English Championship football club Brentford yesterday (Monday) staged a special ground-breaking ceremony to celebrate the start of work on its new stadium.
The Brentford Community Stadium will boast a capacity of 17,250 and feature a new base for the Brentford FC Community Sports Trust.
Brentford has pledged to support the local community with wider project, which will also include the construction of 910 new homes as well as other commercial elements to help regenerate the local area.
Lifelong Brentford supporter Robert Muttitt, together with his son Peter Muttitt, daughter Nicki Todd, and his granddaughter Sophie had the honour of putting the first spade into the ground at yesterday’s ceremony.
Robert’s father, Ernie Muttitt, also played for the club from 1932 to 1947, and is a member of the Brentford Hall of Fame.
“We were so delighted to have the chance to take part in the ceremony today,” Robert said. “I have so many old memories of the club, swimming in the player’s bath, watching my father and others train on Tuesday and Thursday nights and playing football and cricket outside the old wooden entrance on Braemar Road.
“Now I am looking forward to the new ground, a great future and new memories – which hopefully will include my family and I watching Brentford play in the Premier League.”
Site enabling works will continue throughout March, with developers set to start on site the stadium and phase one residential work next month.
The Brentford Community Stadium is scheduled for completion during the 2019-20 football season.
Image: Brentford
