MALVERN Town Football Club’s stadium has been registered an asset of community value.
The HDanywhere stadium has gained the status after a successful nomination, meaning the club could possibly own the stadium should it be put up for sale by Malvern Hills District Council (MHDC), which owns the ground.
Chris Pinder, managing director of Malvern Town Football Club, said: “It is important to understand that a successful listing gives us the right to bid rather than the right to buy.
“However, the listing reduces the chances that the stadium could be sold off to developers, for example. To be clear, I don’t have any reason to believe that MHDC has any plans to sell the stadium, quite the opposite in fact.
“MHDC have been extremely helpful and supportive of the club over the past year, and we look forward to working with them to achieve the best outcomes for the club, and local community.”
The nomination successfully demonstrated that the facility delivers both social value and community benefit to Malvern Hills and surrounding areas, with use of its club house as one example, and plays an integral role in the local area.
Mr Pinder is planning to launch Project 2020 later this year- a move which would include the replacing of the grass surface with a top of the rage artificial football pitch, along with building a larger clubhouse and a community centre facing the hills, to all be implemented for the turn of the decade, should the funding be found.
It is yet another success for the football club and its ground, after Chris Pinder took it over in September 2013 with now former co-owner, Ted Grizzell.
It will remain registered as a community aset until December 2019.
The club was forced to sell after it ran up of a debt of around £100,000 to Marston’s Brewery, but its future was secured by Mr Pinder and Grizzell.
The name of the ground, based in Langland Avenue, was changed from Langland Stadium to HD anywhere Stadium in a sponsorship deal, along with the club’s logo changing too.
Malvern Town FC are currently sixth in the West Midlands Regional League, Premier Division.