Increasing stadium is vital for Charlton Athletic

The Premier League club chief executive Peter Varney believes plans to boost the capacity of The Valley to 31,000 "is an absolute priority" for the club to continue their development.

At the end of this month Greenwich Council are set to vote on the application to extend the East Stand after an original decision was delayed to allow for a site visit. The plans include 4,000 more seats, as well as a new business information centre, college facilities, and extra 30 executive boxes. "For us to continue to grow, we have to get the capacity up to 31,000 - it is an absolute priority," Varney declared. "If we have got an extra 4,000 fans buying their seats, buying their shirts, getting stuff from the kiosks, that is all additional income,” he added.