Eastleigh will have a new 350-seater stand in place for the start of next season after securing a £150,000 ground improvement grant.

Less than a month after getting planning permission from the borough council, the ambitious Dr Martens Eastern Division newcomers are celebrating a cash windfall from the Football Stadia Improvement Fund.

As well as increasing their current seating capacity by 100, the new stand will house team and officials' changing rooms, a treatment room, committee room and catering facilities.

In all it will cost over £200,000, with the rest of the money made up by the sponsorship from Greene King and Sparshatts.

Work will begin almost as soon as the season finishes on May 3 and will be finished in time for the new campaign in August.

The current 250-seater stand will be dismantled for the time being and, pending planning permission, will be repositioned behind the far-end goal.

There are also plans in the pipeline for a new clubhouse built on the back of the new stand, a covered standing area, an all-weather training pitch and additional car parking space - all of which would ultimately bring the ground up to Conference standard.

In the meantime Eastleigh are splashing out £16,000 to have a new sprinkler system installed before the pitch is seeded in the summer.

Roger Sherwood, club chairman for the last seven years, said: "We've been talking about these ground improvements for a long time and it's nice to see it taking place.

"To date we've had tremendous success on the playing side and we're looking to emulate that off the field.

"It's another major step forward for the football club and it will be nice for our supporters to see the benefits.

"It takes Eastleigh into the 21st century and will be a massive boost for the club's image."

Funded by the FA Premier League and the FA, the FSIF provides finance for capital projects targeted at spectator safety and improvement work for clubs in the Football League, Conference and non-League.

The grant is a major boost not only for manager Paul Doswell and his team but for the many people who have worked so tirelessly behind the scenes to move the Stoneham Lane club forward.

Sherwood said: "Credit must go to Paul Murray, our business development officer, for his help with the grant application, Derik Brooks, our general secretary, and people like Bill Loosemore, our groundsman, who is up there every day of the week."

Eastleigh plan to mark the official opening of the stand with a pre-season friendly against Southampton and also have AFC Bournemouth on their guest list.