Board 'still committed' to football club's move

Darlington FC announced its intention to leave Black Meadows in 2022

A football club has said it remains committed to finding a long-term, permanent home despite difficulty relocating.

Darlington Football Club admitted finding a new location was an "incredibly complex process", as it has faced multiple setbacks since revealing an ambition to move in 2022.

When it announced its intention to leave its Blackwell Meadows ground, the National League North side said it hoped to build a new site with additional sports, retail and hospitality facilities.

Chief executive David Johnson said the club had been discussing several potential locations.

The new stadium was initially planned to be built in time for the 2024-25 season, but the project has been repeatedly delayed.

"This is an incredibly complex process involving many stakeholders and is therefore extremely time-consuming and unfortunately very slow-moving," Mr Johnston said.

Securing Darlington FC's future

Board members remained committed to finding a "long-term, permanent home to secure the future of our club", Mr Johnson said.

They are in talks with stakeholders about several possible locations, including the football club's former home, Darlington Arena.

Darlington Mowden Park RFC, which currently plays at the arena, recently outlined its ambition to partner with other sports clubs to develop the site, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"We have been discussing several options for the arena site, as well as other locations, but what we as a board are very clear on is that we cannot envisage a move back to the Darlington Arena in its current form," Mr Johnston said.

"The aim is to deliver a sustainable sports facility for the town, that hopefully will meet the needs of as many stakeholders as possible, but we will not enter any proposal that could jeopardise the long-term future of the football club."