Southend United club secures safety certificate in time for season

Southend United's 117-year history is under threat

A football club's opening game of the season will go ahead as planned after it obtained a new safety certificate for its stadium.

Financially-troubled Southend United needed approval from Southend Council to play at Roots Hall stadium.

The club said Saturday's Vanarama National League opener against Oldham Athletic would go ahead as scheduled and thanked fans for their support.

The BBC has approached the council for comment.

Southend United - which dropped out of the Football League at the end of the 2020-21 season - has been before the courts a number of times in recent months, with an order being made in May to ensure the club's survival by allowing the payment of players and accountants.

The club has debts of £2.5m - about £300,000 of which is owed to football creditors. It also has to pay off a £275,000 tax bill.

Last week it paid the wages of staff for the first time in three months. The Shrimpers are due back in court over their debts on 23 August.

Mr Martin, the club's owner for 25 years, has repeatedly stated he intends to sell the 117-year-old club.

More than 100 volunteers turned out to help Roots Hall stadium obtain a new safety license

On Sunday, more than 100 fans turned out at Roots Hall to clean and paint the stadium in an effort to help it gain a new safety license.

Conservative Southend West MP Anna Firth, who joined the effort, praised the "army" of supporters who helped and said Blues fan Lawrence Austin who organised the event "deserved a medal".

Southend United said tickets for Saturday's match would go on sale at 10:00 BST on Tuesday.

It said: "The club would like to reiterate how grateful it is to the 160 plus supporters who worked hard on Sunday to help clean-up the stadium, along with Mick Maddocks of R B Emersons whose work has been tireless to ensure the stadium's safety certificate has been granted by the relevant authorities."