THE long awaited kick start for Badshot Lea Football Club was finally realised last week and it’s now all systems go for the move to its purpose-built new home in Westfield Lane, Wrecclesham.

More than 14 years of hard work and determination paid off with Monday’s announcement that Football Foundation, Football Stadium Improvement Fund and Sport England are all backing the Westfield Lane project. The club has already secured funding from Surrey County Council Community Improvement Fund and Waverley Borough Council.

“We have satisfied all of their conditions including coming within budget,” club chairman Mark Broad said. “We will shortly be instructing contractors to commence work on the site and hope it will be up and running in August 2018.

“Our committee, a small one at that, are delighted with this outcome. It will allow Badshot Lea Football Club to grow and flourish and give our 30 youth teams a proper exit strategy as they come up through the ranks and allow the senior section to pick for their team from some home-grown Badshot Lea youth players.

“Having a new facility will give us the much-needed ‘home’ that we have so badly needed over the years. Truly new beginnings and, of course, hard work to come.

“We would like to thank everyone for their patience, understanding and support in getting us to where we are and we look forward to seeing you all at the ground as it develops and at the grand opening.

“We are very keen to support the community of Wrecclesham. We have already had discussions with Wrecclesham Recreation Ground members about ideas on how we can support each other with local events.

“I hope the two sites can work together. We want to benefit the community and involve residents. There is also lots of opportunity there for an alternative venue for parties.

“We listed carefully in the planning stages and because of Farnham Rugby Club previously being there, the biggest concern was parking. We changed our plan to increase the amount of parking and want to work together with the community as much as possible.”

Mr Broad paid special tribute to Farnham councillor and Waverley Leader Julia Potts for her unwavering backing for Badshot Lea’s proposed move and Waverley’s head of major projects, Kelvin Mills, for their unwavering support for Badshot Lea’s proposed move throughout the last five years.

Farnham Rugby Club relocated in 2012, leaving the way open for the football club to move in, after an eight-year search to find a suitable site.

Badshot Lea had already investigated but rejected three other sites, before Waverley offered the club Westfield Lane as a potential site.

Plans for the site include levelling and creating drainage for the current pitches and renovating the clubhouse then continuing with the erecting of a 100-seat grandstand and installing floodlights, in line with league regulations. After consulting local residents, the club also opted to include extra on-site parking areas and smaller pitches for community use.

“You can’t just magic up a piece of land,” Mr Broad added. “We have been searching for a ground that will satisfy the grading requirement for the level we want to play at.

“We have ambitions to move further up but to do that you need a facility that is not shared with other sports and that is fenced in and has floodlights. It’s been quite a rollercoaster to get to this point.

“Pitch works will start in June, which is the optimum growing time, but it’s down to Mother Nature. We will finish the clubhouse and the car park and we hope to be physically playing football in August 2018.

“This is a big achievement in the history of a club that was founded in 1907. It will finally allow us to put a structure in place for our 30 youth teams and give us a base - somewhere to call home.”