Prediction made on timeline of potential West Brom stadium expansion at the Hawthorns | OneFootball

FLW's West Brom fan pundit has given his verdict on the possible expansion of the Hawthorns

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

A number of Championship and Premier League sides have worked on expanding their current stadiums or even building entirely new ones, and potentially West Brom could join them.

The Baggies are under relatively new ownership, with Shilen Patel overseeing the purchase of the club in February 2024.

Albion have enjoyed a reasonably strong start to the new season, with Ryan Mason’s side in the early mix for a top six finish.

Patel will be keen to see the club compete for a place in the Premier League, with West Brom seeking a return for the first time since 2021.

The Hawthorns currently houses a capacity of around 26,000, but Birmingham City, Luton Town and Oxford United’s recent stadium plans could inspire them to make changes of their own in the near future.

Hawthorns expansion would require Premier League football

When asked about possible plans to expand the club’s stadium, FLW’s West Brom fan pundit Callum Burgess claimed that any decision on this won’t be made for a number of years.

He also believes that it would require the Baggies to consolidate their position back in the Premier League in order to justify increasing the capacity attendance.

“I think that’s very much depending on the progress that Albion makes in the next years,” Burgess told Football League World.

“I think at the moment, Albion’s current capacity is more than enough and is probably the level we can be aiming at.

“We’re quite a small town in West Bromwich, but to get 26,000 when the attendance is full is really good going in my eyes.

“But I think that if Albion end up returning to the Premier League, and consolidating, I could see there being a need to potentially expand in the future, but I think that’s something we won’t see for many, many, many years.”

Mason’s side are currently seventh in the Championship table after the opening nine fixtures.

The Baggies have earned 14 points from a possible 27, winning four, drawing two and losing the other three.

The gap to leaders Coventry City is five points, with a 3-0 loss to Millwall in their most recent game dropping them out of the play-off places.

Next up for West Brom is a home clash against Preston North End on 18 October in a 3pm kick-off.

West Brom have greater priorities right now than the Hawthorns

West Brom’s immediate sights are set on improving the first team and other areas of the club behind the scenes instead of the stadium.

Any expansion of the Hawthorns is likely to be expensive, and could detract from the team’s ability to compete in more important areas over the short-term.

Waiting until they can possibly consolidate their place in the Premier League makes the most sense, as that is their immediate aim and will secure the greater improvement to their revenue, which could help afford such a move.

It’s certainly something the Patel family must have considered when purchasing Albion, but it’s not something they need to get working on straight away.