When Sir Elton John officially opened the new stand that bears his name at Watford Football Club's Vicarage Road Stadium in December 2014, it added some showbiz glitz to the completion of a major redevelopment project on the east side of the ground.
The rock superstar, who is the club's Honorary Life President, was recognised for his support of the Hornets over many years, including spells as chairman when he forged a winning partnership with then manager Graham Taylor.
Construction work on the new stand was undertaken in two phases and initially required significant gas infrastructure work to ensure that the club's new changing facilities (located in the stand) would be ready for the start of the current season. Phase two is nearing completion and will herald an increase in seating capacity at the club from 17,500 to 21,000.
Gas infrastructure design for the project was undertaken by engineers in the Siteworks division of Energy Assets, the UK's leading independent provider of gas metering and associated services, which has a strong track record of delivering football stadia projects.
The Watford contract required the alteration and upgrading of the existing gas service meter and outlet pipework in advance of demolition work. This had to be completed with minimal disruption to the football ground, as gas demand was still required to serve the other parts of the stadium, which remained fully operational. The second phase involved connecting to the new outlet pipework and feeding gas to the new changing rooms via above ground steel pipework
Commented Watford FC Safety Manager Stephen Crabtree: "We were very pleased with the way the gas element of the project was planned and executed, because it goes without saying that, despite the disruption caused by the project, having the changing rooms available at the start of the season was absolutely essential. It's now great to see our supporters enjoying a fantastic new facility."
Andy Collin, Technical Engineer at Energy Assets, said that the Watford project was among a number recently designed and completed for leading football clubs.
"It's not every day that we contribute to projects that get the seal of approval of rock superstars, but we are now gaining a reputation in the football sector for the successful delivery of complex energy infrastructure projects both within stadia and at training grounds," commented Andy.