A FOOTBALL club is the heart and soul of any community and Worcester City is no exception.

With a proud past and approaching centenary celebrations, the club is on the verge of a revolutionary new beginning, with proposals for an initial 7,000 capacity stadium at Nunnery Way.

Officials, with the financial backing of superstore giants B&Q feel the time is right for the proposed move, in order to meet their ambitions for the community, the club and the team.

Hitting Football Association (FA) ground requirements is a major motivating factor and an essential blueprint for club success, sad Alan Wills. Worcester City club director.

Major work is already needed at St George's Lane. It would cost £200,000 to keep this site even up to Conference standards.

We need our council to work with us now or the opportunity for a new ground may be lost forever.

Replacement of the Brookside terracing and crash barriers, the canal end wall and pitch perimeter fence are just some of the repairs needed to pass next season's ground inspection.

Mr Wills confirmed that if the team was promoted into the Nationwide Conference, it would have to guarantee to meet strict league standards within two years.

We'd have to include disabled access, have a minimum 6,000 capacity stadium and a main stand seating at least 2,000 people, he said.

If you add to this extra parking facilities needed for car and coaches at a ground currently licensed to hold 4,000 people, the club simply cannot expand on this site with our future ambitions.

A consortium for the club handed a promotional package, including B&Q's aims for the site, to Worcester City councillors yesterday.

The team, headed by local solicitor David Hallmark, will discuss the plans at an informal planning presentation next week.

They aim to seek support in principle for the scheme, in order to give project leaders the confidence to thoroughly investigate the potential of the site.