Darlington FC provide update on future stadium plans

The Quakers have identified the Skerningham and Faverdale areas as potential locations for the new stadium, which could include additional sports, retail and hospitality facilities.

The club has spent the last six years playing at Blackwell Meadows, having opted to groundshare with Darlington RFC after leaving their previous temporary home at Bishop Auckland. However, they do not own the stadium, and last year announced their intention to relocate as part of a long term plan to return to the Football League.

The new stadium, which will allow capacity of between 5,000 and 8,000 fans, was initially planned to be built in time for the 2024-25 season, but is now thought to be delayed by a year. It will include new training facilities which will be rented out to clubs, schools and the community to help provide a sustainable and regular income stream for the Quakers, which became fan-owned in 2012.

Read more: Two sites identified by Darlington FC for new stadium

The Quakers previously announced the council supported their initial plans and that two potential sites had been identified, and while Mr Johnston said the club is making progress he admitted the process has been ‘frustrating’. The upcoming Darlington local elections have seemingly delayed proceedings for now, with more work on securing the new site due to take place in the Summer. 

Darlington FC chief executive David Johnston with Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen (Image: Sarah Caldecott)

Darlington chief operating officer David Johnston gave an update on the stadium following the club’s annual AGM. 

“We still have the full political support, however the council elections are coming up, and if the current council with a Tory-led majority was to remain in force then it’s best for the football club because the Local Plan that’s been out for consultation allocates the land use for the next 25 years, that will not change,” Mr Johnston said. 

“If, however, there’s a change in control of power we may see a different leadership want to tweak the plan, it’s highly unlikely they will want to change it because it wasn’t called in by the inspector, and the land allocation has been set and to challenge that would mean a massive legal process which will cost millions of pounds. However, we may see some fine tuning of the Local Plan to look at housing numbers, land allocations to make it more acceptable for a different leadership. 

“We have to wait until those elections are through then we work with the council on pushing ahead, securing the land, and working with the developers to go forward with the stadium.”

A detailed costing of the new stadium will be delivered in the ‘next couple of weeks’, as they continue to discover what commercial revenue is needed to cover the annual mortgage of the stadium, so fans don’t have to cover the costs. Club officials have long talked about the importance of having nearby facilities to attract more visitors, as plans for an adjacent retail park with drive-thru food outlets have been discussed. 

Similar stadiums throughout the National League North including AFC Fylde’s have been identified as inspiration, with Mr Johnston adding: “this is the only sustainable model that I have been able to come up with”. 

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The site of the proposed Skerningham Village development (Image: The Northern Echo)

The Skerningham option is likely to be contentious, however. A planning row over the potential Skerningham Garden Village which has been earmarked in the council’s Local Plan for housing and community facilities continues. The current document says up to 1,650 houses and facilities such as a GP surgery and schools could be built during the plan period up to 2036.

Campaigner and member of the Skerningham Woodland Action Group, David Clarke said: “There must be a better place in the Borough of Darlington for a large football stadium than in Garden Village; the noise and traffic on match days will just cause residents misery.”

Meanwhile,  David Ward urged the club to look at sites closer to Darlington’s centre. He said: “The ground or stadium needs to be in the town centre. Not in the middle of a housing estate. I’ve seen junior football pitches located in housing estates. And the chaos that causes to residents is unbelievable.”