Football fan who uses a wheelchair praises new area

The viewing platform in the newly-opened East Stand meant fans in wheelchairs could enjoy an elevated view of the Sixfields pitch for the first time since 2014

A football supporter who uses a wheelchair said a new accessible viewing platform at her club's long-awaited stand has changed her matchday experience for the better.

Northampton Town's East Stand fully opened this month after a decade-long construction saga, boosting the capacity of Sixfields Stadium by about 400 to 8,200.

Before it was finished, fans who used wheelchairs had needed to be positioned at pitch level - without cover - for almost 11 years.

Abbie Davies, who has used the new platform at two recent League One fixtures, said it had been "definitely worth the wait".

Ms Davies said: "I was [previously] sitting at the bottom of the West Stand, near the tunnel where it wasn't really a designated seat.

"My mum would sit in a plastic chair [beside me] and we couldn't always see the pitch. Until we started using the new platform, we didn't realise how much [of the games] we missed. It's lovely".

She had previously left games early, or not attended at all, if the weather conditions were poor.

"Now I can stay whatever the weather," Ms Davies said.

She said the new stand also offered easier access to a disabled toilet and refreshments.

Northampton Town's East Stand has boosted the capacity of Sixfields Stadium to about 8,200

The stand, which will be known as the LCS Stand due to its sponsor, also featured a new concourse with televisions, food kiosks, retail space and toilets.

On the second level is a large kitchen for hospitality, a bar, lounge, boardroom, corporate boxes that seat 10 people, and 24 accessible spaces for wheelchairs.

The club finalised an agreement to complete the stadium work after West Northamptonshire Council approved a land sale to the club in February last year.

This deal included land behind the stadium - an area that has been the focus of ongoing discussions about development plans over the years, and was earmarked for warehousing.

The club's chairman, Kelvin Thomas, previously said the total cost of the stand would be in the region of £5.5m - £6m.

What the East stand looked like when work stopped in 2014