Championship football club Brentford has confirmed that it will move into its new stadium in 2020 as the 17,250-seat venue begins to take shape.
The club said yesterday (Tuesday) that key construction milestones have now been achieved, with piling works for the foundations now 90 per cent complete. The first parts of the stadium’s steel frame are also now in place, with work progressing on laying sections of terracing for the venue’s south stand.
Brentford broke ground on the new stadium, which will be located on Lionel Road, back in March. The club had initially hoped to move into the new ground in 2019 but it has now confirmed that it will play a full final season at Griffin Park, its home since 1904, in 2019-20.
Brentford said the decision to begin playing at the new stadium for the 2020-21 season was taken in conjunction with the club’s development partners, EcoWorld London, and their building sub-contractors, Buckingham Group.
The decision has been made in consideration of “normal delays and problems” that arise with large-scale building works adjacent to railway lines. The club also pointed to the operational challenges that surround a mid-season stadium move as a reason for moving during the off season.
The stadium is also expected to become the home of the London Irish rugby union team. The development will form part of the wider Brentford East regeneration project, which will also feature more than 900 new homes, a purpose-built location for Brentford FC Community Sports Trust and a public square with shops and cafes.
Image: Brentford FC
