CITY Chief Executive David McNally today underlined the importance of the Club's commitment to increase the number of seats at Carrow Road.

Chairman Alan Bowkett confirmed in a live webchat on www.canaries.co.uk on Friday that the Club has identified the opportunity to expand from the current capacity of approximately 25,900 to 27,000 by the start of next season, with all the additional new seats being placed in home areas of the ground.

A comprehensive consultation process with architects has been undertaken and the sheer scale of the possible expansion identified means the work required has forced the Club to reluctantly postpone the Tom Jones concert scheduled for Saturday, June 5.

McNally commented: "We obviously sincerely apologise to all of those people who had purchased tickets to come and see Tom Jones in concert and they will receive a full refund.

"However, once the opportunity was identified to significantly increase the number of seats available for home fans to watch matches at Carrow Road from next season and beyond, the Board unanimously agreed this must take priority.

"The work necessary to bring about the expansion is extensive and involves more than one stand at the stadium and we need to get cracking right away - so unfortunately it simply is no longer viable to host thousands for a pop concert while that work gets underway.

"But the long-term benefit to the Football Club and its supporters is crystal clear. We sold out home areas for 15 out of 23 league games at Carrow Road last season and to see scores of fans turned away from the buy-back queues at every game was heart-breaking.

"The Board has identified expansion of the stadium as a key target. Ultimately this will involve redevelopment or replacement of one or more stands at significant cost to the Club - for the time being however this increase in the number of seats available is an essential and cost-effective step in the right direction."