Fans given tantalising glimpse of proposed facilities for Braywick Park stadium

Maidenhead United have thanked supporters and the wider community for expressing their views at a series of engagement sessions designed to help the club shape its new stadium proposals for Braywick Park.

The most recent of these sessions took place at York Road on Tuesday last week (February 3) and was related to ‘Fan Experience’ at the proposed venue.

Many supporters turned up to give their views at the session even though the Magpies scheduled home game with Bath City later in the evening had been postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

The session certainly whetted the appetite, giving supporters a tantalising glimpse of the facilities and services that could be on offer should the bid be approved.

The Magpies recently cleared the first of several hurdles needed to bring their new ground project to fruition, with the council progressing with the publication of an open space disposal notice order.

They’ll next need the council’s cabinet to vote that order through, and in the meantime, they’ve been engaging with the public through a series of drop-in sessions related to Ground Design, Enhancements to Braywick Park and Biodiversity, staged at Desborough Bowling Club.

The club broke down fan experience into five sections - Accessibility - ensuring the new stadium is inclusive and open to all; Club Heritage and Identity - ensuring the new ground remembers who the club is and where it’s come from; Look, Feel and Functionality - helping supporters enjoy the experience and enabling them to become the ‘12th man’; Technology - embracing technology within the new ground and future proofing it for years to come; Food and Drink and Fan Zone - adding to the football to maximise entertainment.

In terms of Accessibility the club hopes to be able to deliver provision for both seated and standing areas, much like at York Road, while they also want to provide wheelchair viewing areas.

It is also hoped the new ground can build upon the club’s heritage with opportunities to name the ground and individual stands and perhaps even relocate equipment, memorabilia and plaques from York Road.

The club wishes to replicate the painted ‘Maidenhead United’ behind one of the goals for example and retain the historic photos and imagery throughout the new facilities. New wayfinding signage, club advertising and slogans will also reflect Maidenhead’s brand and heritage.

Maidenhead also wants to provide improved facilities for female players and spectators while there is also an opportunity to specify construction methods, materials and roof design of the stands to optimise appearance and acoustics in a bid to improve the atmosphere.

The plan is to install automatic turnstile with quick scan ticket entry, and to finally install a scoreboard and TV screens around the ground. Food and drink orders could be made via a tablet for collection and multi fast-pour drink taps could be installed to speed up service.

Improved CCTV and security would ensure the safety of supporters while inside and arriving at the ground. It is also hoped that energy could be created using sustainable technology such as solar panels and rainwater harvesting.

The new ground is likely to have a sports bar, fans zone and cafe with activities and games available in the fans zone. There are plans for an indoor sports bar and cafe which could be used outside of matchdays, improved pitch side catering and better hospitality offerings. The space around the ground would also allow for mobile catering vans, offering fans a wider choice of food and drink options.

The club have been encouraged by the response of the council so far to its proposals. It had seen its initial plans for a stadium and associated facilities closer to the front of the park, and Braywick Road, blocked by the council back in July 2023, but a more collaborative approach in recent months has seen this new set of proposals brought to the table.

The club originally agreed to buy a nine-acre site at Braywick for £460,000 - translating to £460 a year over a 99-year lease.

This time the club is offering £2.5million for the land, and much of this money will be invested by the council back into the park with new schemes likely to include the redevelopment of the existing athletics track at Braywick, resurfacing some of the all-weather astroturf pitches and improvements to the Braywick Nature Centre.

The new proposal is for a football league compliant 5,000 capacity ground with 2,000 seats at the back of the park. It will have a new hybrid surface enabling more competitive matches across all sections of the club, not just the men’s and women’s first teams.

For supporters who were unable to attend the club’s fan experience workshop, you can still submit your feedback here