It's not just the playing surface itself that's been vastly improved at Molineux during the Summer.

There have been a number of pre-season changes in and around the Stadium Bowl, which reflect the ongoing desire to invest in Molineux and to move ahead with proposed Ground Redevelopment.

Molineux Trackside

The pitch has been moved closer to the Jack Harris (South) Stand as an important first step in bringing Wolves' fans closer to the action and to improve Molineux's atmosphere.

This means, on a temporary basis, the Stan Cullis (North) Stand goal posts will be approximately three metres (300 centimetres) further away from the Stand. Encompassed within this is a new, additional section of concrete track.

Supporters will also notice a slope on the trackside between the Billy Wright (West) Stand and the Stan Cullis (North) Stand. This is as a result of the pitch being levelled out, complete with a camber, and raised two and a half feet in the North West corner.

The dugouts are no longer situated on the grass pitch side, but have moved to the trackside area in front of the Billy Wright Family Enclosure. And in order to ensure that the sight-lines of supporters remain unaffected, the dugouts have been sunk Continental style with three steps leading down into the area occupied by Wolves' management and substitutes. The new area is also slightly wider than previously and so the dugouts can be extended if necessary in the future.

These are the first signs of the wider redevelopment plans for Molineux which should, in time, see the stadium's capacity raised to approximately 38,000, the atmosphere inside the ground improved and facilities for supporters modernised.

Access Control Pilot

Furthermore, the Club wishes to improve supporters' match day experience, and is planning an 'Access Control' pilot in the Billy Wright Stand. Supporters attending Saturday's fixture versus Athletic Bilbao (Saturday August 7th KO: 3:00pm) will notice, upon entry to the Stand, new Access Control units.

These will be operated on a trial basis over the coming Season, with a view to potentially rolling out the system to the other three stands as they are redeveloped. It is hoped that this system will not only speed up entry into the stadium for supporters but it will give fans, and the Club, greater flexibility and convenience on many ticket related issues as well as giving fans access to other Wolves services and benefits.

The Access Control system will not, however, be used during the first few fixtures so supporters should continue bringing their Season Ticket books as usual. Any changes to card access will be communicated at a later date.

The Club is pleased to have secured the services of FortressGB, whose technology is already present at clubs such as Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool.

This is the beginning of what is hoped will be a long-term partnership and an integral part of Stadium Redevelopment. Despite these Access Control trials there are currently no plans to replace the Stile men in the near future at Molineux.

Work to demolish Peal House, the ex-Carillion Office block on Waterloo Road, is now well underway. The site will be used as a car park, which will help to replace parking spaces lost during the proposed redevelopment of the Stan Cullis Stand.

Jez Moxey, Chief Executive, Wolves, said: "This current pre-season has been just as busy, if not busier, at Molineux as last year's preparations for the Premier League. We've taken many important steps to pave the way for the potential Redevelopment of the Stan Cullis (North) Stand set to begin at the end of the 2010 / 11 Season.

"Some of the changes are temporary, such as the additional track side at the Stan Cullis end. However, they are essential building blocks in the overall Redevelopment plan to improve the atmosphere inside Molineux and facilities for fans.

"As well as structural changes, we are also committed to investing in technology to improve supporters' match day experience. Access Control is another example of that and, if the trial is successful, we plan to roll it out amongst all supporters at a later date.

"The evidence at other Clubs suggests that Access Control results in smoother, easier and speedieraccess into the Ground and also opens up other avenues and services that the Club could provide to fans."