Groundshare agreed with Hythe

Ambitious Kent County League side Ashford have agreed a long-term groundshare agreement with Hythe Town.

The Steamers hope to play semi-pro level and believe a move to Reachfields is vital for their ambitions.

Ashford chairman Steve Rollings said: “This is a great day for Ashford FC. The committee here have been working extremely hard over the last few months to secure a venue that would suit our ambition to play at a semiprofessional level in the near future and moving to Hythe is the first step to achieving that goal.

“Peter Young (the club’s vice chairman) knows Mark (Jenner, the Hythe chairman) very well from their time at Ashford Town together and he can see our ambition as a club. We thank him and his fellow directors at Hythe Town Football Club for helping us take another step forward to achieving our goal.”

The Steamers will move into the 3,000-capacity Reachfields Stadium this month and will host Rochester City in their first game at their new ground on Saturday, September 11.

Ashford assistant manager Ryan Mills also expressed his excitement at the move, adding: “Moving to Reachfields will be a big boost for the players. The facilities are excellent there and the playing surface looks really good this season and perfect for our style of play.

“It’s a real selling point to the players too and something that gives us an advantage over other clubs at our level, especially to attract sponsors and supporters in the area.” They are ending a four year stay at their current ground in Hamstreet.