DARLINGTON Football Club's new visitor centre is likely to score highly when it opens next week.

Nestling in the shadow of the club's towering new stadium, the centre will tell the story of the development.

Club chairman George Reynolds said he was delighted the centre and shop were ready for business.

"We have had a virtual reality video made of the new stadium and we had to wait until it was completed before we could open the centre,'' he said.

The centre will be opened by Mr Reynolds next Saturday.

Meanwhile, work on the stadium is forging ahead.

On the ground floor, 2500 cubic metres of concrete has been laid and the first and second floors, forming the hospitality areas of restaurants, bars and executive boxes, will be completed this week.

The drainage system for the pitch, which includes about 20 miles of pipework and underpitch heating, is installed.

Four seven-tonne escalators are in position, and the lift shafts are nearing completion.

Excavation work on the car park began this week, with the pond forming the focal point of the wildlife section already ten per cent full.

Work on the glass faade forming the main entrance to the Quakers' new home has also started.

"We are well ahead of schedule, and so far everything has gone according to plan," said Mr Reynolds.

Read more about the Quakers here.