What will happen if the Saints does not expand?

The Saints has been a place of sporting excellence since its founding in 1880. In the intervening 130 years the Northampton public have been able to come and watch some outstanding and world class sporting entertainment - from the 1905 New Zealand All Blacks, known as 'The Originals,' to the 2007 Argentina team that went on to finish third at the Rugby World Cup, not to mention touring teams from Samoa, South Africa, Australia, North America and Russia.

The people of Northampton also saw their team win the 2000 Heineken Cup, 2009 European Challenge Cup and 2010 LV= Cup, as well as reach numerous English knockout cup finals on home turf, and opposition coaches and players regularly say that the Franklin's Gardens crowd and the support it gives the Saints plays a massive role in the outcome of a match. The Saints has helped to put Northampton on the international sporting map.

This is happening now!

In 2011 the Saints was forced to move the Heineken Cup quarter final with Ulster to stadiumMK in Milton Keynes to satisfy the requirements of ERC, who reserve the right to stipulate that knockout matches must take place in a stadium that holds a minimum of 15,000.

It was a good day at Milton Keynes, but the Saints wants to have the option to choose where these matches are played, not to be forced because Franklin's Gardens is too small.

Furthermore, as the club continues to grow on and off the field Franklin's Gardens will become increasingly inadequate and more and more matches may have to be played away from the town.

Other clubs like Harlequins, Saracens and London Wasps are expanding their grounds and taking their games to big stadiums like Wembley and Twickenham to create eye-catching showpiece occasions.

We want to stay here. Franklin's Gardens is our home. We are proud to be a part of the fabric of Northampton and proud to take the town's name onto a global stage. This is why we want this development to take place.