Smaller Wembley planned

Sport England believe Wembley has a future

Sport England may be prepared to back a new plan to redevelop a reduced-capacity Wembley.

The scheme is proposing to rebuild Wembley into an 80,000 seater venue, 10,000 fewer than originally planned, which could slash the £660m costs by up to a third.

This latest scheme could be given the green light if Sport England are prepared to rewrite the lottery funding agreement that provided £120m towards securing the site.

We are still looking at the original option regarding Wembley's capacity but if the lottery funding agreement was to be reassessed things might change

WNSL spokesman, Chris Palmer

The revamped plan would still have to include around 13,500 corporate seats as the premium cost admissions have been set aside by Wembley National Stadium Ltd to subsidise the building of the stadium.

That would mean that the reduction in capacity would hit the public and contravene the current specification by Sport England of 75,000 seats for general admission.

WNSL spokesman Chris Palmer said: "At the moment we are still looking at the original option regarding Wembley's capacity but if the lottery funding agreement was to be reassessed things might change."

Sport England have not ruled out the possibility, saying they would consider making changes to the terms of the lottery grant to save the project from complete collapse.

"The Football Association or Wembley have the right to apply for a variation of the agreement and we will listen to any arguments put forward," said a spokesperson.

"Sport England is committed to developing a national stadium which is built to a world class design and is accessible to all.

"Like many others we believe the project has a future and we are keen to play our part."