Lincoln City might be stepping into a brave new world in moving up to the Championship, but we must not forget we’re also seeing major development at the ground for the first time since 1995.
The last major structural change was the opening of the West Bank stand, known as many things but currently the GBM Stand. It replaced the old Sincil Bank terracing a couple of seasons after the South Park end of the ground.
That is now the area where development is focused, with a project called Imps Territory currently underway. The old bar has been ripped out, and those living near the ground will see steel in and a host of building work going on. It’s ambitious: I’ve seen reports of 40 weeks’ worth of work being crammed into 15, but CEO Liam Scully has revealed things are on track.
In a wide-ranging interview on the club’s YouTube channel, Liam addresses the current progress.
“Yeah, it is all on track and on budget,” he said, looking thoroughly on-brand in his Oxen leisurewear. “Let’s not lose the scope and the scale of what’s being attempted here. It is by far, I’d probably say, one of the most ambitious projects in football right now, certainly this summer.
“The project itself in totality, in a typical development, I think you’d be looking at around 40 weeks. For what we’ve attempted to do, we’re attempting to do that in something far closer to 15 weeks.”
The club have no pre-season games scheduled at Sincil Bank, and the scope of the works explains why. Hoping for an away game off the bat, the Imps need to use every last second to get the work done.
“From the last kick of the ball at the stadium at the end of last season right through to the first kick of next season, it is going to be an absolute full-scale assault in order to get everything completed,” siad Liam.
“Lots of work is going on in every aspect of the club and everywhere you see, there’s someone digging something up or knocking something down. The plan is certainly to rebuild that for the start of next season.”
One area that fans can soon enjoy is the new Clubhouse venue, a coffee shop with some rather spectacular cakes, situated in front of what used to be the old club office, next to the current shop.
“I think this is something that, of all the projects within Imps Territory, is one of the ones that we’ve been talking about for the longest now,” said Liam.
“We’re just really proud of it because I think what the coffee shop does, and the Clubhouse, is it’s an actual component of the community that we reside in.
“It’s not just about the stadium on a matchday, or equally in relationship to the 3G facility that it will also serve. It’s the fact that we have so many people walking through the footprint of our stadium on a day-to-day basis as they go about their daily routines.
“We think we have an important role to play within our community. It is an opportunity for a dry, warm space for people to come and meet others, and I think the opening of the Clubhouse is going to do that.”
The rest of the interview is incredibly informative and well worth taking 30 minutes to listen to.
You must be logged in to post a comment.