PERDISWELL has become the focal point for future sport in Worcester.

Not only is the city’s football club pinning its hopes on a new stadium at the Bilford Road venue, but Worcester Swimming Club have set their sights on a new eight-lane pool getting the go-ahead at the north Worcester site.

The Blue and Whites’ supporters trust takes centre stage this week when it presents its vision for a new 4,130-capacity football stadium to its members tonight at Tudor Grange Academy in Bilford Road (7.15pm).

It would be a community facility, including an all-weather surface, upkeep of the current pitches as well as providing a potential home for City, who are currently playing all their home games at Kidderminster Harriers’ Aggborough ground after selling their former St George’s Lane headquarters for housing.

There were abortive attempts to build a business-backed stadium at Nunnery Way, but the current community-based project seems to have a lot more going for it and, importantly, has won initial backing from the city council.

The cost of the project has been quoted at around £2million, with the prospect of sports grants giving the plans a realistic foundation.

The new swimming pool is a much more costly venture with the eight-lane venue estimated to need £13.5million to bring to fruition.

This week the city council have virtually ruled out that possibility and so swimmers may have to settle for a £10.7million six-lane pool.

The existing venue at Sansome Walk is now feeling its age and the sale of the land it sits on would go some way to paying for a new Perdiswell facility.

While football fans are desperate to get their club back within the city boundaries, competitive swimming in Worcester also has a dire need for a bigger pool. In fact, Worcestershire has no facility big enough to stage big competitions and swimmers even have to travel to Wolverhampton or Gloucester to compete in their own county championships.

As always finance holds the key to both projects and the city council have a big part to play if both clubs are to achieve their goal.

The current economic climate suggests that public funding is out of the question.

The only hope may be to attract one of the big supermarkets to fund a joint development or perhaps the University of Worcester would be able to further expand their sporting facilities.

Some objections have already been raised by residents in the Perdiswell area, but we wish all concerned well as the Faithful City certainly needs to add football and swimming to a top-class sporting portfolio that already includes cricket, rugby and basketball.