Ascot United: FA Vase winner submits stadium upgrade plan

Ascot United won the FA Vase at Wembley in May

FA Vase winner Ascot United has applied to upgrade the club's stadium in order to avoid league punishments.

The Isthmian League side said the men's team would be relegated unless the club built a new 50-seat grandstand and turnstile by the end of March.

It said the improvements were required by the Football Association (FA) following a recent promotion.

A planning application to the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead said the club was "nervous of timelines".

The application said: "The temporary structures we need to install are at the behest of the Football Association [FA] and relate to the men's team now playing at a higher standard which has additional requirements in terms of facilities."

Club chairman Simon Negus said he was confident the work would be approved in time, after the club secured pre-approval from a council planning officer.

He said: "It is all a bit last-minute. Ground grading advice didn't come until November and we secured funding from the FA just before Christmas."

Ascot United's men's team, which won the FA Vase for the first time in May, now plays in the eighth tier of English football.

The planned ground improvements follow the side's promotion from Step 5 football to Step 4, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

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