Abbey Stadium gets a refresh and revamp ahead of Cambridge United’s season opener against MK Dons

A revamp of Cambridge United’s Abbey Stadium will be on full show at the first Sky Bet League One match of the season against MK Dons this Saturday (July 30).

It has been an exceptionally busy off-season with upgrades being carried out across the ground with regards to practices and processes, buildings and spaces.

New catering units have been installed in the Main Stand, South Stand and Habbin, with existing tea bars in the Habbin and South Stand converted into pie and pint bars, and all other tea bars refurbished.

The Abbey Arms has been replaced with a new bar, a stadium app will allow supporters to pre-order beer during their visit, all areas inside the ground will be cashless, the offices in the South Stand are under renovation, the changing rooms have been extended and the wi-fi, CCTV and PA system improved.

The hospitality areas have been renovated and a new kids’ zone will be operating outside the club shop on home games.

“I think some of them have been driven out of necessity,” United CEO Alex Tunbridge said of the improvements.

“I think it would be fair to say that there has been an element of a lack of investment into the infrastructure in some of those areas.

“Luckily the club has been fortunate to be in a position this summer where it could invest in some of those areas.

“One of the key things about the summer has been ensuring that we offer better quality and a better speed of service for the food outlets.

“To do that, we needed to ensure we had a payment system in place that was quick so we’ve taken the decision to go cashless but we then needed an internal wi-fi system that would allow us to process quick payments.

“Those two are probably driven through necessity.

“The upgrades to the supporter catering is also out of necessity. We want to improve the matchday experience, we want it to be more than just about what happens on the pitch at 3pm.

“We wanted to increase the quality and variety of the food, and that whole general fan experience so that was a key area.”

The kids’ zone will feature an inflatable goal, a variety of garden games and a sign-up point for the new Junior U’s membership, which was launched recently.

“That for us is really key,” said Tunbridge, pictured right. “We want to increase the fanbase, want to grow generations of supporters, how do we do that?

“We feel that an engagement area is really important that will allow young supporters to come together, engage with the Trust staff on a matchday, and also it is at the forefront of the stadium and the main thing you see on a Saturday when you drive down Newmarket Road.

“We would rather have young people engaging with our football club, being active, as the thing people see rather than 10 more cars in our car park.”

It will inevitably take time for all the changes to bed in. After a challenging first night with teething problems against Norwich in pre-season – which included coping with the extreme heat – things ran smoother against Hull last Saturday.

“The feedback in terms of what people have seen has been really positive,” added Tunbridge.