A football club that wants to host concerts to save it from bankruptcy should get the go-ahead next week. But with so many competing venues, will Darlington FC prove a big enough draw? Olivia Richwald reports.

Durham Cricket Club has hosted Elton John, the Metro Radio Arena, Take That, Rod Stewart and Coldplay.

Earlier this month, Newcastle United Football Club broke years of tradition by opening up St James' Park for a Bryan Adams gig.

But who can Darlington Football Club expect to attract if club bosses get the go-ahead next Wednesday to host concerts?

Darlington Borough Council officers have recommended that attendances at the 96.6 TFM Darlington Arena are limited to 4,500 for concerts because of traffic chaos fears.

According to Colin Revel, general manager of Newcastle's Metro Radio Arena, with such a restriction, the 25,000-seater Neasham Road stadium could attract family-type performers and tribute bands.

He said: "This is a very small attendance for a stadium that size.

"It is obviously not going to be top people at 4,500, when you consider most outside shows can have many more. But they may be looking at family-type shows and bootleg bands."

Mr Revel said outdoor gigs were more expensive to stage than indoor performances.

"If at Darlington Football Club they are going to have to build a stage and put in seating for 4,500 people there is not going to be a big income," said Mr Revel.

However, Darlington FC is more likely to compete with outdoor venues, such as the Gateshead arena, which can host 38,000, Durham Cricket Club, which can squeeze in 16,000 and Newcastle United FC, which hosted 18,000 at the Bryan Adams gig.

Darlington council has suggested that the 4,500-limit at the football club could be increased with a management plan in place.

But council investigators discovered the concrete stands at the stadium are not thick enough to withstand the kind of rhythmic jumping seen at concerts, so any performances and seating will have to be on the pitch.

Andrew Jarvis, marketing manager at Durham Cricket Club, thinks concerts in Darlington could make money.

"We had Jamie Cullum last year and got an audience of 3,500. We had hoped for more, but it was profitable and was a good event for the club and led the way for us to book Elton John this year," he said.

On Teesside, Middlesbrough Town Hall can host up to 1,352 and has welcomed comedian Jimmy Carr and booked World Cup band Embrace for a gig in October.

In Newcastle, the Sage has landed Lou Reed, the Futureheads and Morrissey -with a maximum capacity of 1,800.

The Metro Arena hosted a record 11,400 audience at a recent Coldplay gig.

Last night, Darlington FC would not say who the club hoped to attract.

The planning committee meets on Wednesday to decide on the application.