Southwell City FC's message to fans ahead of Brinkley move
Southwell City FC say they hope to have moved their senior sides into their new ground by August 2021.
In a club statement addressed to the fans, it was said that one of the key reasons for the move to Brinkley was because of the success of its men’s first team, which plays in the Notts Senior League Premier Division — the seventh tier of non-league.
“In order to move the club forward and become more sustainable, it was felt that now was an opportune time to make the big transition,” said the club.
“The reasons for moving are many and varied. The biggest factor is that the Memorial Ground is actually a public park.
“This means that it is impossible for us to maintain the playing surface to the high standard we would want.
“This has become more obvious over the last few years. Also, because it is a park, we cannot fence off the area to allow us to create a closed playing area and invest in the club’s growth.
“This is a prerequisite if the senior men’s team want to play at step six or above.
“Another big deciding factor behind this move has been the success of the senior team on the pitch.
“We won our first silverware in many years last season and the recent success has all been done with a very young squad of mainly local players.
“Many of these lads have come through from playing youth football with Southwell and we want to give them the best possible chance to play at as high a level as possible with their local club.
“Finally, we have one of the biggest and best youth set ups for non-league teams in the entire county.
“With our club expanding with both our boys and girls teams, it’s the optimal time to bring all of our junior teams to the Memorial Ground. Hopefully this decision will benefit both our senior and junior teams."
First team manager Jonny Upton addressed the announcement on Twitter.
The Memorial Ground will act as a new home to the club’s junior sides, which includes five, seven and nine-a-side teams.
The club plans to split the current first team pitch into a number of smaller pitches while continuing to benefit from the exciting clubhouse and floodlights on the park.
Work is to begin at The Centenary Ground, in Brinkley, this summer, and will also be home to the ladies’ senior side.
“After recently securing planning permission and with the support of the Football Stadia Improvement Fund, the plan is to renovate the clubhouse and upgrade the facility up to standards that align to step six,” the club said.
“This includes new larger changing rooms fitted with toilets and showers, male and female officials rooms, new toilets separated from the changing facilities and of course, a new bar area to ensure hospitality on match-days.
“We will also create a main pitch that will be enclosed, with permanent dug outs and eventually a covered main standing area for spectators and floodlights during phase two.
“We will create and maintain a high-quality playing surface and will also invest in a drainage system.”
You can see the statement in full below;