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Molineux ‘to return to full capacity’ after stand closure

Molineux, the home of English Premier League football club Wolverhampton Wanderers, is set to return to full capacity next month with the reopening of the temporary Graham Hughes Stand, according to the Express & Star.

The 800-seat stand, which sits between the Sir Jack Hayward Stand and the Billy Wright Stand, has been closed all season after structural issues were detected. The stand was initially closed for the opening two Premier League games of the 2021-22 campaign.

However, Wolves in September announced that Molineux would continue to operate at reduced capacity “for a number of games” after surveys found “severe structural deficiencies” to the Graham Hughes Stand.

Wolves said the stand would need to be rebuilt to make it safe for supporters. The West Midlands club had been working with event solution specialists Arena, which installed the temporary seating in 2018, and which also undertakes the regular routine inspections of the stand which flagged up the issues in July.

The Express & Star has reported that the stand will reopen in February, with Arena now out of the picture. Wolves was said to be unhappy with the company’s work and switched to a new contractor once the rebuilding of the stand commenced.