Kelvin Thomas discusses the possibility of increasing Sixfields capacity

Cobblers chairman Kelvin Thomas says there have been discussions over potentially increasing the capacity of Sixfields in the future, but the ‘immediate priority’ for now is finishing the East Stand.

The ground’s capacity will rise slightly to just over 8,000 once the East Stand is completed, which is expected to be at the start of 2025, but with the average attendance hitting a 55-year high this season, there have been calls to expand either the North or South stands.

"We have talked about increasing the capacity but as an ownership group we’re investing £5million into the stand plus £2million for the land so that’s £7million and then on top of that there’s the year-on-year investment into the club and the team,” said Thomas.

"It’s not an immediate decision that we have to make. We definitely want to get the East Stand finished because the’s the immediate priority and then we’ll look at it. The crowds are good and they have gone up but we’re not at the point of breaking. I think we’ve had two home sell-outs this season and five away sell-outs.

“From a football perspective I am not a huge fan of expanding just the away end to get more away fans in. If you were purely making a financial decision of course it helps but previous experience tells me it is not always the best thing for the home club and it gives the away team an advantage.

"Do we want 4,000 or 5,000 away fans in at Sixfields? Financially you might but from a football point of view you might not. We have run the numbers and the East Stand offers a much better return on investment for the club ahead of the north and south stands and that is our priority for now. We are making a big investment to complete the East Stand and we can and will consider the ends later on.”