Three-month redevelopment of Northampton Saints’ Supporter Village complete
The redevelopment of Northampton Saints rugby club’s Supporter Village was recently completed ahead of the start of the 2026/27 season.
The project has significantly enhanced the reigning Gallagher PREM champions’ stadium fan zone, with a wider range of food and beverage outlets, a new covered event space and family space, and new accessible turnstiles for easier entry to the ground.
RSK Group company CS2 Chartered Surveyors acted as the project manager and cost controller, with works carried out by contractor Foxton Construction.
CS2 Project Manager Matthew Cochrane said: “The redevelopment has created a larger supporter area, with new food and drink facilities, a permanent covered event space and lakeside seating. It also adds a big screen, additional entertainment facilities and dedicated areas for families and community activities.
“The gates and turnstiles were widened and upgraded to reduce congestion and make the Supporter Village more accessible, especially at peak business times.”
He added that CS2 had begun working on the project in March 2025, at the initial concept design stage, to identify risks early and ensure that design development remained aligned with the available budget and programme.
He said: “The scheme presented several challenges, not least the need to deliver substantial works within a live sporting environment and around the operational requirements of a major professional rugby club. Careful planning and working closely with all the departments of Northampton Saints that this project affected, including the CEO, head of finance, head of operations, marketing department, groundskeeping department and others, meant that we could maintain momentum while protecting the club’s operational and commercial priorities.
“Construction works took place during the summer to avoid disruption to games. They began in June 2026, with the demolition of existing buildings and relocation of the existing grounds compounds, and were completed by mid-September. Despite the absence of match days during this period, Saints continued to host concerts and other events, requiring careful coordination to maintain safe public access and venue operations while ensuring the project progressed without delay, so they were finished in time for the first fixtures of the season in October.”
The improvements also created challenges for infrastructure, necessitating works to the mains power and drainage. Matt explained that the mains power supply was upgraded to provide sufficient capacity for the new amenities. Historically, flooding was an issue within the village area. Drainage attenuation was added to the site so that rainwater will be stored within the system and slowly released into the sewer system, helping to prevent flooding.
Northampton Saints Head of Operations Kristy Coates said: “While the Club was fortunate to already have a versatile Supporter Village area at the stadium, its popularity on matchdays – particularly with an increasing number of sell-out fixtures – also presented challenges. The new and upgraded Village has created a more open, functional, and engaging environment for supporters to gather and socialise before and after matches. Complementing the large screen installation, a new centrally located stage has been created with visibility across the entire Village, providing an elevated platform for player appearances, presentations, interviews, and other club events.
“It is a key milestone in the Club’s long-term masterplan and the comprehensive transformation will better serve supporters on match days, while strengthening the Club’s position as a year-round destination, creating greater opportunities for events, community activity and corporate use outside of matchdays.”