AN eight page souvenir supplement marking the end of Worcester City Football Club's 108 year stay at St George's Lane is available in your Worcester News today.
The pull-out and keep section of today's paper takes a look into the many highs and lows experienced by all at Worcester City FC since the team took up residence at their home ground in 1905.
Worcester City FC will play their last match at St George's Lane on Saturday against champions Chester and your Worcester News will be there to cover this momentous milestone in the city's history.
City sold the ground to Careys New Homes in 2009 for just over £3 million and the Middlesex-based firm are set to demolish it in June.
However, there is no new home on the horizon and the club, who will groundshare at Kidderminster Harriers next season, face an uncertain future.
Although outline planning permission has been granted to build a stadium at Nunnery Way, between junctions 6 and 7 of the M5, work has not started.
Developer St Modwen remains in talks over the site, including the moving of a bridleway and possible construction of a road bridge.
The Birmingham-based company also have a contract with the football club which says they don’t have to start building until 2017.
Of the money they received for the Lane, Worcester paid off a bank debt of £1.7 million while the remaining £1.26 million has gone to St Modwen under the terms of the deal.
That is enough to cover the purchase of the land and infrastructure costs but the club have no money with which to build the stadium.
If building does not start this year, the club will face a potential capital gains tax bill approaching £500,000 on the proceeds of the sale of the Lane.
In a separate move, a proposed new ground at Perdiswell has been put forward by the club’s supporters’ trust but the earliest estimate of that being ready is the end of 2015.
- To buy a copy of the paper, which includes the supplement, call 01905-742210.
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