Southampton are back in the Premier League after a one-season absence. Promotion to the higher division is not the only thing a supporter of the club from the south of England can be happy about. Plans have been presented for the expansion of the fan zones around the stadium.

Fan zones, big screens and that's not all

Just before the Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, the match giving the club promotion to the Premier League was played at Wembley. The match ended with a score of 0:1 for the Saints who eliminated Leeds. However, this was not the end of the good news. Plans have been put forward to make matches at St. Mary’s Stadium more comfortable to watch.

It is also convenient, not least for Southampton fans, to take up the offer of the top football bookmakers in the UK. The betting site offers a wide range of online gaming, including the best deals on the market, where you can find free weekly bets on Premier League matches. Check this out!

The club has submitted proposals for improvements around St Mary Stadium. There will be a new fan zone and large screens with a stage behind the Northam Stand. However, that is not all. There will also be more food and drink outlets and a new playing pitch with synthetic grass without a need for crumb rubber. This will be created with a reduction in parking spaces.

© Stadiontour.at

A total of 15 food and drink stalls and spaces for local traders would be created. Some of these would be new and others relocated from existing locations. A new toilet would be introduced and another would be relocated. The revised parking layout would include 106 standard parking spaces and 30 disabled spaces. The places would be reduced by more than 130 for regular supporters and by almost half for disabled supporters.

The club's letter to supporters

Many of the club’s supporters lobby the club to provide spectator facilities for other sporting and entertainment events at the club, as such venues encourage fans to gather and enjoy the sporting spectacles across a number of yearly events - reads the club's letter to supporters.

The creation of fan zones enables the club to attract fans, families and friends who have tickets in the respective stands to gather for sporting and other events, which could be used for this year’s events such as the Euros and the Paris Olympics they added.

This move is to ensure that those with the greatest need to use the private car to access the stadium are prioritised and that further encouragement is given to all other users to use other forms of public transport, walk or cycle to the stadium - the planning agent added to this.

© Steven Hedley

Stadium extensions among new Premier League teams

This is not the first newcomer to change its stadium ahead of the Premier League. The other club that urgently needs to rebuild its facility is Ed Sheeran's favourite team, Ipswich Town. There, however, the changes are needed now and are much bigger. The stands at Portman Road will be rebuilt, or a new TV studio. You can read more about the arena's preparations for Premier League requirements in a separate article.