Relegation and staffing demands at Colchester United's new stadium have created "a vicious circle" for the club.

One person will be working at the community stadium for every 25 fans that can watch the match, with more than 400 stewards, programme sellers and catering staff set to be employed on matchdays at the 10,000-capacity stadium.

The U's averaged a 5,500 crowd last season in the Championship at Layer Road and gates were normally about 3,500 in 2005-06, when the U's were last in League One, pushing the ratio of staff to supporters even higher.

With 130 stewards needed at each game and 200 catering staff required to feed up to 400 people in corporate boxes and lounges, stadium operations manager Keith Turner admitted that the club's relegation had not come "at the best time".

"It's the hard economics of football that going down has knocked what we can achieve in terms of naming rights and selling corporate places," he said.

"There's a vicious circle putting pressure on the people selling boxes and corporate facilities, who have to make more money to pay the people we need to generate the hospitality sales.

"We wish we were still a Championship club, but hopefully we will be back there soon."

A recruitment drive has been launched to sign up more stewards.

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