Small changing rooms bar club from playing at home

Newbury FC played a match at Faraday Road earlier in November, but have now been told they can only use the site to train

A football club has been told it is not allowed to play matches at home because its changing rooms are too small.

Newbury FC returned to council-owned Faraday Road on 9 November, six years after being evicted ahead of potential redevelopment work.

But West Berkshire Council has been informed the changing rooms do not meet the standards required by the Thames Valley Premier League, meaning the team can only use the site for training.

A spokesperson for the council said the team "remain delighted" to be back at their home ground and said they were aiming to have the necessary adjustments made by 7 December.

The Faraday Road site was badly damaged in a suspected arson attack in 2021

The club was evicted from Faraday Road in 2018 when the then-Conservative run council said it wanted to use the site to redevelop the London Road Industrial Estate.

The site fell into disrepair and most of it was destroyed in an arson attack three years later.

The Liberal Democrats pledged to bring Newbury FC back to Faraday Road when they took control of the authority in 2023.

'Do not despair'

Nigel Foot, the councillor in charge of sporting facilities, said the council had "worked extremely hard... to get proper league football back on Faraday Road".

But he said a "breakdown in communication" meant the changing rooms did not meet standards, something that was only flagged in an inspection after the first match had taken place.

But Mr Foot said Newbury FC fans "should not despair".

"This is only a temporary hold-up. We have been working extremely hard since that football league inspection," he said.

"We have every confidence that Newbury FC will be playing from the 7 December back at Faraday Road."