:
“Cambridge United is seeking to modernise for the long term as a Club and the stadium redevelopment is at the heart of that. We had hoped to set out plans in the summer, but the timetable has slipped to the end of the year.
“In the meantime, I wanted to update fans on the five interlocking critical areas we are trying to align so that the project can move forward with the best chance of success, the least disruption and the most positive impact for the long term.
“There have been a huge number of meetings over recent months involving people from right across the Club and the City. We are particularly grateful for the positive way the City Council are engaging with us on this project.”
Writer’s View
The owners of Cambridge United have been particularly active with investing in off-field assets, having previously bought it back for the club and also funded developments for a new training ground that opened last year. Fans should be rightly excited with how ambitious the consortium is being and are now hoping for planning permission to be approved next year to begin developing the club’s iconic stadium.
Football journalist with The Real EFL since 2023. A 2024 Multimedia Journalism graduate from the University of Salford, Lewis specialises in Salford City FC and EFL coverage.
