WORCESTER City chairman Dave Boddy believes the new stadium at Nunnery Way will provide the springboard to one day bringing the club Football League status.

An agreement between the club and St Modwen Properties was formally signed yesterday that will see an £8million ground built on the outskirts of the city.

The move will wipe out the club's £800,000 debt and, with the help of non-football revenue streams such as conference and banqueting facilities, give them a much stronger financial footing for the future.

It is hoped City will be able to move into the 6,000-capacity stadium, be-tween M5 junctions six and seven, in time for the start of the 2009/10 season.

Promotion from Blue Square North is the club's immediate goal but Boddy says life among the full-time ranks is the ultimate aim.

He said: "Worcester City has got the ambition ultimately long-term to become a Football League club so it's important from day one we build a stadium that's fit for Football League standard.

"The dream would be to move from St George's Lane to Nunnery Way and be playing in the Conference Premier at the same time.

"The debt will be cleared and we will move in debt-free without having hands tied behind our backs and hopefully in a position to move the club forward on the field.

"The short-term goal is to get into the Conference national division. I have seen a lot of Conference football this season and it excites me, the product to me is as good as League Two.

"I would be delighted if we could get into the Conference first and from that point you can have the springboard to go on to become a Football League club. It's exciting times for everyone involved with Worcester City."

Boddy sympathised with the supporters, who have waited years for a move to become reality, and thanked them for their loyalty.

The chairman said: "Supporters have had 20 years of disappointments since we got relegated from the Con-ference.

"The supporters have had a frustrating period both on and off the field. On the field, we have flattered to decieve for quite a number of years. Off the field, they have been waiting for this announcement.

"I would like to thank them for their continued support, patience and hopefully their support in the forthcoming years to hopefully what is a promised land both in terms of the new stadium and our aim to ultimately achieve Football League status.

"We need supporters to continue to stay loyal and to believe because we are going to deliver for them."

Phil Gardiner, Worcester City Sup-porters Club chairman, said: "It's great news. It's a relief for everyone involved with City to finally get the go-ahead to build a new ground and hopefully take the club on now.

"It's positive and it looks like the future now is bright and we can start to compete with the other clubs in our league."