WORCESTER Wolves Basketball Club have enlisted the help of the city's MP Michael Foster in a bid to get permanent seating installed at their home games.

Mr Foster has added his support to the club's application for a £70,000 grant to the Foundation for Sports and the Arts.

This would enable them to install permanent seating for up to 550 spectators and extra emergency exits at their home venue, the sports hall at University College Worcester.

The Wolves have attracted ever-increasing crowds to their matches since being promoted to the National League Division One.

But at the moment fans have to sit on plastic chairs at the courtside, and Wolves chief executive Mick Donovan said: "We have crowds of 400 and we are having to turn school parties away because we can't fit them in.

"To go higher up the leagues we would need to have fixed bleacher seating. At the moment, if we were to get promoted we would have to turn it down or go to another venue or another city, which we wouldn't want to do.

"With fixed seating people would have a better view, and it would mean that other sports which use the hall would benefit as well. It would have brilliant implications for the city."

The hall at UCW is also used for sports such as gymnastics, netball, badminton and wheelchair basketball. The Wolves' plans have the backing of the university.

Mr Foster, who regularly watches Wolves' home matches with his family, said: "The Wolves provide great entertainment, as well as giving a great deal to our local community with their work in local schools.

"They deserve the support of people in the city, not just cheering them on, but lobbying for better facilities."

Wolves play the first of three successive home games against Cardiff tonight (7pm), hoping to end a run of three successive defeats.

Head coach Rick Solvason said: "We need to win a couple of these games at least to put us back in a good position in the league.

"We have had a 5-10 minute spell in our last three games where we haven't been able to maintain our form. We need to play well all the way through, but being back at home will help us."

The Wolves' only absentee is Fotos Mavraganis, who has returned to Greece for Christmas.