THE future of top flight rugby at Rodney Parade will be assured with the completion of a new £4m stand and hospitality area in time for the start of the new season in September.

Work is well under way on the major new project which will also incorporate a function suite for 300, a new shop, 13 hospitality boxes, a premier members’ lounge for 150, education suite and reception area.

The new stand, to be named once a major sponsor or sponsors are obtained, will provide 2,700 seats and will take the ground capacity to 11,000. The Hazell Stand has also been reclad.

And interest in the new development is already high with demand for season tickets well up on this time last year.

“The idea is to enhance the match day experience with a fantastic new state of the art facility,” said Dragons chief executive Mike Jenkins.

“But it has got to pay its way so it needs to be available seven days a week. There are no comparable sites in the centre of Newport available for weddings, seminars, conferences and parties.

“A lot of interest is being shown already and we are taking bookings now for weddings in 2013. We have applied for a wedding licence so people can get married on the halfway line and have their reception on site!”

And on the demand for seasons tickets Jenkins said: “We haven’t sent out renewal packs yet but we are already way ahead of last year (when they sold 2,000) and prices are being held at those levels.

“We are running advertising campaigns and we are making a series of presentations to people which we want to take out into the community.

“I want to stress that we are eager to get out into the region to sell the whole concept, the match day experience. We also want an 80% occupancy of the facility.

“One initiative we have is that if you are a Newport season ticket holder you get a discount for the Dragons as well, and we want to extend that to our other Premiership clubs Cross Keys, Pontypool and Bedwas.

“The whole rationale behind this is rugby based, to generate income streams which will be reinvested in the rugby organisation like the first team squad and the academy - that’s the message, that’s the future.

“Rodney Parade is the last traditonal rugby ground, it’s in the city centre which none of the other three regional grounds are and there is a vociferous, partisan crowd which will serve and hopefully enhance that.

“Success on the field is, of course, paramount because people won’t come without the product, that’s got to be right.

“Everyone considers Rodney Parare a traditional rugby ground, Warren Gatland says its the best atmosphere of any of the regions, we are enhancing that.”

And the future beyond the completion of the stand and hospitality area?

“We would like to see further development of Rodney Parade with the southern end of the ground, but that would encompass student accommodation, plus a roof on the terrace,” said Jenkins.

But at last the wheel is turning and Rodney Parade could be the envy of the rest of the country on and off the field.