Stockport County has unveiled grand expansion plans that propose to nearly double the capacity of its home stadium.
The football club yesterday launched the next phase of consultation on plans for a phased expansion of its historic Edgeley Park stadium, which – if approved – would look to increase the capacity from 10,852 up to c.18,000.
Plans for the expansion and enhancement of the Stockport team’s home ground were initially announced back in 2022, when the Club firs introduced its “vision” for the stadium and surrounding area, and called on its loyal fans and the local community for their feedback.
The Club says the feedback it received during that first consultation was “instrumental” in shaping the “core objectives” for the expansion as this next phase launches.
An exciting series of new artist impression images and an accompanying video showcasing what Edgeley Park could look like following the refurbishment and expansion has also been released by the club, alongside the plans.
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Stockport County has today launched its next phase of consultation on plans for a phased expansion of Edgeley Park, which would increase capacity from 10,852 up to c.18,000.
The initial phase would include the eastern expansion and enhancement of the historic North Stand (Danny Bergara Stand) and East Stand (Railway End).
The expanded North Stand would provide around 600 additional seats, increasing its capacity to around 2,680, while the new East Stand would see its capacity increase from 1,366 up to around 4,500, and, as part of the plans, the North Stand’s historic brick frontage along Hardcastle Road would be retained and repaired.
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Subject to securing planning permission, the Club says it wants to begin work on the North Stand eastern extension in early 2025.
Then, as part of the Club’s longer-term plans, it’s envisaged that the South Stand (Together Stand) would be redeveloped to increase its capacity to around 5,500, while the final element would be a western extension to the North Stand to provide another 600 seats.
Stockport County has unveiled grand plans to expand Edgeley Park / Credit: Stockport County FC
But, other than the capacity increase, what else are the plans proposing then?
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Well, according to Stockport County, the plans propose to create a “true community stadium” with access to a wide range of spaces for the local community, create a better matchday experience for all – including more covered seating, with a “great view” of the pitch – and improve the stadium’s accessibility for those with disabilities and additional needs.
On top of this, the plans also look to offer “quick and easy” routes into and away from Edgeley Park for the benefit of fans, visitors, and local residents, and intend to make the stadium more “environmentally-friendly and sustainable”, where possible.
And, as Stockport County is already on its way to become locally known-for, the plans also intend to provide a greater range of high-quality food and drink options too.
If approved, it would increase the capacity of the team’s home ground from from 10,852 up to c.18,000.
The Club says the latest proposals and next round of consultation launched this week are based on a phased approach to “investing in improvements” to Edgeley Park in order to “ensure sustainable growth” for the future.
Stockport County says it’s intends to submit a hybrid planning application for the expansion in the next few months – which would follow on from this next round of the consultation process.
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Keen to have your say?
The second round of consultation on the plans for Edgeley Park is now underway, and will remain open until Wednesday 3 April 2024, so to get involved and give your feedback, you’ll just need to complete the feedback form on the Stockport County website here.
Or, if you’d prefer to do it in person, there’s several public drop-in sessions taking place at the stadium as part of the consultation on Tuesday 19 March at 3pm-7pm, Saturday 23 March at 2:30pm-5pm (matchday event), and Monday 25 March at 11am-3pm.
You can also see more information on the plans overall on the Stockport County website here.
2027 Manchester Marathon sells out in record time after biggest event ever
Danny Jones
The 2027 adidas Manchester Marathon has already sold out in record time after the biggest event in the race’s history.
Incredible stuff.
Yes, after more than 42,000 runners took on this year’s 26.2-mile challenge – the highest number to date – public places for next year’s Manchester Marathon have gone in the blink of an eye.
To be specific, they were snapped up in just 10 days: even faster than the last time around, with 2026 having also broken the previous fastest (or PB, if you will) time before that.
Posting on social media, the organisers wrote: “We’re blown away by the response as a record-breaking number of public places were secured during our launch window, and we’re now officially at capacity.
“Thank you for the amazing support. We can’t wait to help you turn your 26.2 dreams into reality.”
They also went on to remind people that even if they missed out, potential participants can still secure a place through their official charity partners.
Manchester Marathon maintains annual partnerships with the likes of Alzheimer’s Society, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Mind, and The Christie Charity.
Teaming up with numerous non-profit organisations over the decades after it first began way back in 1908, before enjoying multiple stints during the 1980s and late 90s into the noughties, huge sums have been raised over the years.
It’s never anything less than a heartwarming and inspiring day.
The modern MCR Marathon, as we know it, returned in its present format nearly a decade and a half ago, beginning its current collaboration with sportswear giants adidas, therefore helping raise the profile even further, with the 2026 fundraising tally also reaching a record-breaking £5.2 million this past April.
At the moment, the Manchester Marathon maintains annual partnerships with the likes of Alzheimer’s Society, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Mind, and The Christie Charity.
Once again, these organisations, along with the likes of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity and many more, will continue to offer charity places for the 2027 Manchester Marathon, provided you can hit the fundraising total.
We don’t know about you, but we’re loving this city and the surrounding boroughs being well and truly in their running era, and we also urge all of you who make up part of the local culture to immerse yourself in all aspects – especially when it comes to the post-race season party…
DJs, karaoke, quizzing, three full rooms, an entire beer garden to themselves, and MUCH more. 👀
Manchester City ‘strongly condemn’ racist abuse towards first-team players at Everton
Danny Jones
Manchester City Football Club have released a statement following yet more troubling racist abuse in the Premier League this May bank holiday.
Pep Guardiola’s side faced Everton in a fixture that ended in a 3-3 draw, which could prove pivotal in their pursuit of leaders Arsenal.
Sadly, however, one of the main stories to be taken from the game once again revolves around abuse and discrimination.
Match officials were quickly made aware of racial remarks directed at winger Antoine Semenyo on the day, and, unfortunately, defender Marc Guehi has also been the subject of hateful messaging online in the aftermath of the result.
Sharing a short, but simple and emphatic statement, the club wrote: “Manchester City strongly condemns the racist abuse directed towards Antoine Semenyo at yesterday’s match.
“We welcome the swift action taken by Everton and the police to identify the individual responsible.
“We are also incredibly disappointed to hear that Marc Guéhi was subject to a series of vile racist social media posts last night.”
They go on to add that they will “continue to offer our full support to both Antoine and Marc and never accept discrimination of any kind in our game.”
Everton themselves have since confirmed that local authorities swiftly identified at least one individual alleged to be responsible for the unacceptable behaviour.
As mentioned in their own post, the culprit is said to have been a 71-year-old man who was quickly flagged by fans and stewards inside the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
While this may be the first incident reported at the Toffees’ new home ground, regrettably, it’s just the latest in a long line of similar cases raised not just in English football but the top flight, specifically.
It goes without saying that we’re sorry to hear that stuff like this is still happening, and we send our strength to all those who continue to be affected by this despicable treatment.
As ever, ‘the beautiful game’ is for everyone and racism has no place in society, let alone football – kick it out once and for all. In other news surrounding Man City, there’s also been some controversy surrounding their upcoming FA Youth Cup final.
Emily Sergeant -
14th March 2024 
