United’s plan gets approved

New training pitches will be laid at Ashford United’s ground as the football club aims to increase capacity in the face of huge demand for its facilities.

Bosses say they no longer have enough space to cater for the adult and youth teams wanting to use their Homelands Stadium.

In October, they applied to Ashford Borough Council (ABC) for permission to build two fivea-side 3G pitches on an open area next to their home ground.

The scheme - which includes a single-storey changing facility that will be constructed alongside the all-weather pitches - was approved last week.

The application site has been used for football training in the past, however the surface was found to be unsuitable and is no longer used.

Over the last 10 years, bosses say they have invested £600,000 into the stadium, which is also home to Kennington Football Club and is used as a training ground by several non-league teams.

In the application, which was submitted by club director Don Crosbie, the club said its existing 3G pitch laid in 2015 has been “extremely successful”.

“Ashford United Football Club (AUFC) is now at a point where it no longer has enough space to cater for the increasing demand for training, coaching and matches,” it said.

“Financially supporting grassroots football is increasingly difficult and Ashford United hopes to utilise the large area of land around the existing Homelands Stadium that is currently scrub, grass and informal hard landscaping to provide training facilities for the football club without the need of hiring external facilities.”

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