WORK to expand Sixways to a 15,000-capacity stadium could begin as soon as 2013, according to War-riors managing director Charlie Little.

Planning permission was granted to replace the temporary north stand with a permanent structure as part of the same application for the £8m Slick Systems Stand.

Little says work can begin on the next phase of Sixways when the team have established themselves back in the Aviva Premiership.

He said: “If you look at how many people came to Sixways for the Championship final, to our games in the Premiership before that when, if we’re being honest, we didn’t have a great level of success, and that we are growing the Worcester Warriors name to try and create a generation of supporters that we haven’t previously had.

“Take all that into consideration, then realistically I would envisage work on any north stand development to begin no sooner than the 2013/14 season, by which time we would have established ourselves in the Premiership. We will also know more about how things are going in the econmic climate.”

Little added: “We are an ambitious club and have a clear vision to try and grow Sixways to a 20,000 capacity stadium and, without having markers set in the sand at certain points in the future, we can’t measure our development.

“To grow the west stand, we need to to be in a position to be one of the top teams and set-ups in Europe.

“We have to be over 15,000 to be staging home Heineken Cup quarter-finals. You don’t want to be moving games unless you have to.

“Northampton moved their game to Milton Keynes, for example, and we don’t want to be in that position when our catchment area and supporter base is here in Worcester.”

Meanwhile, Warriors missed out on both of the Premiership Rugby Parliamentary Community Awards, which are dedicated to highlighting best practice in community rugby. Bath and Bristol were the winning clubs.