Durham teams planning elite women's sport facility

Durham Women FC are not affiliated with a men's team

Durham Women FC and Durham Cricket are to work together in an attempt to build a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to women's sport.

The two clubs have worked on plans to create a women's football high performance centre, including a new stadium and training facilities, in Chester-le-Street.

Durham would move from their current base at Maiden Castle and share this with the women's cricket team, as part of the town's Riverside sporting complex.

"There could not be a better place for an elite women's sport centre than Chester-le-Street," said North East mayor Kim McGuinness.

"Durham Women FC and Durham Cricket fly the flag for women's sport at an elite level but our region is a hot bed of young talent, with some of the strongest grassroots women's leagues in the country."

Durham, fourth in the Women's Championship, are one of only two independently owned women's football teams in the UK, which are not affiliated with a men's one.

They currently use the Durham University sports ground at Maiden Castle, but this move eight miles north would be the first in the UK to a stadium designed primarily with female athletes and spectators in mind.

The training ground could be used by both the football and the cricket team, while it is hoped that facilities would be available for grassroots use for men and women in the community.

Durham have just been granted a Tier 1 women's professional team for the 2025 English county cricket season, and they are sharing facilities at the Seat Unique Riverside with the men's side.

"This is a fantastic prospect to create a women's sports hub for Chester-le-Street and the wider region," said Durham Women's director of football Lee Sanders.

Plans are still in the early stages with several options being discussed before anything is finalised.