Skipper Matt Gill has welcomed South Gloucestershire Council's decision to approve Bristol Rovers' plans to build a new stadium and believes it signals the start of exciting times ahead for the club.
Rovers' hopes of building a new £40 million facility on land next to the University of West England in Frenchay were approved by South Gloucestershire Council yesterday.
The club now only needs planners to approve the building of a new Sainsbury's supermarket on the current Memorial Stadium site – when the issue is reviewed in September – to finally get the construction phase of the 21,700-capacity stadium under way early next year.
"It is brilliant news for everyone associated with Bristol Rovers," said Gill last night. "A lot of clubs have taken the route of building a new stadium over the last few years and it appears to be the way forward in terms of securing a viable long-term future.
"We've seen over the last few years how clubs like Swansea, Reading and Doncaster have benefited from a new stadium, both financially and in terms of trying to climb through the leagues.
"I'm sure a really nice, brand new facility will serve to attract bigger crowds and is a really good selling point when trying to attract new players. It is a real boost, not only for the club, but for the city of Bristol as a whole.
"The Dunford family did a fantastic job in bringing the club back to Bristol, which was well before my time, and I know the current chairman has worked tirelessly to get this project off the ground over the past few years.
"As players our jobs is to give our utmost whether we're playing in a field, over the park or at the Memorial Stadium – but the thought of a new stadium can be a really big motivating factor that could have a really positive effect on the pitch as well as off it.
"It is a massive decision that signals exciting times ahead for the club and I'm really chuffed that the stadium has been approved."
Rovers, meanwhile, continue their pre-season programme when they split the squad to play two games tomorrow afternoon.
One half of the squad will take on Southern League Premier Division side Frome Town. The other half will go to play Blue Square South side Weston-super-Mare. Both games kick-off at 3pm.
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