ENTERPRISING Eastleigh are ready to embark on the next big phase of their ground improvements.

Chairman Stewart Donald's Spitfires are awaiting the go-ahead for a new two-storey clubhouse complex at the north end of their Silverlake Stadium home.

Pending the green light from Eastleigh Borough Council, the ambitious National League club will get to work on a £1 million-plus project that will not only benefit fans but will ensure the club’s growing band of staff no longer have to operate out of temporary buildings scattered round the ground.

With the consultation period ending this week, the Spitfires are hoping the plans will be approved with a view to finishing the work before end of the coming season.

“This will tidy up our facilities and improve the matchday experience, not just for the fans but for the safety officers and all the people who currently work out of portable buildings,” explained Eastleigh CEO Mark Jewell.

“We want to bring everything together and create a permanent structure to be proud of so that when we get TV cameras here, it will feel like a proper football club rather than one that’s just come out of the lower echelons.

“Whilst a lot of our ground improvements – the terracing and the Mackoy Community Stand – are obvious, facilities have been stagnant behind the scenes, making the day-to-day running of the club difficult.

“Myself and club secretary Ray Murphy can have our own office and Chris (team boss Chris Todd) won’t have to work out of a Portakabin any more. Even simple things like wi-fi would be improved. We need a proper business facility.

“With casual staff, including around 40 matchday stewards and bar staff, we’ve got 150-odd people working here now compared to just two or three permanent staff and a few casuals when we first arrived. That's how much the club has grown.”

The temporary building currently housing Eastleigh's executive club downstairs and the scholars’ classroom/safety officers’ control room upstairs, will be relocated while work is in progress.

Jewell estimates the new complex, to be stationed behind the covered terrace known as The Shed, will take around six months to complete.

“There will be some preparation work to do first but, even if we have a bad winter weather-wise, it should be completed before the close of next season," he said.

“Having a construction site while we’re playing matches is no problem. It's no different to when the Mackoy Stand was built. We just have to plan it properly.”

Eastleigh have already invested an extra £50,000 on the pitch this summer and the home dressing room has undergone a major facelift, giving it more of a professional feel.

Players have their own separate blue and white bay and the club have asked fans to send in inspiring quotes to adorn the wall in each of the 22 sections that will spur the Spitfires on to glory.